Unit 11: Film studies

Tutor: Faustina Starrett

Holly Yates

Stanley Kubrick an Auteur?

Auteur theory is a form of film critisim that holds the director as someone
who oversees all audio and visual elements of the motion picture so much
so that they are seen as the author of the film itself. The theory stems
from the writings of a group of cinema enthusiasts Cahiers du Cinma.
They argued that films should reflect a directors personal vision.
In 1954 one of the authors of cahiers du Cinma Francis Truffaut wrote an
essay named "Une certaine tendance du cinma franais" which
translates to A certain tendency in French cinema Truffaut wrote that to
be an auteur you had to show six different 1trademarks which are:

The principal creator of the film

The principal source of meaning in a film
A technically excellent filmmaker
A filmmaker with artistic merit opposed to commercial merit
A filmmaker with identifiable individual style
A filmmaker who makes films with recurring themes2

Stanley Kubrick was born July 26th 1928 and died March 7th 1999. He was
an American film director, screenwriter and producer who worked mainly
in the United Kingdom. He was part of the new Hollywood filmmaking
wave and is regarded as one of the best and most influential directors of
all time. His films were typically adaptations of novels and were often
described as dazzling and unique in terms of his cinematography. During
his career he directed some of the most notable movies of his time.
Including, Lolita, 2001: a space odyssey, A clockwork orange and the
shining.
The shining was adapted from Stephen Kings horror novel. It stars Jack
Nicholson as a writer who takes a job as a winter caretaker for the
Overlook hotel. Kubrick gave the actors freedom to extend the script and
add even more improve while filming. Kubrick made it clear that the script
was to be used as a guide.
Kubrick also directed A clockwork orange It was his adaption of
adaptation of Anthony Burgess's novel of the same name. Due to its
depiction of teenage violence it became one of the most controversial
movie of the decade, as part of an on going debate of violence in cinema.
Kubrick personally pulled the film from release in the United Kingdom
after receiving death threats following a series of copycat crimes based on
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auteur_theory

2 http://hollyyates.weebly.com/unit-11-film-studies-work1.html

Unit 11: Film studies

Tutor: Faustina Starrett

Holly Yates

the film; it was then completely unavailable legally in the UK until after
Kubrick's death, and not re-released until 2000. Kubrick disagreed that a
film could transform a person into a criminal, and argued "violent crime is
invariably committed by people with a long record of anti-social
behaviour".3
Kubrick was known for demanding perfection when shooting his films. The
number of takes was seen by some critics as irrational Kubrick believed
that actors were at their best during the actual filming rather than during
rehearsals. He thought actors who were in a lot of films didnt really get a
sense of excitement until there was film running through a camera.
Kubrick had many reoccurring themes in his movies, which usually
included expressions of an inner struggle seen from anothers point of
view. However he was very careful not to put his own views into his films.
He said "The essence of a dramatic form is to let an idea come over
people without it being plainly stated. When you say something directly, it
is simply not as potent as it is when you allow people to discover it for
themselves." When it came to picking a theme for his movies Kubrick
rarely had one in mind. He didnt like to explain the theme or sometimes
even the story until it was finished. His films have been called
Unpredictable as they examine the contradictions that exist in all of us.
Kubrick was a director that adapted many stories into strange, dazzling
and unique pieces of film. He uses his career as a photographer as
influence for some of the most notable shots in film history. By not letting
the audience know his personal feelings on a topic we feel the potency of
the topic that is being discussed this lets us form our own opinions on a
topic. I believe that Stanley Kubrick is an auteur as he leaves a distinct
mark on all of his films, his style of shooting has influenced many other
directors and he is also known for his distinct style of shooting he is also
known for having recurring themes in his films.

Holly Yates

3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick

Unit 11: Film studies

Tutor: Faustina Starrett

Holly Yates

Bibliography
Auteur theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auteur_theory
http://hollyyates.weebly.com/unit-11-film-studies-work1.html

Stanley Kubrick and quotes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick