A Theory of Origin

A Revision of the Auteur Theory in Film Studies

Authors

  • Rachelle Gallagher University of Glasgow

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36399/GroundingsUG.9.195

Keywords:

Auteur, Auteur Theory, Author, Authorship, Critical Review, Tim Burton, Lady Gaga, Netflix

Abstract

This article reviews the traditional auteur theory within film and television studies, looking at how notions of the author and authorship are constructed. It moves through an overview of traditional auteur theory, highlighting its successes and failures as an academic theory. In reviewing the theory this article presents an alternative and hopefully more productive way in which to analyse and decipher notions of authorship. The new theory is tested by application to three distinct case studies involving the film director Tim Burton, singer Lady Gaga and the video-on-demand service provider Netflix.

References

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Lady Gaga, (2011) 'Born This Way', Track 2 from the album Born This Way. Written by Stefani Germanotta and Jeppe Laursen. Produced by Stefani Germanotta, Jeppe Laursen, Fernando Garibay and Paul Blair (California: Interscope Records).

Lady Gaga, (2011) 'Dance in the Dark', Track 5 from the album The Fame Monster. Written by Stefani Germanotta and Fernando Garibay. Produced by Fernando Garibay, co-produced by Stefani Germanotta (California: Interscope Records).

J. Jack Halbestram, ‘Gaga Feminism: Sex, Gender and the End of Normal’ (Boston: Beacon Press, 2012).

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Pauline Kael, ‘Circles and Squares’, (1963) 16:3 Film Quarterly, 12-26.

Derrit Mason, ‘The Trouble with Going Gaga’ c(2013) 4:1 Reviews in Cultural Theory, 19-24.

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Karen Petruska, ‘Content That Travels: International Content and Original Programming on U.S. Streaming Sites’ in Flow Online Journal (Austin: University of Texas, 2015). Available at: http://www.flowjournal.org/2015/04/content-that-travels-international/.

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Andrew Sarris, The American cinema: Directors and Directions 1929-1968 (New York: Dutton, 1968).

Janet Staiger, ‘Authorship Approaches’ in Authorship and Film. (eds.) David A. Gerstner and Janet Staiger (New York: Routledge, 2003), 27–57.

Adam Sorice, ‘“The girl who lives behind the aura’: A Dissertation on Lady Gaga”’(2014) published in a series of blogposts. Available at: https://adamsorice.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/gaga-dissertation/ .

W. K. Wimsatt, ‘Genesis: A Fallacy Revisited,’ in The Disciplines of Criticism. (eds.) Peter Demeu, Thomas Greene, and Lowry Nelson, Jr. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1968).

Downloads

Published

2016-04-01

Issue

Section

Vol. IX Articles

How to Cite

A Theory of Origin: A Revision of the Auteur Theory in Film Studies. (2016). Groundings Undergraduate Journal, 9, 20-31. https://doi.org/10.36399/GroundingsUG.9.195