The auteur theory was addressed early on in the semester – referring as it typically does to the director as an auteur. But a lot has also been said/written about the actor as an auteur. In both cases, there can be a meaningful debate as to who legitimately belongs to the club. Obviously with much less disagreement in some instances than others.
I found this very interesting article by Patrick McGilligan on what makes for great acting – which can inform any discussion on the actor as an auteur – that I wanted to share with everyone. The author is a biographer and film historian who has written about several actors himself: Clint Eastwood, James Cagney, and Jack Nicholson.
Enjoy!
