Auteur Theory

A few people have asked me what does the name of my blog mean. Auteur's Theories is a play on the film term auteur theory (auteur means author in French). Auteur theory came about in the 1960s when American film critic Andrew Sarris translated the following idea into English:

"The German term Autorenfilm is, however, also associated with a more polemical issue regarding questions of authorship. In this respect, some writers for the screen started campaigning for their rights to these so-called Autorenfilm. That is, they staked their claim not just to the script but to the film itself. In other words, the film was to be judged as the work of the author rather than the person responsible for directing it. In France the concept of auteur (in the 1920s) comes from the other direction, namely that the filmmaker is the auteur--irrespective of the origin of the script." -- Susan Hayward, Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts

I initially started this blog as a way for me to review, recommend, and document the films I watch. Thus, I wanted the name to be related to cinema. Having heard and learned a little bit of the term--auteur theory--I tried to make it my own. I made auteur possessive and theory plural. To me, the title of my blog means that the things I write are my theories whether it is about films or not. And as the author of this blog, I am also the auteur. I think the title fits comfortably today at the top of my blog as my blog has evolved to encompass much more than just about film. My theories now touches upon art, traveling, and life.

Helsinki, December 2009