Explain using two films to the extent that you agree.
I agree with this statement as features of a directors style will always be present throughout a film. This more specifically relates to an auteur, such as Ridley Scott. Scott fully directed the 1992 directors cut of Blade Runner, a futuristic sci-fi noir based around artificial intelligence and playing with a key theme of immortality. The production for this film was not smooth, Ridley himself was fired and re-hired due to conflict with producers. Narratively and cinematically, Scott was deemed to be too out side of the box for the audience at this time. It was said that blade runner was “being made for people who didn’t understand it”. The storyline was laced with deeply emotional ties to Ridley’s personal life, such as his Brother Frank Scott’s death. He also found ways to incorporate his British upbringing into the mise en scene using pathetic fallacy of rain to create a grey gloomy tone throughout the film.
Another director with am auteur signature that comes from noir style film is Orson Welles. During the production of Lady from Shanghai, Welles’ directorial skills were challenged by the studio. This lead to much of the film not being edited in him signature style. Many of his long takes were edited out for short badly edited sequences that mostly featuring Rita Hayworth. All cinematic skill went out the window when it came to the studio trying to showcase Rita in glamorous lighting. Although being called “a product of its time” I personally think it showcases messy and uncoordinated production.
This statement could also be applied to the production of blade runner, this is evident as there are two cuts of the film, the directors cut and the final studio cut. Scott wanted aesthetics and symbolism over a narrative explanation, however some of his scenes such as “the unicorn scene” were cut from the final piece, and a narration “internal monologue” was added. This is much like how the studio cut Welles’ soundtrack from The lady from Shanghai, replacing it with slow music. This feature is problematic as it is repetitive and ill fitting with the scenes it is placed in. In the end, the lady from Shanghai only featured 75% of Welles’ directorial work.
However sometimes a true auteur will be very invested into the entire production of the film, down to the very last detail, a key example of this is Scott painting the lips of Rachel, it showcased how he had a strict vision for the film and how he wanted everything to visually look. Welles also showcases this while preparing the set for Lady From Shanghai by painting the sets himself, however this was not by choice but it meant that the whole film looked how he wanted it to look. He did not have a choice due to the fact there were disagreements between Welles and the crew, as referenced earlier.
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Another director with am auteur signature that comes from noir style film is Orson Welles. During the production of Lady from Shanghai, Welles’ directorial skills were challenged by the studio. This lead to much of the film not being edited in him signature style. Many of his long takes were edited out for short badly edited sequences that mostly featuring Rita Hayworth. All cinematic skill went out the window when it came to the studio trying to showcase Rita in glamorous lighting. Although being called “a product of its time” I personally think it showcases messy and uncoordinated production.
This statement could also be applied to the production of blade runner, this is evident as there are two cuts of the film, the directors cut and the final studio cut. Scott wanted aesthetics and symbolism over a narrative explanation, however some of his scenes such as “the unicorn scene” were cut from the final piece, and a narration “internal monologue” was added. This is much like how the studio cut Welles’ soundtrack from The lady from Shanghai, replacing it with slow music. This feature is problematic as it is repetitive and ill fitting with the scenes it is placed in. In the end, the lady from Shanghai only featured 75% of Welles’ directorial work.
However sometimes a true auteur will be very invested into the entire production of the film, down to the very last detail, a key example of this is Scott painting the lips of Rachel, it showcased how he had a strict vision for the film and how he wanted everything to visually look. Welles also showcases this while preparing the set for Lady From Shanghai by painting the sets himself, however this was not by choice but it meant that the whole film looked how he wanted it to look. He did not have a choice due to the fact there were disagreements between Welles and the crew, as referenced earlier.
P
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