Auteur or Not?

Quenteur?

An auteur is a film director who influences film so much that they rank as an author, as they exert a high level of control across all aspects of a film. When a director’s films are all significantly unique, but maintain common threads throughout, they can be considered an auteur, the author of their own film, originating from the French term, auteur, which translates to “author.” According to many film theorists, a term called the auteur theory originated in the 1950’s with, among others, the realist theories of André Bazin and Jean-Luc Godard, which was popularized in the magazine Cahiers du Cinéma . This was originally the manifesto for ‘La politique des Auteurs’ (the methodology of film authors), which became the auteur theory that we understand today. Furthermore, the three main components of the auteur theory are: technical competence, distinguishable style, and interior meaning, but do all directors achieve this?

A perfect example of an auteur is Quentin Tarantino, one of the most influential American directors from the past century, best known for his films Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. Some of my favourite Tarantino films include: Kill Bill: Vol 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Vol 2 (2004), Django Unchained (2012), and Pulp Fiction (1994) due to their extreme violence and iconic scenes that include some of the most captivating cinematography that i have ever seen. Personally, I would consider Tarantino as an auteur because it is always clear when a film is directed by him, as they are often characterised by their stylised violence; extended use of dialogue, and frequent references to popular culture. I really like the way his films subvert the realities of social structures, through often using the traditional underdog to appear strong and motivated to take revenge on an individual character or a group, which he does a lot in his filmography, for example, when Butch takes the moral high ground in Pulp Fiction. Through these common themes that he uses, audiences can immediately recognise a ‘Tarantino’ film, and his work achieves the three elements of the auteur theory, which makes him an auteur, in my opinion.

However, it could be argued that Quentin Tarantino is not an auteur because he has stated that he will only ever create ten films, so some may argue that he has not yet reached full cinematographic maturity. Therefore, his films, in time, will obtain greater interior significance through experience, so for now could be considered as an auteur in the making. I disagree with this, however, because Tarantino’s films are incredibly culturally iconic, and through his common themes of violence, “realistic” dialogue (which I think is used to stop audiences from being completely absorbed into the film’s plot), and moral storylines, Quentin Tarantino is an auteur.