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Three Filmmakers and the Auteur Theory
The auteur theory is defined as the director being the personal
creative vision behind a film. In the 1940’s (almost a half a century
after the invention of film), there was an argument between French
screenwriters and directors over who was classified as the true auteur
(the author) of film. In 1948, an essay written by Alexandre Astruc
argued that film had matured as a serious art form and that directors
could use it as a way of expression. “The filmmaker-author writes with
this camera as a writer writes with his pen” (Thompson, Bordwell 415).
Some of the greatest filmmakers in the latter half of the
twentieth-century are distinguished members of the auteur theory,
including Martin Scorsese, Spike lee, and Tim Burton.Written by: Casey LaMarca Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, and Tim Burton are three completely different style filmmakers, but their visions stand for originality and purpose. Martin Scorsese is a NYU film graduate who began his astonishing career in the 1970’s, notably with his first effort Mean Streets. For the next thirty-five years, Scorsese crafted brilliance in the crime genre and other controversial subjects including religion and American history. He is considered to be one of the greatest living directors still working today. Spike Lee, also a NYU graduate, has been known to tackle the subject of racism in almost all of his films. The African-American director is a political force in Hollywood, willing to tackle important issues that have the potential to spark a debate of human morality. Unlike Scorsese and Lee, Tim Burton became famous for films filled with untamed imagination. After attending the California Institute for the Arts, Burton went on to become an animator for Disney. After breaking through with his first full-length feature Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Burton went on to make Beetlejuice and Batman, giving him A-list status in Hollywood. Since then, Burton has taken audiences into another world with his innovative style of fantasy filmmaking. Martin Scorsese (also referred to as “Marty”) has become known as the master of crime and mob movies. Since 1973’s Mean Streets, he has perfected the art of blending controversial violence into effective storytelling. In 1976, Scorsese teamed up with Robert De Niro (also in Mean Streets and several other of his films) and Jodie Foster to make Taxi Driver, considered at the time to be one of the most violent films ever. It was nominated for four Academy Awards (he was shamelessly snubbed for Best Director) including Best Picture and Best Actor (De Niro). It was clear with Taxi Driver that Scorsese was becoming more highly accomplished in his technical skills. Several of his auteur touches are included, by using jump cuts, expressionist cuts, slow motion shots, and its New York City location. Other Scorsese films set in New York include Gangs of New York, The Age of Innocence, After Hours, and New York, New York. Throughout Scorsese’s films, there is a huge emphasis on his main characters and their psychological perspectives. For example, Travis Bickle (De Niro in Taxi Driver) suffers from severe loneliness and depression. This leads to a violent finale where he shoots several people involved in prostitution (one of them is played by Harvey Keitel, also known for being a Scorsese regular). In Raging Bull, boxer Jake La Motta (also played by De Niro) has a serious temper problem, and in The Aviator, Scorsese explores eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes (Leonardo Dicaprio) and his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. All three of these characters suffer some sort of tragedy or downfall because of their illnesses. Scorsese seems to be tackling these personalities because he can mildly relate to them. In the late 1970’s, Scorsese had a serious cocaine addiction and believed he would never make a movie again. Robert De Niro approached him and asked him to get rid of his addiction to make Raging Bull. Scorsese agreed, and the film is considered to be one of his finest (De Niro also walked away with a Best Actor trophy). When it comes to his movies, Scorsese says that The Departed is “the only movie of mine with a plot” (IMDB.com). However, The Departed has extremely similar themes to his other movies, especially Goodfellas. Both explore the fight of corruption vs. loyalty. In the end of Goodfellas, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) must break his loyalty with the mob and enter the witness protection program in order to prevent jail time. In The Departed, Matt Damon’s character Colin Sullivan is a mole inside the Boston Police Department. Instead of being loyal to his job and protecting the law, Colin chooses his boss Frank Costello as his first priority. Billy Costigan (Dicaprio) is in the opposite role of Colin. He is an undercover cop working in Frank Costello’s unit. He has to convince Costello that he is with him, but his loyalty is really to the Boston Police Department. Both movies examine the allegiances between the law and criminals. Martin Scorsese is a legend in Hollywood. In 2007, he received his long overdue Oscar for best Director with The Departed. It’s not his greatest achievement, but it’s certainly one of his best films. Known for quick cuts, stylized violence, and bringing out great performances in his actors, Scorsese is an auteur with an eye of astonishingly brutal focus. In 1985, Shelton Jackson “Spike” Lee shot his first film in two weeks for $175,000. It was called She’s Gotta Have It and it grossed over $7 million. Four years later he would become an