Tarantino's Auteur Theory In Film

Before analysing Tarantino’s films and establishing his style as a filmmaker, not only does the auteur theory have to be looked at, but also the criteria that a director has to tick in order to be considered an auteur in their field. The auteur theory originated in France, and initially began as a reaction of criticism against the Hollywood studio system in the 1910s. However, it only became a popular topic of cinematic debate in the 1950s when cinema exploded into the American mainstream popular culture. With the entertainment industry eager to satisfy the growing demand for film of all types for the ever expanding audiences at that time, they began to manufacture films in an assembly line fashion. And because of this impersonal, assembly …show more content…
Despite all the negative criticism, one main defender of the Hollywood studio system, and a predecessor of the auteur theory, Francis Truffaut, declared that an auteur, or author could be distinguished in many of the American Hollywood films. In terms of filmmaking, the auteur theory refers to the very basic idea that the director is the sole creative influence behind any movie despite all the other important roles in the filmmaking, such as the cinematographers, actors, lighting operators, sound designers etc. The auteur theory holds the director, and only the director, accountable for the film’s outcome. This idea of the director is communicated clearly in a quote by the highly influential French director Francois Truffaunt: “There are no good and bad movies, only good and bad directors.”(Thomson-Jones 2008). In this day and age, the term auteur is commonly used to describe a director who’s style is unique and who’s films are recognisable by that style. Various directors commonly regarded as classic examples of Hollywood auteurs include: Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch and Alfred Hitchcock stand as examples of classic Hollywood auteurs (Yasinkutuk