Schreiber theory
The Schreiber theory is a writer-centered approach to
Outline
In his 2006 book The Schreiber Theory: A Radical Rewrite of American Film History, Kipen says that the influential 1950s-era
A filmgoer seeking out pictures written by, say, Eric Roth or Charlie Kaufman won't always see a masterpiece, but he'll see fewer clunkers than he would following even a brilliant director like John Boorman, or an intelligent actor like Jeff Goldblum. It's all a matter of betting on the fastest horse, instead of the most highly touted or the prettiest.[1]
Kipen acknowledges that his writer-centred approach is not new, and he pays tribute to earlier critics of auteur theory such as
Origin of term
In seeking a name for his theory, Kipen chose the Yiddish word for "writer" – "schreiber" – in honor of the many Jewish American screenwriters, many of whom had Yiddish as (at least part of) their mother tongue.[2]
Criticism
Writing in Variety, Diane Garrett said Kipen shows a degree of disingenuousness when he states that Schreiberism is "an attempt to rescue reviewing and scholarship from those who would have us forget just how collaborative filmmaking truly is". She said, "If that's really the goal, why spend 150 pages arguing for the supremacy of the writer? Instead say what you really mean: Don't forget the writer, please".[3]
In an interview with Kipen, film writer Michael Fox said Schreiberism seemed less an attempt to discredit auteur theory outright than a ploy to "simply shift the auteur appellation from directors to screenwriters". Kipen's reply was that there was an element of "parody" in his writer-centred theory, in that he hoped to "overcorrect" the director-centred model in such a way that "the final average of the two is a more realistic representation".[4]
References
- ISBN 0-9766583-3-X.
- ISBN 0-9766583-3-X.
- ^ Diane Garrett. "Book Review: The Schreiber Theory". Variety, April 15, 2006. Archived May 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Michael Fox. "Author! Author! David Kipen Posits a New Auteur Theory". SF360, March 6, 2006. Archived October 6, 2008, at archive.today