Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962
Abstract
In this essay, Andrew Sarris synthesizes his views on the policy of authors (la politique des auteurs), and at the same time advocates the auteur theory. Sarris, who draws on the views of André Bazin, Richard Roud and François Truffaut and gives an account of its complexity and of the people (connected to the Cahiers du Cinéma) involved in the theory, tries to formulate what may be regarded as the definition of auteur. Sarris states in his essay that there are three premises to auteur theory: the technical competence of the director, the director’s distinguishable personality and interior meaning. Sarris says that three concentric circles can represent the three premises, of which the outer one represents technique, the middle one – individual style and the inner one – interior meaning. The director’s interrelated roles can be designated as the roles of the technician, stylist (metteur en scène) and the auteur respectively. In his concluding remarks, Sarris says that the auteur theory alone is a theory model under constant evolution, and that it is unlikely to ever come into force.
- The text is a translation of the article Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962 by Andrew Sarris. Originally published in: Film Culture 1962-1963 (Winter), no. 27, pp. 561-564. © 1962-1963, 2007 by Anthology Film Archives.
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Keywords:
policy of authors, auteur, Cahiers du CinémaReferences
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Authors
Andrew Sarriskwartalnik.filmowy@ispan.pl
Columbia University United States
Amerykański krytyk filmowy, główny rzecznik amerykańskiej teorii auteur; profesor Uniwersytetu Columbia, jeden z założycieli National Society of Film Critics; autor przełomowej książki The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929-1968 (1968); wieloletni współpracownik magazynu „Village Voice” i „New York Observer”.
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