Blog Assignment #3: To betray, or not to betray, that is the question."

"Betrayal is the only truth that sticks." -Author Miller

In "A Certain Tendency of the French Cinema," Truffaut attacked the state of the French Cinema in the post WWII period. While filmmakers Aurenche and Bost claimed to adapt material through "invention" in style "without betrayal" of the original source's spirit, Truffaut argues that their films demonstrate "a constant and deliberate care to be unfaithful to the spirit as well as the letter." He goes on to explain, "Talent, to be sure, is not a function of fidelity, but I consider an adaption of value only when written by a man of the cinema. Aurenche and Bost are essentially literary men and I reproach them here for being contemptuous of the cinema by underestimating it." Truffaut would later write about his "la politique des auteurs," arguing that a true cinema auteur has distinct styles and themes that permeate all of his/her films.

In 1962, Andrew Sarris coined the term "auteur theory," bringing Truffaut's "la politique des auteurs" to the attention of American critics. As he explains, "Over a group of films, a director must exhibit certain characteristics of style, which serve as his signature. The way a film looks and moves should have some relationship to the way a director thinks and feels." We can locate an auteur when we can find the "inner meaning" of a film, what Sarris describes as a kind of tension between the material and the way the director approaches it (his découpage).

In The Grapes of Wrath (1940), John Ford and Gregg Toland, at times, remain faithful to the spirit and letter of Steinbeck's novel. At other times, they clearly depart from both letter and spirit of the original text.

Group One (due Friday by 3:00 pm):

For this blog post, answer the following questions, each in a separate paragraph:

(1) Pick one moment from the film adaptation and describe how it either departs from or remains faithful to Steinbeck's novel. Is this moment "cinematic," and, if so, does it make Ford & Toland auteurs?

(2) Most critics today dismiss auteur theory for various reasons. Do you believe it is a valid area of study in film studies? Why or why not?

Group Two (due Sunday by noon):

For this response, you may either agree or disagree (or some combination thereof) with a point made by someone in group one. Use your response to expand on the original post. Support your claim with an example from the film.

**Both Group 1 and Group 2 MUST post responses that are 300 words or longer.