Auteur theory

Question 1

Auteur theory

Answer 1

To legitimize film as an “art form,” French critics and filmmakers of the late 1950s argued that some films can be
seen to bear a director’s unique “stamp” in terms of form and content, even given the context of collaborative,
industrialized film production. They argued that these films rose to the level of artistic merit, the same as novels or
paintings, because the director was an “author” in these circumstances.

Question 2

Didn’t like

Answer 2

They tended to view official, prestige cinema, of the sort that Academy
Awards voters often value, to be lifeless, pretentious, merely literary, and devoid of originality.

Question 3

Which films and filmmakers did they value?

Answer 3

Instead, these influential French critics (such as Bazin, Truffaut, and Godard) celebrated the “down-and-dirty”
popular American cinema, especially the gangster, thriller, and melodrama genre pictures of Orson Welles, Alfred
Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, Sam Fuller, Douglas Sirk, and Nicholas Ray. These directors’ films, when viewed
cumulatively over the course of their careers, constitute a coherent whole, with a specific vision and interpretation
of the world. These directors often focused on the same themes and styles over the course of their entire careers.

Question 4

Alfred Hitchcock as an auteur:

Answer 4

“If I admit I prefer to make films that may be so classified I must first define it. […] In the cinema a melodramatic
film is one based on a series of sensational incidents. So melodrama, you must admit, has been and is the backbone
and lifeblood of the cinema. I use melodrama because I have a tremendous desire for understatement in filmmaking.
Understatement in a dramatic situation powerful enough to be called melodramatic is, I think, the way to
achieve naturalism and realism, while keeping in mind the entertainment demands of the screen, the first of these
being for colourful action.”

Question 5

Hitchcock Typical plots:

Answer 5

1. the falsely accused man (The 39 Steps, Spellbound, North by Northwest)
2. the guilty, but sympathetic, woman (Notorious, Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds)
3. the psychopath (Rope, Psycho, Frenzy)
4. espionage (a cover for addressing gender relations and sexuality) (Notorious, North by Northwest, Torn Curtain)
5. marriage (Rebecca, Rear Window, Marnie, Frenzy)

Question 6

Hitchcock Typical themes:

Answer 6

1. the frailty and precariousness of ordered, meaningful existence
2. the forces of disorder erupt from within ordinary, everyday life
3. the forces of disorder are dangerously likable, tempting and fascinating
4. humans are portrayed as voyeurs, which also implicates the audience that is viewing the film
5. experience therapy: a hero is purged of weakness by indulging in disorder and living out the
   consequences
6. influence of and incorporation of Catholic themes, as well as some questioning of them

Question 7

Hitchcock Recurring form and style elements:

Answer 7

1. subjective narration and POV shots tie the audience to the protagonist
2. moments of chilling, unrestricted narration to create suspense
3. Expressionist techniques of lighting, framing, and design
4. use of comedy in morbid situations
5. use of controlled studio locations for filming (including car scenes)
6. use of major landmarks for ‘set pieces’ (a virtuoso, constructed sequence)
7. the use of doubles and dopplegängers