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Katie Mills’ book describes the roots and defining features of New Hollywood. The term “New Hollywood” distinguishes the time periods of the old studio system and the director-driven projects of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Inspired by the French New Wave, American filmmakers were dedicated to auteurism, which emphasized signature styles of individual directors. During this new era, American directors combined the European avant-garde with relevant cultural themes like social revolutions, rebellions, the mystique of the open road, and powerful female characters. In fact, Mills praises Bonnie and Clyde for its groundbreaking portrayal of gender. Bonnie was a sexual and powerful female, which represented the growing influence of the women’s movement.
According to Mills, Bonnie and Clyde mixed French New Wave art film rebelliousness with the American themes of outlaws, rural heartlands, and romance of the open road. Arthur Penn helped inspire the auteur rebellion against Old Hollywood and invited New Hollywood institutions, practices, and themes by breaking tradition. Most importantly, Bonnie and Clyde proved the commercial success of trying something new, in this case French New Wave style, which contributed to the rise of New Hollywood. Penn’s film had a huge impact on the style and narrative of auteurist films and the road genre.
Staples, Donald E. "The Auteur Theory Re-examined". Cinema Journal, Vol. 6. (1966 - 1967): 1-7.
Donald Staples chronicles the development of the auteur theory in this article. Starting with the birth of auteur theory in the 1954 Cahiers du Cinima article by Frangoise Truffaut, in which Truffaut attempting to criticize .screen-writers. cinema., in which the creative process essentially ended once the screen-writer finished writing the script. From that point, a director merely put the writing on film without leaving a personal creative imprint on the film. As a result of Truffaut.s article, critics began to put emphasis on auteur theory when writing their reviews. It became necessary for a director to use the film as a way of inventing a personal aesthetic and for each film to demonstrate a step in the overall progression of the director.s creativity. The French New Wave is always closely associated with the concept of auteur theory. Director.s who were part of the movement often took control over the creative aspects of their film and oftentimes films by French New Wave directors are particularly distinct in style to the point where a director.s trademarks become recognizable.
This excerpt from Peter Wollen’s article discusses Howard Hawks’s work in the context of the auteur theory. The auteur theory is the film theory that attributes the particular look and image of a film to the director, as if the director was the only person responsible for creating the film. Wollen’s analysis of Hawks’s films using the auteur theory is thus particularly interesting because Hawks was relatively well-known for the diverse nature of his films. Wollen argues however, that despite having worked in almost every single genre, Hawks still had a particular visual style and tempo. Often using the same motifs and themes in his films, Hawks was therefore able to create his own world that a very specific protagonist inhabited. There are two versions of this “Hawksian” hero, Wollen states. One is the strong professional who is often excluded from society, but also seeks camaraderie with other males. This hero is typically more common in Hawks’s adventure stories. He is usually a cattleman, pilot, fisherman, or racing driver, one who is accustomed to living alone and dangerously. Women often act as threats to this hero and thus, he is usually unmarried or was previously married in the past and suffered some type of trauma as a result.
The second version of the protagonist is the complete opposite, and often appears in his comedies. This hero is usually extremely pliable and inadequate. For example, in Bringing Up Baby, David Huxley is a weak and timid man, who is often overshadowed by Susan Vance’s domineering character. Susan, who is identified with Baby, the animal, poses a threat on Huxley’s peaceful world, that Huxley simply cannot overcome. This theme of role-reversal and regression is thus extremely common is Hawks’s comedic work. The man is no longer the dramatic hero and instead, is more like a humiliated victim. He is easily influenced by the woman and is often involved in scenes of sexual humiliation as well. In Bringing Up Baby, the scene in which Dr. Huxley is forced to wear a woman’s nightgown, can be said to be a manifestation of this gender-reversal as well.