Film Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Film Theory - Essay Example Guy does not accept the deal, but Bruno kills the wife anyway; and he stalks Guy for payback. Auteur Theory The auteur theory of film criticism views the director as the master story teller. Each film is compared within a body of work as well as on its own merits. The two main distinctions are the director is either structuring the film to interpret a theme or to present a style, a performance. â€Å"The purpose of criticism thus becomes to uncover behind the superficial contrasts of subject and treatment a hard core of basic and often recondite motifs. The pattern formed by these motifs†¦ is what gives an authors work its particular structure, both defining it internally and distinguishing one body of work from another.† Nowell-Smith quoted (Wollen, 532) The underlying doubt regarding the validity of this theory questions the level of control the director has over the film. Certainly screenwriters, producers, actors and cameramen (Wollen, 540) have some degree of input i n the creative process. This collaboration of talent suggests the director can more easily structure the film through motif and patterns of motif than present a styled performance. In other words, the director is not simply a shepherd leading actors through a script; he is an artist bringing context to the film using his signature style. â€Å"In feature films, the director is God; in documentary films, God is the director.† Sir Alfred Hitchcock The most obvious example of Hitchcock’s quote involves the director’s shot of Bruno choking Guy’s wife to death. Bruno begins to choke her, knocking off her glasses. The shot then changes and the audience observes her death through her own lenses. The glasses were so thick and prominent, they defined her view. A more subtle, but major, example occurred when Guy had a tennis match the day Bruno was to return to the scene of the crime and plant Guy’s lighter as evidence. Bruno delayed his departure to coincid e with nightfall; Hitchcock views evil as operating in the dark. Guy honors his commitment to play the tournament; he changes his style to win early. This strategy backfires and the match goes five sets, losing valuable time for Guy. But because he is the protagonist and a good person, Guy takes time to shake hands with his opponent and thank the chair umpire before a hurried departure. While Guy uses his best effort to win, he could have lost quickly, but he is honorable. Bruno drops the lighter down a sewer grate. The race to recover the lighter more quickly than Guy can win his match ensues. Neither contestant knows the competition exists, but the director plays God with their lives. As Guy tries nobly to win quickly and graciously, Bruno fishes his hand in a storm sewer for his talisman of control. The merry-go-round (carousel) scene allows Hitchcock to turn an icon of childhood pleasure into a menacing deathtrap. Guy and Bruno fight for control of the lighter. The operator is s hot and falls on the speed control lever sending the carousel spinning much too fast. Bruno shoves a child off a horse and Guy takes time to save the boy. Bruno knocks Guy down and they wrestle under the horses’ galloping hooves. A maintenance man crawls under the deck to get to the controls, but stops the machine too fast. Bruno is trapped in the wreckage, lighter in hand. Guy tries to persuade Bruno to confess, but Bruno stays evil to his death. In these scenes, Hitchcock demonstrates his theme of good is polite and brave, evil is manipulative, rude and a bully. He shows he