In the following essay I will explain by what Francois Truffaut means by “la politique des auteurs” and how this concept applies to the body of work by Jean-Luc Godard.
Francois Truffaut developed a concept that a film should reflect the director’s personal vision; the director’s role was revolutionised by the idea that the director should act as if he is the primary author of the story. A director was often seen as an artist in his own right (John Hess, 1974, pp. 19-22). The Auteur Theory was but one of the techniques used by the directors of the French New Wave Movement, as it also served as a mode of criticism. The auteur theory is further imbedded within European copyright law that states that the Director of the film has exclusive rights to the film (Pascal Kamina, 2002, 154-153).
Truffaut started working at a film magazine called Cahiers du Cinema and it is here were he gained his influence as one of France’s most influential and brutal of film critics (Francois Truffaut’s Biography). He later became the editor of the magazine and assisted Andre Bazin on the Auteur Theory. He also wrote multiple influential articles, one being “A certain Tendency of French Cinema” (as published in, January 1954,Cahiers du cinéma #31 ).
Jean-Luc Godard was one of the first writers at Cahiers du Cinema and Truffaut’s influence can clearly be seen in his body of work, where most of his films express his own personal creative view as director. As he was quite familiar with what was happening in cinema at the time, many of his films serve as a reflection and a critique of Hollywood cinema and French Cinema’s conventions.
Being part of the French New Wave movement, most of his films are constructed through the use of long-takes and jump-cuts which were seen as quite radical at the time, in an attempt to reject the conventional or traditional ways of storytelling in cinema, by not compromising the reality through the unnecessary use of editing “Every edit is a lie.”(Jean-Luc Godard as cited in imdb.com). Techniques like these were employed by multiple directors of French New Wave. His film Breathless which was co-written by Francois Truffaut, also acted as a criticism on Hollywood Cinema, as it made explicit inter-textual references to Hollywood films and famous actors of the time.
I have come to conclusion that even though it is apparent in Godard’s work that his individual creative vision was portrayed and that he had helped to construct the theory of the auteur with Francois Truffaut. In my opinion, credit to the Auteur theory cannot be given to one individual, as it was developed in a collective of thought, by multiple talented individuals.
The Auteur Theory has proven its influence, as many directors still follow this vision to date. In the end it is but a single droplet in the French New Wave Ocean. In recollection: Film, Sex and Frenchmen.
Bibliography:
- François Truffaut, “Une certaine tendance du cinéma français”, Cahiers du cinéma #31, January 1954, (Table of content in PDF) http://www.archives-cahiersducinema.com/boutique/images_produits/C031NC0002.pdf
- Pascal Kamina,2002,Film Copyrigt in the European Union, Cambridge University Press
- Biography of Jean-Luc Godard, Copyright © 1990-2010 IMDb.com, Inc., http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000419/bio
- New Wave Film Encyclopaedia: Francios Truffaut Biography, S Hitchman/A McNett © 2008-2009, http://www.newwavefilm.com/french-new-wave-encyclopedia/francois-truffaut2.shtml#childhood
By James Honiball
JamesHoniball©2010
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