Compare how far your chosen films reflect the auteur signature features of their filmmakers.
The definition of an auteur is “a film director who influences their films so much that they rank as their author.” André Bazin was a film critic in France during the 1940s who was the first person to use the word ‘auteur’. André Bazin thought that directors should engage personally with the filmmaking process.
Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942) was made in 1942, during World War Two, and is a love story between Rick and Ilsa who met in Paris and are reunited in Casablanca. Rick realises Ilsa has a husband and the narrative follows Rick and Ilsa reminisce over their past and Rick helps Ilsa and Laszlo to escape Casablanca. Casablanca is a film that is made during the era when Hollywood studio systems were in control of what was being made, this era is also called Classical Hollywood. The studio had control over the directors and actors so there was no experimental films being released. The films produced were also strict due to the Hayes Code, which meant no violence, blasphemy or sexuality can be shown on screen. The studio Casablanca was under was Warner Brothers.
Warner Brothers had a specific house style that is used in each film that is made by the studio. The house style of Warner Bros focuses on: urban settings, snappy dialogue and a brisk pace, with scripts and performances that never stray into sentimentality. At the time many studios chose their main actors and actresses due to their looks. Warner Bros main cast were chosen due to their large personalities, which was often portrayed on-screen. Warner Bros films, therefore, always felt more authentic which was what captured a lot of people to watch Warner Bros films. Trademark films for Warner Bros were gangster films, action-adventure films and hard-hitting films. So whilst Curtiz was not an auteur, Warner Bros had a specific style like an auteur would.
Bonnie and Clyde (Penn, 1967) is about two lovers, Bonnie and Clyde, who start robbing banks together and end up on the run around the south of America. Bonnie and Clyde is a film made during the French New Wave. After the collapse of the main studio system, directors took influence from new movement, the main movement at the time was the French New Wave. Jean-Luc Goddard is known as the pioneer of the movement and it was created due to film critics not liking how films were not as innovative as they wanted to be. The aim of the French New Wave was that the filmmakers wanted to show real life through a different way of filmmaking.
Penn took a lot of influence from the French New Wave. The film critics who created the movement wanted to be experimental as they were fed up of films not being innovative and for the first time sex and violence were made obvious in films. The continuity of the editing was not as important and filmmakers were encouraged to show off their skill rather than keep the narrative structure. The camera movement they used was more unorthodox to make the film more eccentric, actors also broke the fourth wall in films. All of these new techniques were used to break the boundaries of film. Directors of this period included Jean-Luc Godard. Whilst Penn was not an auteur, he stole a lot of ideas from French New Wave auteurs for his film Bonnie and Clyde.
In Casablanca, establishing shots are used at the beginning of most scenes. At the beginning of the film, there are close up shots of the market place and people selling items and going about their daily business. Establishing shots are used in Casablanca to set the scene to the audience and close-ups are used to show the exact location. This was typical of Warner Bros House Style as by showing an establishing shot this keeps the narrative logic of the film. Establishing shots were the most common way of opening a scene in the Warner Bros House Style. Michael Curtiz often liked to open his films with high crane shots to establish the story environment and Curtiz’s films were produced under Warner Bros, showing that establishing shots are typical of Warner Bros House Style.
Extreme long shots are used to set the scene in Bonnie and Clyde. When Clyde meets Bonnie’s family for the first time on the hill, the scene and setting are established by using extreme long shots. This shows the location as a whole but does not establish what the scene will exactly look like, this is unlike Casablanca where close-ups are vital during establishing shots to show the audience the exact location. This links to the French New Wave movement as film directors wanted to show locations in different way and not use the normal narrative structure of opening every new location with an establishing shot to be experimental. Establishing shots were not used in French New Wave films to increase the pace of the film.
Non-diegetic composed scores are used often in Casablanca. One example of when a composed score is used is when Rick, Ilsa and Laszlo are driving to the airport and the score is used to create tension. Non-diegetic composed scores are used to set the scene and mood so the audience can expect what is to come in the scene. This links to Warner Bros House Style as the composer, Max Steiner, as he wanted to create dramatic, memorable scores that matched the themes and characters on the screen.
This is different to Bonnie and Clyde as there are not many non-diegetic composed scores, this is specifically noticeable in the end scene where Bonnie and Clyde are being shot and all you can hear is the gun shots. This is so the audience is faced with the reality of the scene and what is happening. Non-diegetic composed scores are not needed in Bonnie and Clyde to set the mood as the mood is set through the action on the screen. This links to the French New Wave as directors liked to be experimental by playing with non-diegetic sounds and diegetic sounds to get a reaction out of the audience.
In Casablanca, the performances from the actors are very theatrical. This is shown when the German airplane reaches Casablanca and the German and French converse. The actors stick to the script so there is no improvisation and this gives a linear performance from the actors. The dialogue is only used to keep the story going and is not for effect. The Warner Bros House Style never wanted the performance to stray into sentimentality, which is why the performances in Casablanca are linear yet theatrical.
In contrast, Bonnie and Clyde uses improvisation to make the story seem more realistic. Bonnie and Clyde often talk over each other, this is shown when they met for the first time outside Bonnie’s house. This makes a realistic performance unlike Casablanca as the performance is a lot more staged. During the French New Wave, the Hayes Code was broken which is why performances could become much more realistic as it was more common for actors to swear in films. The French New Wave wanted to be experimental and not stick to the script, which is why Bonnie and Clyde is a more of a realistic performance than Casablanca. Warren Beatty, producer and lead actor in Bonnie and Clyde, was well known for improvisation and he started the trend of improvisation among other star actors.
In Casablanca editing throughout the film is not used for effect but to tell the story. In the beginning scene when the man is shot, there is a reaction shot to tell the audience how to feel after the event. This type of editing is called continuity editing and is used to tell the narrative in an order that is easy to understand. This links to Warner Bros House Style as editing was only used to keep the narrative going.
At the end of Bonnie and Clyde when the two robbers are getting shot, the violent sequence was extended and shown in slow motion. This is to make the audience face the death of the two main characters. Editor Dede Allen was the pioneer of experimental editing, including the use of J-cuts and audio overlaps, this links to the French New Wave as the directors who started this movement wanted filmmakers to be experimental with their films and show off their skills.
Humphrey Bogart, who plays Rick in Casablanca, was well-known for being in noir films. Rick is shown in film noir lighting for example when we see Rick for the first time in his cafe. This links to the Warner Bros House Style as the studio liked to show off their actors for what they are most well known for and to highlight what Humphrey Bogart is most famous for as people would want to watch Casablanca to see him. Cinematographer Arthur Edeson was well known for filming the first noir style film and Edeson utilises this to show off Bogart for what he is known for.
Bonnie and Clyde is influenced by French New Wave. Unlike Casablanca, the film is not based around one actor but a movement. The difference between the two films is that people would watch Bonnie and Clyde for the narrative and not solely for the actors. This links to the French New Wave as directors were encouraged to show off their skills, meaning that the actors were less important than they were in the Warner Bros House Style.
To conclude whilst Curtiz and Penn are not auteurs, their films follow a specific style like an auteur would even though this style of auteurship is not the norm. The work of Arthur Edeson, Max Steiner, Jack Warner and Michael Curtiz as well as the Warner Bros House Style makes the film follow a specific style which makes all of these factors an auteur. Arthur Penn was inspired by the French New Wave movement and his film is his take on the movement. With the help from Dede Allen and Warren Beatty, Penn created a film which was influenced by many auteurs in the French New Wave movement. Therefore the films do have signature auteur features but not the conventional features of an auteur film.
Maisie Burgess' Film Studies Blog 