The Auteur Theory

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The Auteur Theory

• In Film
• And
• Television

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MOTION PICTURES
In Cashiers Du Cinema by Francois Truffaut in
1954 Came from French Critic Andre
Bazin Expanded by American Film Critic - Andrew
Sarris in 1960s Basic Tenet The Director or -
better - the writer/director is the main person
responsible for the film and it bears his/her
distinctive stamp.
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Most Complete AuteurCharlie Chaplin

• Major Films
• The Gold Rush, 1925
• City Lights, 1931
• Modern Times, 1937
• The Great Dictator, 1941
• Monsieur Verdoux, 1947
• Limelight, 1952

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Acknowledged U.S. Film Auteurs
Classic American Cinema Alfred Hitchcock Orson
Welles Howard Hawks John Ford Stanley
Kubrick Francis Coppola Robert Altman More
Recent Directors Steven Spielberg M. Knight
Shyamalan Spike Lee James Cameron Quentin
Tarantino David Lynch
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TELEVISION
NORMAN LEAR Quinn Martin Steven Bochco James
Burrows David Chase James Brooks Stephen J.
Cannell David Kelley Alan Ball Basic Tenet
The Producer or - better - the writer/producer
is the main person responsible for the program
and it bears his/her distinctive stamp. "Let's Be
Careful Out There" from Cop Rock