Oscar-nominated filmmaker with his controversial and benchmark film Do the Right Thing. Spike Lee is a true auteur, known for focusing on several themes surrounding racism, political figures, and global events. Like Scorsese, Spike Lee sets many of his films in New York City (Do the Right Thing, 25th Hour, Inside Man, Miracle at St. Anna’s) and uses racism as a tool for debate. In 25th Hour, there is a scene where Edward Norton’s character goes on a five-minute rant about hating every race in the world, from African-Americans, Caucasians, Asians, Hispanics, Arabs, Jews, and more. It is a monologue that brings to question the lows of media and social norms. In Do the Right Thing, Pino (John Turturro) the son of an Italian-American pizzeria owner is extremely racist towards blacks and speaks racial slurs for most of the film. In Malcolm X, Denzel Washington plays the notorious leader who spends the second half of his life preaching the words of Elijah Muhammad and dealing with racial issues. He was assassinated when speaking about the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Spike Lee has tried several experimental techniques in order to transpose realism to the screen. On the Do the Right Thing set, he purposely raised the temperature so actors would appear extremely hot and sweaty. He did this because the film is set on the hottest day of the year. He also likes to use squishing lens that will give a sense of claustrophobia. He uses the camera as a tool for creating feelings. Inside Man has a scene of Denzel Washington performing a platform movement right after he thinks a bank robber has killed an innocent civilian. It feels claustrophobic and completely out of touch with reality, the same way the character is feeling. When it comes to politics, Spike Lee is extremely charged. With his documentary When the Levees Break: A Requiem in Four Acts, he tackles Hurricane Katrina and the abomination of its rescue effort, including FEMA and its director Michael Brown. It deals with what he is known for: racism and human morality. Spike Lee is ready to tackle important issues at any time. Just don’t tell him he’s mellowed. Exploring Tim Burton’s mind would be a hypnotic trip of gothic nostalgia. After becoming an animator for Disney in the early eighties, Burton created Frankenweenie, a children’s movie too dark for children. Tim Burton has this reputation. Examples include The Nightmare Before Christmas (he didn’t direct it, but he produced and wrote the story) an animated adventure about Jack Skellington and his journey to fulfill Santa’s duties of delivering gifts to children. Sounds perfect for children right? Well, Burton’s style includes what’s in the title. It is shot like a Nightmare, with a gothic theme. Although its end message has the two main characters realizing their everlasting love, the journey that got them there is very dark. Along with Nightmare Before Christmas, Burton has many of his protagonists as misunderstood characters trying to behave in a normal world. Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp) is the story of a creature with scissors for hands. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory explores the character of Willy Wonka (Depp once again) and his misunderstood childhood. With an overbearing dentist for a father, Willy Wonka is forced to have the perfect set of teeth. Ironically (or out of spite for his father) he becomes the owner of a chocolate factory. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (who else but Depp?) is the story of a man who lost everything over a false accusation. After being released from jail, he returns to London to get revenge on those who put him away. Instead, he becomes a murderer himself and slashes anyone who comes to visit him for a “shave”. His thirst for revenge ultimately kills the wife he thought was dead. The characters of Jack Skellington, Willy Wonka, and Sweeney Todd are misunderstood creatures in a world unsuited for their personalities. Tim Burton tells their stories with sympathy, dark mysteries, and dreamy sequences. By collaborating with Johnny Depp and composer Danny Elfman on numerous occasions, Burton has a core group of tools that he uses for his movies. Elfman’s scores are magical, endearing, and cinematically sweeping. Tim Burton is a true auteur, one with the imagination of a child and the brain of an experienced genius. The specific styles that can be recognized in an auteur are much simpler than one may think. From a technical standpoint, every director can use the same tools while creating completely different visions in the process. When looking for Scorsese in a film, focus on themes of gangsters and mobs involving quick edits (his go-to editor is Thelma Shoonmaker) extreme, violence and tragic flaws in characters. With Spike Lee, look for racism and social issues inside experimental techniques. When it comes to Tim Burton, don’t expect realism to be a film’s strongpoint. Imagination, filled with gothic sets and questionable motives in its characters, is Burton’s primary tool in storytelling. When Alexandre Astruc wrote his essay on the Auteur Theory, he seemed to prove a very important point. The director is the true author of a film. The screenwriter is only the blueprint. Without a translator from paper to screen (the artistic eye of a director), movies could feel like a PowerPoint presentation. REFERENCES: -Thompson, Kristin and Bordwell, David. Film History: An Introduction. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2003 -Martin Scorsese Personal Quotes.” Imdb.com. October 2006. 1 December 2008. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000217/bio> |
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