New Wave - Auteur Theory

The Auteur Theory, was relevant to the Czech New Wave movement, in the sense that it derived great depth by portraying the director as the author, as opposed to the writer of the screenplay. The word itself is French in origin, 'translating to 'author' and deriving from the prefix 'auto', meaning one' (ETHERINGTON, C W and DOUGHTY, R), suggesting that the director's work, is an expression of their creative vision.

This concept of one predominant figure had been identified since the 1910's and although it gave a personal element which could have been viewed as endearing, screenwriters were beginning to campaign in an attempt to gain fair recognition for their input towards productions. This is true in the sense that the creation of film, is a collaborative process. 

The theory itself was developed within the 1950's, by French directors that were involved in the New Wave movement. Francois Truffaut suggested that 'a true auteur is someone who brings something genuinely personal to his subject instead, of producing a tasteful, accurate but lifeless rendering of the original material'. 

Reference List:

ETHERINGTON-WRIGHT, C. DOUGHTY, R. (2011) Understanding Film Theory. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 

HALL, S. (2010) Auteur Theory. [Online] SlideShare. Available From: http://www.slideshare.net/staceyhall/auteur-theory-5416218 [Accessed: 2nd October 2015].