Category: Articles
Debating the Auteur Theory: An Argument Against
The second of a two-part debate between CURNBLOG’s Simon Butler and Jonathan Eig on the legitimacy of the Auteur Theory. See Part One here. Let’s go to the source. Andrew Sarris, writing in the Introduction to his seminal book The American Cinema: “Not all directors are auteurs. Indeed, most directors are anonymous. There is much…
Debating the Auteur Theory: An Argument For
The first of a two-part debate between CURNBLOG’s Simon Butler and Jonathan Eig on the legitimacy of the Auteur Theory. See Part Two here. My esteemed colleague Jonathan Eig and I have a little debate going on: Is the auteur theory, which finds that the director is the creative visionary behind the film, truth or hogwash?…
The British New Wave: 5 Movies About Gritty Brits
Before 1960, most films about the British working people showed them in a patronising, if affectionate way. They always worked hard, paid their bills, and endured hardship with a grin. Apron-wearing matriarchs hen-pecked their husbands, and terrified prospective sons-in-law. Men returned from work to enjoy a wash in the sink, followed by a frugal meal.…
Emotional Violence and the Movies: 6 Films You’ll Feel
I hate to admit it, but I never made it all the way through Hollywood vs. America, film critic Michael Medved’s long and rather ponderous book which suggested in 1993 that Hollywood filmmakers were largely to blame for the decay of the American social fabric. The idea that any such decay might be attributable to…
There And Back Again: Fantasy Cinema and Literary Legacy
Fantasy cinema, taking the themes and ideas of fantasy literature and putting them up on the big screen, is an increasingly powerful force in cinema. Like superhero films, this genre has been driven by recent successful adaptations, starting with The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). And just as J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the…