cars

I agree with the majority of you guys, Auteur theory sucks, and personally i think everyone involved in the production of a film should be credited.
So,
I'm now going to concentrate on the twin portrayals of the British working class in British films, comparing the filmns of the 60's to the films of today, and commenting on the devide of north and south represenations.
I think there is a huge devide between the representations of the working class in the north, than those of the south. And most importantly the divide between the films made in the 60s- about working class trying to succed and break out of their struggle, compared to at present- where the working class are stuck mpore in a rutt than ever and there is no representation of them trying to or eventually bre4aking free.
Agree?
x

vaggmk1938

I hope you include Tony Richardson's The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner in your review of 1960s films. I think it is great, and watched it the other night; there is the extra bonus of a very good performance by the young James Fox competing as a Public School boy against the "Borstal Boys."

Harold Shand

Dismiss the auteur theory at your peril. Although all that team effort stuff is laudable a Shane Meadows film is from the mans heart except Midlands obviously. Meadows writes and directs very personal films. I think its difficult not to see him as an auteur.
What I like but also found frustrating with Shane meadows is his social realist stance which never quite delivers. He has a huge pair of rose tinted glasses on when he looks at the past. I also find that strangely uplifting in a way. Thats got to be worth analysing.
I'm interested in your ideas of the north/south divide. Look at the 80s stuff like letter to brezhnev. Britain makes its best social realist cinema in times of political turmoil so we may be due a few.

Steve Crook

It is (and always was) possible to identify one or two film-makers who fit into the auteur model. But the vast majority don't.

As for Shane Meadows, who was the cinematographer on his films? Who was the composer? The music and the way it's filmed have as large an effect on anything that the director or screenwriter can bring to it

Steve

DownUnder

Hi Cars,
I don't know if you still need any information for your study, but would the BFI website be of any help? (British Film Industry).
They also have publications (some for free, I think), that may help your studies.
I enjoyed Once Upon a Time in the Midlands with Robert Carlyle that I bought the movie this year.
Regards,
Down Under

DownUnder

My apologies - BFI - British Film Institute.
BFI | Home
Regards,
Down Under

fewz

What do you mean by Britishness?

batman

If you read the entire thread cars does explain.

Daddy .... the frisbee has gone in the water .... what a finger puppet drama queen I am!

Harleybloke

NUFF SAID!!

.....You couldn't hear it, if they were shooting at me with howitzers!

Harold Shand

A Shane Meadows film is about Shane Meadows. It is his vision and about his life and experiences, by and large. This is why they are all set in his back yard with his friends and relatives contributing.
Every film is a product of the efforts of all those that worked on it but there is always somebody with ultimate control, including what music or shot to use and where.
I think Shane Meadows has a good case for being deemed an auteur.

lupinpooter

Bullet Boy and Kidulthood are just a couple of recent(ish) 'realist' films set in the south of England (well, perhaps London is not representative of the south of England as a whole, but ...). There must be loads more.

Tom Bancroft

Excuse a mere innocent film fan - but what the hell is an Auteur??

Is it a euphemism for self-centred?

"I want to be a sailor - sailing out to sea"

batman

Auteur theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Daddy .... the frisbee has gone in the water .... what a finger puppet drama queen I am!

Tom Bancroft

Phew!! I'm sorry I asked!! But I think I've got it.

"I want to be a sailor - sailing out to sea"

Mr Dean

Wikipedia is very useful, but you do have to be careful. The 'Auteur' entry, although it includes many good points and quotes the right sources, is misleading. There has never been an auteur theory -- blame Andrew Sarris for poor titling. The original call for change by Truffaut et al was a polemic -- an argument in favour of a different style of filmmaking practice which emphasised the personal vision of the filmmaker. It wasn't meant to be a theory explaining how or why films produced their meanings.

In general, I agree with the general position in the thread that auteurism isn't the best approach to most films. However, it is quite a useful term to categorise certain kinds of low budget filmmaking in which the director is able to have control and to pursue personal interests. This kind of cinema is still possible in France where funding structures make it possible for significant numbers of auteur films to be made each year and it is important to the programmers of major international festivals who seek out new auteurs to promote. I would therefore agree with Harold Shand that Shane Meadows is a British auteur (Once Upon a Time in the Midlands was an aberration). Michael Winterbottom is another, but in a different way – unrecognised as such in the UK, but accepted at international festivals.

PS Glad to see Kidulthood being mentioned. Anyone seen Adulthood yet – what did you think?