Auteur Theory

The auteur theory is basically a structuralistic approach to film. By comparing a director's film, critics map out similarities and differences to the individual auteur's work. Thus, the films are rather seen as a text, a catalog of elements that build the structure of his or her works. In many ways, this theory is comparable to the genre theory. One example is the notion that most of the auteur's works include antinomic pairs. (Wollen 597) Schatz, however, puts this element of film as a conflict, it is basically the same. Although they are quite similar in theory, film genre theory is more universal, whereas auteur theory can only be applied to a handfull of directors, which somewhat limits a critics approach to film.