Wednesday, 23 February 2011

What Makes an Auteur?

The auteur theory is a form of film analysis which identifies, “the director as 'author' of a film through the imprint of a personal visual style.” (Sklar, 1993, p. 523) The theory implies that the standard of reference when viewing a film is the personal input of artistic creativity from the director. According to this theory, a film and its director can be assessed by a body of work rather than looking at each 'text' individually. An auteur's films have recurrent themes, characters and a very distinct visual style.

Tim Burton is an auteur. His films are recognisably his work. “Of all the Hollywood talents of the 1980s and 1990s, Burton created the most distinctive world.” (Thompson, 2003, p. 691) This post refers to three of Burton's films, demonstrating the auteur qualities of this prolific director. Films which, although produced over a period of seventeen years, contain many features that bind them and identify them as Tim Burton creations.

Still from Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Burton's sets are very distinctive in style, echoing the German Expressionist Movement. The distorted buildings and unnatural colourings allow us to step into his world, which is not the same 'reality' we inhabit everyday.

Tim Burton uses lighting and colouring to generate atmosphere in his productions. “Desaturated colour may establish and reinforce certain moods throughout a film, as in the world created for Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow (1999) – a world where there are lots of clouds and fog, the sun never shines, nothing is in bloom, the trees are bare, it's cold, gloomy and colourless...” (Phillips, 2005, p. 68)

Still from Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Similarly, in Edward Scissorhands (1990) the bright suburban background contrasts with the dull, darker nature of Edward and his creator's mansion. In Sweeney Todd (2007) desaturated colour is also used to contrast the dark and dreary representation of the present day with the bright scenes, during Todd's flashbacks, of how happy his life once was.

Still from Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) 
The characters Burton uses in his films have underlying similarities. The main character is usually an outsider, different to others in some way. “The suburbia of Edward Scissorhands (1990) is invaded by an awkward young monster resembling a Goth rocker.” (Thompson, 2003, p. 692) Sleepy Hollow depicts an eccentric and squeamish police constable from New York who is sent to the village of Sleepy Hollow to solve a series of murders. His mannerisms and lifestyle is very different to the locals. Likewise, in Sweeney Todd, the main character is hell-bent on revenge and is darker and angrier than other characters in the film.


It is impossible to speak of Tim Burton's creations without addressing the casting of Johnny Depp. It has become expected that any Burton film will include a performance by Depp. The Depp-Burton relationship is another layer of the director's auteurism. Not only do his film characters have similarities but the actors are also often similar, if not the same, in each film.

 

There is no doubt that Tim Burton has been and continues to be a very influential auteur. His films, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, really showcase the aspects of Burton's talents that have made him so identifiable in the film industry. While portraying genres from horror to musical each still contains a very identifiable 'voice'; that of Tim Burton.

 

Sources

2 comments:


  1. Movies are the best way to see a story with the the so experienced actors nowadays
    i enjoy reading so many
    Noticias de Cine.

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