Auteur Theory

In the reading by Andrew Sarris, Notes on the Auteur Theory written in 1962, it focuses on the importance of signature style of directors. Andrew Sarris opens the article by explaining that there is not a direct English translation for Auteur Theory, but attempts to define it through three foundation premises. The first being technical competence, essentially meaning that the success/quality of a film is dependent on many elements and a "bad" director does not necessarily mean that the film will be bad. The second is the fact that auteur theory relies on the director's unique/personal style, which must be distinguishable in the film. The third premise relates to the interior meaning of the film, which is the relationship/depiction of the director's personality and their material. The first thing I thought was interesting about Sarris's argument was the fact that he considers the director the author of the play, instead of the screenwriter, the person who writes the play. My one criticism to Auteur Theory is that, while it is often intriguing/appealing to have a director use the same specific style in his or her film, it also in some ways can be limiting to their creativity and expansion as an artist or be repetitive.