Truffaut's Auteur Theory

Now that we have a foundation for how to encompass what determines an author and how to finite our definition, the theorists of week three begin to hone in our concept to a more narrow ideology. This week centers on the larger question of ‘what is an Author?’ Janet Staiger opens this week by listing problems with authorship studies, Francois Truffaut follows with his negative opinions of French cinema and what appears to be a form of authorship existing there, and Andre Bazin closes the week with an introduction to the auteur theory. Staiger draws on two major problems with authorship studies as flaws that have a tendency to devalue the author. Interestingly, Staiger counters that authorship is still a point of matter and furthers this concept …show more content…
The auteur theory is a necessary evil to referencing and cataloguing cinema; a form of critic by analyzing a specific director’s body of work. Contrastingly to Truffaut who believes the filmmaker should place himself inside his work, Bazin contests that the auteur theory should be utilized to assist in evaluating how societal context and the uprising of the auteur theory influences how a director’s work is …show more content…
Bazin provides a foundation for the auteur theory and will prove to be a reference for further explorations in this course and my future work, but his understanding of the historical roots of auteur theory was beneficial in furthering my own concepts. In contrast from last week, Staiger, Truffaut, and Bazin work to narrow our understanding of authorship while overall still provide historical foundations, which at times can be difficult to wade through. I think the purpose of this week is to develop our understanding as auteur theory as a historical moment, which may or may not be necessary to move forward with our authorial understanding, but is key to noting how cinema became to be regarded as an art