Chapter 2 - Auteur Theory

Who first introduced the concept of the director as an auteur in the Cahiers du Cinéma?

• Andrew Sarris

• André Bazin

• François Truffaut

• Pauline Kael

What is NOT one of Andrew Sarris' three criteria for identifying an auteur?

• Technical competence

• Personal signature

• Interior meaning

• Collaborative vision

Which criticism did André Bazin have about auteur theory?

• Directors are incapable of creativity.

• Genre and studio systems limit directors.

• Films are collaborative and influenced by social and institutional contexts.

• Auteur theory ignores scriptwriting entirely.

Auteur theory suggests that the director is the sole creative force behind a film.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Pauline Kael supported Andrew Sarris' view that a director's consistent style is always valuable.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The signature style may result in a halo effect -The director’s past success biases evaluations of their new work, attributing value based on their reputation rather than the film’s merit.

The “halo effect” in auteur theory refers to the assumption that a film is valuable because of the director's

Andrew Sarris described technical competence, personal signature, and ______ meaning as the three core elements of an auteur.

Which of the following are challenges to the traditional auteur theory?

• Collaborative nature of filmmaking

• Importance of social and historical context

• Audience preference for well-known directors

• Directors’ lack of technical competence

Match each critic or contributor with their key role in auteur theory

• • Popularised auteur theory in America

• Andrew Sarris

• Rejects emphasis on style

• François Truffaut

• Critiqued auteur theory as overly simple

• André Bazin

• Coined the term "auteur"

• Pauline Kael

Reorder the Order the development of auteur theory historically:

• Cahiers du Cinéma articles by François Truffaut

• Pauline Kael’s critique in Circles and Squares

• Andrew Sarris’ Notes on the Auteur Theory

• Birth of a New Avant-Garde by Alexandre Astruc