Pauline Kael on Auteur Theory

This discussion is from another foundational article T titled "Circles and Squares" by Pauline Kael, published in Film Quarterly in 1963. Kael critically examines the "politique des auteurs," or auteur theory, particularly as adopted in England and the United States. She argues against its core premises, including technical competence, distinguishable personality, and interior meaning as criteria for evaluating a director's work, using examples and analogies to illustrate her points. Kael posits that the theory often leads to misplaced praise for commercial, formulaic films and dismisses the importance of story content and overall artistic vision. She suggests the theory stems from a potentially anti-art stance and a desire by some critics to justify their focus on "trashy" films.