Unraveling the Femme Fatale : Auteur Theory and Christopher Nolan's work

"Auteur Theory, a term coined in the 1940s to recognize a filmmakers or directors unique thematic style has remained prevalent and has helped distinguish Auteur artists such as Christopher Nolan from his contemporary colleagues. Initially coined to differentiate thematic styles from one another, Auteur Theory has now become a medium to accredit varying thematic styles as works of art. In the article, No Start, No End, by David Andrews, Auteur Theory is attributed to classifying cinematic techniques as artwork. 'Within the cinema, the Auteur Theory has been given credit for helping to consecrate film as one of the sanctified arts.' Two corollaries of this new production centrality, were, first, the assumption that a personal vision could be traced across the curve of an auteur's oeuvre and, secondly, the belief that the best directors generally make the best films. (40). While Auteur Theory may not be as pertinent in today's climate, in the case of Christopher Nolan, it is important to recognize his identity as an Auteur artist in order to understand how his uniform techniques work to portray his goal of exposing underlying meanings and character motives, particularly through his use of the femme fatale."--Page 1