tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post4747140418864878735..comments2023-06-30T05:06:42.335-04:00Comments on My Life, at 24 Frames Per Second: Confession of an AuteuristKenji Fujishimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-72780687113898679512011-03-28T18:40:50.133-04:002011-03-28T18:40:50.133-04:00Yeah, there are always exceptions to the theory of...Yeah, there are always exceptions to the theory of director-as-author. Charlie Kaufman would probably be a recent addition to the company of screenwriters you cite above.Kenji Fujishimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-13875940295911557972011-03-28T18:36:39.791-04:002011-03-28T18:36:39.791-04:00That's also true of drama, and yet Hamlet is S...That's also true of drama, and yet <em>Hamlet</em> is Shakespeare's work, not Branagh or Olivier or Burbage's. <br /><br />Not to say directors can't be auteurs, but if your version of auteur theory doesn't account for the fact that a Kaufman or Chayefsky or Schrader screenplay (or Sorkin, for that matter) is recognizably theirs no matter who directs it, something's wrong with your theory.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-47330595191281658472011-03-28T14:52:56.767-04:002011-03-28T14:52:56.767-04:00Yeah, that's a good point, Matthew; in most ca...Yeah, that's a good point, Matthew; in most cases, there wouldn't actually be a film in the first place without a script. Still, it <i>is</i> the director, with the help of his/her cast and crew, that realizes the script on the screen...Kenji Fujishimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-5056905888801886362011-03-28T14:22:51.539-04:002011-03-28T14:22:51.539-04:00First things first: see Sweet Smell of Success imm...First things first: see <em>Sweet Smell of Success</em> immediately if not sooner, and see what Tony Curtis can do.<br /><br />Second: Screenwriters, screenwriters, screenwriters.<br /><br />Third: Screenwriters.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-55910810168162205132011-03-28T12:21:37.197-04:002011-03-28T12:21:37.197-04:00I think it would make a difference if the actors a...<i>I think it would make a difference if the actors and actresses in question had prominent careers when you were coming of age as a cinephile. You don't have a strong attachment because you haven't lived with their work.</i><br /><br />Yeah, that could be it, too. Though I'm not sure Paul Newman's death inspired much deep sadness in me either, though I knew that it was surely momentous.Kenji Fujishimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-53667791168878798212011-03-28T12:02:40.621-04:002011-03-28T12:02:40.621-04:00I think it would make a difference if the actors a...I think it would make a difference if the actors and actresses in question had prominent careers when you were coming of age as a cinephile. You don't have a strong attachment because you haven't lived with their work. Maybe the death of Paul Newman made more of an impact because he was still active when you were deep into movies?<br /><br />For instance, I don't know that I've seen a single Elizabeth Taylor movie, which is mainly due to her career (or the most notable portion) being over before I was born.<br /><br />As for your other point, I pay attention to the director, but I also pick older films based on the performers in them. My one order from Warner Archives hinged on actors/actresses than directors, in fact.Mark Pfeifferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12098023129216356791noreply@blogger.com