auteur theory
Noun
Meaning
auteur theory (uncountable)
(film) The view of film as an art form with an original and personal stylistic vision, especially in contrast to collective authorship in the studio system. [from 1960s]
Examples
According to academic Greg Taylor, auteur theory also helped to popularize cult films when middlebrow audiences found an accessible way to approach avant-garde film criticism.
Criticism of the auteur theory often stems from a misunderstanding of its "dogmatic" nature.
Aljean Harmetz has responded, "nearly every Warner Bros. picture was an exception to the auteur theory".
By requiring repeated viewings and extensive knowledge of details, auteur theory naturally appealed to cult film fans.
Critic Andrew Sarris called the film "the most decisive exception to the auteur theory ", Sarris, Andrew (1968).
It was popularized in the journal Cahiers du cinéma : auteur theory maintains that directors like Hitchcock exert a level of creative control equivalent to the author of a literary work.