auteur theory

American  

noun

1. (in film criticism) a theory that the director is the chief creator of a film and gives it an individual style that is evident in all aspects of the finished product.

---

Etymology

Origin of auteur theory

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

auteur theory

Any movie lover with half a mind knows that the auteur theory is bunk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

“Godard was one of the inventors of the auteur theory and perhaps the most rigorous of the New Wave filmmakers in putting that idea into practice,” film critic David Sterritt told The Times in 2006.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2022

The late film critic Andrew Sarris introduced the auteur theory to much of the world in the 1960s, adapting an idea from French New Wave cinema.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 10, 2022

“But there’s a misunderstanding about the auteur theory, too.”

From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2020

Mangold is rarely an exciting director, but he’s matured into an accomplished journeyman, like the Hollywood directors who were revered before the auteur theory shifted the criteria.

From Slate ● Nov. 15, 2019