Auteur Theory

In his article on auteur theory Wollen discusses auteur theory as a way in which directors use certain motifs throughout their films to give their work a defining structure. I found Wollen's explanations of gender as a motif by certain directors to be extremely intersting. Wollen discussed Hawks thoroughly and pointed out how in many of Hawks's movies there is underlying homosexuality, the ideal social group is an all male group, and how often males are being humiliated and dominated by women. Through the motif of a homosexual like, weak man and a domineering woman Hawks says something misogynistic about women as a whole. They are undesireable to the ideal community of his film. Additionally, Hawks was not the only director who used gender as a motif to undercurrent his films with messages that were less than respectful towards women. Wollen discusses how in Boetticher's films women have no real significance. They are valuable only as a provoker or vehicle for male action. Finally, in Ford's films women are nothing but domestic drudges trapped in a life of subordination and service. Although Ford's women do a little better by being sentimentalized; three influential and great directors have as central components of their auteur misogyny in one way or another.