In French, Auteur means 'Author'. Auteur theory holds that the director is the main creative force behind the film, the director's job is to oversee the visual and audio elements of the film and, according to the auteur theory, is considered the author of the film, more than the actual writer is.
An auteur director is usually defined so by their repeated original signature characteristics they include in their films and their quirky style that distinguish their group of films from all others; when you watch a film directed by them, you automatically know who the director is. For example, Tim Burton is someone I would strongly believe to be an auteur director.
Born in California 1958, Burton was described as a creative child with a wild imagination however was also non academic. He went to the California institute of arts and was later hired at Disneys production animations studio as a concept artist. If you're familiar with Burtons style you can imagine, his style heavily clashed with Disney's, resulting in his departure from this role as he went on to produce and direct his own films.
Tim Burton style films often appeared twisted and abnormal with abstract concepts. They are dark and have a gothic quirk however aren't considered classic horror. They are often films for a younger audience, particularly his animated ones, such as Coraline. Aside from this style, Burton manages to incorporate humour and an upbeat feel to the films he directs, which is what makes him so popular.
The main characters in his films are usually troubled in some way, they're erratic and unusual as well as often being lonely, however they can be humorous, which forms a clear contrast and a contradiction within the characters personality. A perfect example of this is the 'Mad Hatter' in 'Alice in Wonderland'.
The situations/story lines of his directed films are also abnormal and bizarre, which adhere to his child like imagination, this can be seen in films such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Burton also uses flashbacks in a number of his films to recall events that have happened to the main character in the past, his film 'Big Fish' is essentially a film full of flashbacks as the father recalls events to his doubting son.
Burton has also repeatedly used the same cast members in many of his films, for example Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp, as these actors in particular seem to really grasp Tim's visions for his characters.
In order to show Burtons style of dark twisted concepts, bizarre situations, erratic+unusual characters, contrasting humour and use of flashbacks, here are some examples of films he has directed, and some stand-out characters.
ALICE AND WONDERLAND
Alice is a 19 year old who's troubled by a disturbing, strange and repetitive dream as she mourns her beloved fathers death. She runs after a rabbit in a blue waistcoat as he looks familiar to her, and falls into a rabbit hole, transporting into a world called 'underland'. She is greeted by talking animals who ask if she is "the right Alice" who will slay the red queens Jabberwocky and restore power to the White Queen. This is quite an imaginative and quirky storyline with humour in it through the animals and characters personalities.
The Mad Hatter is the most quirky and troubled main character, Burton says his character was relevant to the film as him and alice "both feel like outsiders and feel alone in their separate worlds, and have a special bond and friendship." With this character we can see many underlying problems however he literally is mad, which brings around the funny side of things. Burton and Johnny Depp agreed the
Hatter's clothes, skin, hair, personality and accent would change throughout the film to reflect his emotions. Burton explains "his emotions are
very close to the surface, he is very extreme" which reflects a more dangerous side to the character.
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
Charlie lives in poverty with his parents. Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is reopening and he announces five golden tickets will be hidden in his chocolate bars and that the winner will be presented with an unknown grand prize. Charlie wins a ticket however his experience of the factory is very strange. The factory is run by wonka's orange dwarf friends which he calls oompa loompa's. In the end, Charlie wins the grand prize and moves into the chocolate factory with his family. This conforms to Burtons style of having a wild imaginative side to his films, with chocolate rivers and houses made of sweets, and the odd eerie side from the oompa loom pa's along with wonka's skittish, some how unpredictable character.
Wonka is a strange character, he acts odd when parents are mentioned and seems like a lonely and troubled soul. He has short orange friends called oompa loompa's. We learn Wonka had a difficult past and was forbidden from eating sweets and chocolate as a child. This kind of character is unsurprising to find in a Tim Burton film, as he often has a troubled main character with an abnormal personality.
Aside from this, the film is happy and up beat, its also quite a fun storyline that would appeal to children; the target audience.
BIG FISH
Edward bloom lives in a fantasy world, he repeats many stories to his family and friends that almost seem too crazy to be true. For example, he tells the tale that he caught a giant uncatchable fish with his wedding ring as the bait. Will, his son, is particularly annoyed by his fathers imaginative tales, believing he will never hear the real truth about anything to do with his fathers life. There is no trust, and so the father and son don't speak for 3 years until Edward suddenly falls ill and they reconcile.
The stories Wills father tells include...
he meets a witch who shows him how he will die, he was attached to a bed for three years because of his body growth rate, he became a well known athlete, had a giant friend, stayed in a hidden town, met a mermaid, worked at a circus, knew of a werewolf, fought in the Koran war, and knew Siamese twins.
Rather than the actual story being fun and imaginative, Burton has directed the film so that all the flashbacks and supposed memories are fun and imaginative. As well as this, instead of having one troubled character, we see a troubled relationship between the father and son. These are slight changes to Burtons usual style however aren't so drastic that we wouldn't know it was him directing the film.
The ending is more emotional that most burton films however conforms to his style in that it has a somewhat happy/bittersweet ending where Will realises there was truth in all of his fathers stories, he was just told them in a more fantastical way, and he leaves his father on a happy and understanding note.
CORALINE
Coraline and her family move into an old house where she discovers a locked door in the living area. They unlock this door and discover it has been filled with bricks. Coraline is warned by her neighbours to not go through the door as they read her future and see she is in danger. Regardless, Coraline opens the door when she's home alone, and instead of seeing bricks she see's a long hallway leading to a home identical to hers, however the parents in this home are called 'the other mother' and 'the other father' who, in the place of eyes have buttons.
Initially the “Other World” is much more appealing to Coraline, for example, the cat can talk and her parents are nicer. Coraline is then offered to stay in the other world on the condition that she sews in button eyes, and so the twisted story continues. The film definitely has Burton's style, it's dark and twisted yet quirky and interesting with some up-beat parts.
Coraline is troubled by her dilemma on which world she prefers, rather than being a necessarily troubled character, she is torn. However she does have a skittish, strange, on edge personality and acts slightly depressed at the fact she has had to move away from her home. The film does have some up-beat parts in it however has an underlying down tone to it.
Overall, Tim Burton's directing style is so distinctive, and that is why I believe him to be an Auteur Theorist/Director.
