DVDFILE.COM Forum - View Single Post - Attack of the NON-auteurs

Marq · 05-17-2004, 10:48 PM

Beauty of a topic right here.

I once considered writing a paper on "non-auteur thoery" (or something similarly named, but equal in concept) for a film class as a contrast to everyone else's auteur theory works, but I was (am) clearly not smart enough to develop my own sets of guidelines and explain them all with enough specification to merit the effort. Looking back I should have both asked Lex's help on this and simply referred to the classic elements of auteur theory while saying "does not apply" to each of them.

One interesting case is:
BRUCE ROBINSON -- who through his first 2 films developed a very recognizable style and set of themes and tone with WITHNAL & I and HOW TO GET AHEAD IN ADVERTISING, but them threw it all away with his "American" debut that was impossible to connect with his previous work - JENNIFER 8. Alas, he was never to work as a director again, leaving nothing but confusion about how his career should be headed.

A more typical example:
JIM MCBRIDE -- No film connects to the other as he went from the interesting film-noir of THE BIG EASY to nothings like GREAT BALLS OF FIRE! and THE INFORMANT and countless random TV director jobs (The Wonder Years... Six Feet Under) and prior to that did a pointless American remake of BREATHLESS.

05-17-2004, 10:48 PM	#2 (permalink)
Marq Actor Join Date: May 2001 Location: Ottawa	Beauty of a topic right here. I once considered writing a paper on "non-auteur thoery" (or something similarly named, but equal in concept) for a film class as a contrast to everyone else's auteur theory works, but I was (am) clearly not smart enough to develop my own sets of guidelines and explain them all with enough specification to merit the effort. Looking back I should have both asked Lex's help on this and simply referred to the classic elements of auteur theory while saying "does not apply" to each of them. One interesting case is: BRUCE ROBINSON -- who through his first 2 films developed a very recognizable style and set of themes and tone with WITHNAL & I and HOW TO GET AHEAD IN ADVERTISING, but them threw it all away with his "American" debut that was impossible to connect with his previous work - JENNIFER 8. Alas, he was never to work as a director again, leaving nothing but confusion about how his career should be headed. A more typical example: JIM MCBRIDE -- No film connects to the other as he went from the interesting film-noir of THE BIG EASY to nothings like GREAT BALLS OF FIRE! and THE INFORMANT and countless random TV director jobs (The Wonder Years... Six Feet Under) and prior to that did a pointless American remake of BREATHLESS.