The document discusses the auteur theory and analyzes how it applies to two films - Casablanca and Apocalypse Now. For Casablanca, it examines how elements like lighting, sets, editing style reflect the house style of Warner Brothers studio. While Michael Curtiz cannot be considered a true auteur, the film represents the studio's institutional authorship. Apocalypse Now clearly displays Francis Ford Coppola's signature auteur techniques like chiaroscuro lighting, long takes, and use of sound to immerse viewers in the surreal world. Both films reflect influences beyond just their directors to also include other creative contributors.

1. Auteur Theory:
Old v New
Hollywood

2. • Old Hollywood (Classic Hollywood System/ Golden Age of Hollywood)
• mid-1920s to the early 1960s
• New Hollywood (American New Wave / the Hollywood Renaissance)
• mid-1960s to the early 1980s

3. Compare how far your chosen films reflect the
auteur signature features of their filmmakers
• The auteur theory dictates that some film directors influence their films so much they
rank as their author.
• The theory was introduced by Andre Bazin who suggested that a film’s director should be
the true artist and the content should be a reflection of their individual style.
• The auteur theory particularly began to take prominence amongst critics arguing that the
1930-1960 “big three and little five” Hollywood Studio System had resulted in impersonal
manufactured films to meet mass audiences rather than expressions of artistry.

4. • Whilst Michael Curtiz cannot be considered an auteur, Casablanca still has a
distinct individual style reflective of Warner Brothers’ house style suggesting
that the studio acted as an institutional auteur.
• During the Classic Hollywood Era, “the big five and little three” film studios
dominated cinema with MGM, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, 20th
Century Fox and RKO working through the process of vertical integration to
control all the stages of the film supply chain thus maximising their profits.
Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)

5. • The use of cinematography and lighting in Casablanca is highly reflective of the
Warner Brothers’ use of film noir.
• We are introduced to Rick through a close-up of him playing chess and holding a
cheque, the shot then tilts up to reveal Rick shown in noir lighting that focuses on
contrasting shadow and light.
• The effect is also a reflection of Casablanca’s cinematographer Arthur Edeson’s
renowned use of low-key lighting and shadows; Rick is regularly shown in half-light
to reflect his divided self whilst Ilsa is shown with soft lighting, a gauze filter and
catch lights to make her eyes sparkle and add a sense of tenderness to her
character.

6. • When combining the stylistic work of Curtiz, and other members of the film’s
production, Casablanca appears to represent a distinct house style.
• Jack Warner (executive producer) and Hal B. Wallis (producer) the studio system
producers were heavily involved in the film’s production process.
• Stylistic influences were brought to the film by cinematographer Arthur Edeson,
renowned for his low-key lighting and use of shadows, and composer Max Steiner,
viewed as having a speciality for creating dramatic and memorable scenes that
match themes and characters on-screen.

7. • In Casablanca, characters and locations are deliberately framed to maximise the
information we are given.
• As Major Strasser arrives in Casablanca, a two shot of him meeting Captain Renault
pans out into a three shot then four shot then five shot as he is introduced to more
characters, this is all one shot with the camera moving to appropriately frame all of
the characters.
• This technique is reflective of Warner Bros’ house style as complex compositions to
frame characters were frequently used.
• Additionally, Warner Brothers were known for their sweeping camera movements,
shown again in the final shot of the film in which the camera cranes out from a mid-
shot of Rick and Renault walking away to a high-angle long shot.

8. • The sound mix inside of Rick’s Cafe includes low diegetic background music
played by Sam and other background noise very low in the mix.
• Casablanca’s artificially created sound is a product of it being filmed on-set in
the Warner Bros studio due to the rules of the studio system. Casablanca’s
composed scores are highly reflective of the renowned work of the film’s
composer Max Steiner.

9. • Casablanca’s use of brisk pace editing for formality was a common technique
used by Warner Brothers’ to ensure their films did not stray too much into
sentimentality.
• Continuity editing is used throughout the film to present a seamless
narrative with invisible cuts.
• Editing is used in the film to provide structured information: in the beginning,
an officer over a speaker says round-up the usual suspects and the next shot
we see is other officers rounding up the usual suspects.

10. • In Casablanca, when we enter Rick’s cafe for the first time multiple tracking
shots through the location are used to show off the elaborate mise-en-scene
of the set design.
• The film was shot on-set at the Warner Brothers Studio and therefore the sets
were constructed to fit camera movements, lighting and character
positioning thus creating a glamorous aesthetics reflective of the Warner
Brothers’ house style.

11. • Michael Curtiz can be classed as an auteur when working with a team of
filmmakers to produce a film in the Warner Brothers House Style that had fast
paced dialogue to advance the plot which had a three act structure.
• Evidence can be found in his use of sweeping shots, continuity editing and
most notably his framing of actors using sets and props.

12. • Coppola’s 1979 film, “Apocalypse Now” is a prime example of Coppola’s
masterful filmmaking and his very own signature auteur style.
• Coppola’s auteur style is very distinctive. Apocalypse Now incorporates many
of his auteur filmmaking techniques such as chiaroscuro lighting, method
acting, reuse of cast from previous films and cinematography that uses
expansive wide shots as well as long continuous takes.
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

13. • Chiaroscuro lighting (use of contrast in light and shading), is most noticeably
used in the scenes featuring Marlon Brando’s character of Colonel Kurtz.
• Due to Brando turning up to set heavily overweight, Coppola had to improvise
and used the chiaroscuro lighting to his advantage to hide much of Brando in
the shadows.
• What this ended up doing however, is further solidifying the character of
Kurtz as a godlike figure. We hear him before we see him and are never able
to get a full look at him which all comes together to give his character a
enigmatic yet forbidding presence.

14. • Another thing Coppola does in this film which could be considered as part of his
auteur signature style, is his use of continuous shots.
• The scene where we meet the character of Killgore is a principal example of this.
The whole scene from the beginning where the tanks come onto land until the end
where the cow is being lifted into the air is shot as one continuous shot.
• This helps to immerse the viewer and give the scene a sense of believability and
reality despite the absurdity of what his going on.
• This proves to be a highly effective technique in immersing the audience and
making them feel that they are present alongside the characters in the scene.

15. • Sound plays a huge element in the film and can be considered part of
Coppola’s style .
• There is a focus on score both diegetic and non-diegetic, imaginative use of
sound effects and over-lapping dialogue.
• These techniques create a world that is both believable, frightening and at
times surreal.
• This added with the use of close-up and long takes immerses the viewer, they
are both witness and accomplices to the war.

16. Through his films, Coppola also shares his beliefs and opinions on various
themes…
• The American Dream - or the death of the dream
• Family and brotherhood
• Masculinity
• Critique of western ideology (social-economic, race, ethnicity)