Auteur Theory and its roots

Post #1
Who coined the term auteur?

Francois Truffaut

In what essay was the term coined?

Une Certaine Tendance du Cinema Francais (A Certain Tendeny in French Cinema)
also possibly titled
La Politique Des Auteurs (The Policy of the Auteurs)

(I have seen both titles used for what I assume is the same article/essay)














Francois Truffaut was a french filmmaker that many consider the creator of a movement of film called "French New Wave" . Before he was a filmmaker he was in the French army but fled for two years until he got a job as a film critic for a budding film magazine Cahiers du cinema. He was known for his brutal reviews, so much so that in 1958 he was banned from the Cannes film festival. He would go on to direct several films (25 in total) including a film adaptation of Fahrenheit 451. His goal was to make 30 films and retire exclusively to write books. His goal was cut short by 5 films in 1984 when he died from complications of a brain tumor.


It was in 1954 when he worked for Cahiers du cinema when he wrote Une Certaine Tendance du Cinema Francais/La Politique Des Auteurs it was in this essay where he created the Auteur theory. The theory states that a film reflects a certain directors personal vision is displayed on the screen. It is in this way a film can be seen with a directors certain characteristics and quirks displayed labeling his as the creative "Auteur" (or author) of the film.