auteur en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- (Southern-England) audio
- /oʊˈtɝ/ (General-American)
- /ɔːˈtɜː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /əʊˈtɜː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Borrowed from French auteur (“author”). Popularised by François Truffaut in the 1954 essay “Une certaine tendance du cinéma français” (“A certain tendency in French cinema”) in the influential film journal Cahiers du Cinéma as the phrase “la politique des Auteurs”. Doublet of author.
Meanings
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A creative artist, especially a film director, seen as having a specific, recognisable artistic vision, and who is seen as the single or preeminent ‘author’ of their works.
The cult of the auteur has weakened, as symbolised by the reconsideration of rock star Bertrand Cantat, frontman of the band Noir Désir, who was convicted in 2004 of beating his girlfriend to death.
2025 May 10, Leila Abboud, “France awaits Depardieu verdict that will define state of MeToo movement”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3:That all of these screen luminaries apparently just popped to Anderson’s set for a day to film a tiny scene is indicative of where the auteur stands at this point in his 31-year career.
2025 May 29, Alissa Wilkinson, “‘The Phoenician Scheme’ Review: Benicio Del Toro Plans to Save His Soul”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:As a film-maker, [Quentin] Dupieux has elicited varying responses: in the US he is often dismissed as a dilettante, whereas in France he has been acclaimed a real-deal auteur, not least in revered cinephile journal Cahiers du Cinéma, which raved about his 2007 debut feature, Steak (“leaves us slack-jawed and wide-eyed”), and devoted a whole section to his latest French release, Mandibules (2020).
2021 July 4, Jonathan Romney, “‘I want to make people laugh’: Quentin Dupieux, the fun auteur of French cinema”, in The Observer, →ISSN:If a widely respected auteur such as Martin Scorsese, Allen or Malick has given you the stamp of approval, you might not live fast or die young, but you'll leave a good-looking legacy.
2011 June 23, Jane Graham, “Terrence Malick to Woody Allen – the directors actors will kill to work for”, in The Guardian:Ginette Vincendeau describes the cinéma du look as a typical example of ‘mainstream co-optation’ of ‘avant-garde, artisanal, or auteur’ cinema (1996: 14).
2008, Rosanna Maule, Beyond Auteurism: New Directions in Authorial Film Practices in France, Italy and Spain Since the 1980s, Intellect Books, →ISBN, page 90:Since Mr Luhrmann first tackled the opera, he has entered the select circle of celebrity directors on the basis of only three films, including “Moulin Rouge”. And his “La Bohème”—designed by Mrs Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, a double Oscar-winner for “Moulin Rouge”—is avowedly the work of an auteur.
2003 April 24, “Broadway is bigger than ever”, in The Economist:The libretto was a piece of hack work from a Parisian scenario factory run by an enterprising auteur of sorts named Eugene Scribe.
1974 February 11, William Bender, “Call to vespers”, in Time:At the same time, the round-faced, soft-spoken Mr. Wilson — who didn’t surf — became one of pop’s most gifted and idiosyncratic studio auteurs, crafting complex and innovative productions that awed his peers.
2025 June 11, Ben Sisario, “Brian Wilson, Songwriter and Leader of the Beach Boys, Dies at 82”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| auteurs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
auteurism · auteurist · auteur theory · auteurial · auteurship
Relateds
Translations (17)
sv auteur (creative artist) · cmn 著者 (creative artist) · it cineasta (creative artist) · nl auteur (creative artist) · fi auktori (creative artist) · ru авто́р (creative artist) · ro autor (creative artist) · hi कलाकार (creative artist) · es autor (creative artist) · de Cineast (creative artist) · hy հեղինակ (creative artist) · de Autorenfilmer (creative artist) · fi tekijä (creative artist) · pt autor (creative artist) · fr auteur (creative artist) · kmr edîb (creative artist) · cmn 具有自己獨特風格的電影導演 /具有自己独特风格的电影导演 (creative artist)