The Role of Authorship during the Shift towards a New Hollywood

Bachelor Thesis , 2011 , 37 Pages , Grade: 1,3

American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography

In film studies, the term New Hollywood is used in non-conclusive and heterogeneous ways. The discourse does not make explicit what the real New was. However, there appears to be a general consensus as to the actual time frame in which a bigger change happened in Hollywood that stirred up the system – starting in 1967. Scholars have been trying to explain the proclaimed change of the Classical Hollywood Cinema from different perspectives, which, depending on author and release date, point out economical, production-related, societal, or creative-aesthetic revolutions as responsible factors.

Coming from the film critic‘s angle towards New Hollywood, the most important factor in the process was the development and success of the American auteur. The auteur theory has been appointed as such by film critic Andrew Sarris, who based his assumptions mainly on the theoretical conclusions drawn by the writers of the French Cahiers du Cinema. Taking the auteur approach to explain aspects of the New Hollywood, some scholars pinpoint the era down to the years of 1967-1976. This national cinematography is hardly discussed consensually within its own historiographical discourse or the boundaries of text analysis. I want to specifically trace the role of the idea of an auteur cinema within the Hollywood industry during this change, and thereby further disentangle the complex relationship of commerce and authorship.

My first chapter will therefore be employed with the theoretical background and the discourse around authorship in general, film in particular. Eventually this will lead to a clear idea about the specifics and limitations of the auteur theory discourse. The second chapter will then be occupied with the historical change of the Hollywood system in the sixties and seventies of the twentieth century, and will aim to define the contributing factors for this change within and outside the industry. In terms of terminology, a historiographical approach will determine the rather different meanings of New Hollywood and Hollywood Renaissance. Chapter three will tie up the loose ends of both previous chapters, striving to identify what kind of influence on film production the auteurs of New Hollywood had in terms of the reinvigorated success of the American film industry or if they were auteurs at all for that matter. What room is there in a system which is based on its own myths of star power etc. for the serious artistic vision of the individual?

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• Introduction
• 1. The concept of authorship and the auteur theory.
  • 1.1 The discourse of authorship in texts.
  • 1.2. Authorship in film
  • 1.3. Auteur theory.
• 2 The Hollywood system - collapse and reinvention
  • 2.1 Classic Hollywood.............
  • 2.2 Changes within and outside the Hollywood system ......
  • 2.3 Economy and aesthetic – what is the New Hollywood?
• 3 Authorship and the Hollywood Renaissance.
  • 3.1 Auteur theory applied to the Hollywood Renaissance.
  • 3.2 Authorship and industrial success
• Conclusion........
• Bibliography....

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

This thesis aims to explore the role of authorship in the context of the New Hollywood era, specifically focusing on the impact of the auteur theory on the American film industry during its transition from the classic Hollywood system to a new, more independent and auteur-driven model. The thesis will examine the historical and theoretical context of authorship, the changes within the Hollywood system, and the influence of auteur directors on the success of the Hollywood Renaissance.

• The concept of authorship and its evolution in film studies.
• The historical context of the New Hollywood era and its defining characteristics.
• The role of auteur directors in shaping the Hollywood Renaissance.
• The relationship between authorship and industrial success in the New Hollywood era.
• The limitations and complexities of applying the auteur theory to the Hollywood system.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

The first chapter will delve into the theoretical background of authorship, tracing its historical discourse in texts and its application to film. It will explore different perspectives on authorship, including biographical, hermeneutical, and psychoanalytical approaches, and will introduce the concept of the auteur theory, highlighting its significance in understanding the New Hollywood era.

The second chapter will focus on the historical changes within the Hollywood system during the 1960s and 1970s, examining the factors that contributed to the shift from the classic Hollywood model to the New Hollywood era. It will analyze the economic, production-related, societal, and creative-aesthetic changes that shaped this transition, and will explore the different interpretations of the terms "New Hollywood" and "Hollywood Renaissance."

The third chapter will synthesize the findings of the previous chapters, analyzing the influence of auteur directors on the success of the Hollywood Renaissance. It will examine the extent to which auteur theory can be applied to the Hollywood system, considering the role of commerce and the influence of star power in shaping the industry. The chapter will explore the question of whether auteur directors were truly auteurs within the Hollywood environment and the extent to which their artistic visions were able to thrive within the constraints of the system.

Schlüsselwörter

The key terms and focus themes of this thesis include authorship, auteur theory, New Hollywood, Hollywood Renaissance, film studies, American cinema, film industry, industrial success, artistic vision, and the relationship between commerce and authorship.

• College: Free University of Berlin (John-F.-Kennedy-Institut)
• Grade: 1,3
• Author: Andreas Schwarz (Author)
• Publication Year: 2011
• Pages: 37
• Catalog Number: V184934
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656097839
• ISBN (Book): 9783656098058
• Language: English
• Tags: New Hollywood, Hollywood, Coppola, Scorsese, Spielberg, Lucas, movie brats, film school generation, schatz, authorship, author, barthes, foucault, sarris, nouvelle vague, truffaut, cahiers du cinema, autorenkino, autor, hollywood renaissance