Adventures in Auteurism

“Most dyed-in-the-wool film buffs nurture their own private lists of movie directors they feel have been underappreciated, neglected, and/or underrated,” Joe Dante writes in this book’s Foreword. “But very few of us are moved to write an entire book about them.”

Beyond mere appreciation, however, author Daniel Kremer presents a philosophy and a guiding principle for venerating the undervalued or forgotten. He casts an eye toward expanding the auteur theory for a new generation with the novel privilege of wide access, rapid retrieval, and immediate playback. Through 26 full case studies, along with dozens of shorter studies, Kremer hijacks the spotlight to shine a searchlight that becomes a limelight.

Once upon a time, it was difficult to marathon any director’s films, unless one had an inside track at an archive or museum collection,” Kremer writes. “One had to rely on the endorsement of tastemakers with those advantages. Now, almost everything is available and there’s a big, wide world of films and filmmakers right at our fingertips.” But with this embarrassment of riches, how do we effectively look, and then look closer? Adventures in Auteurism is both a treasure map and a manifesto, revealing how overlooked filmmakers can reframe the way we think about cinema.