Haille Elson
Film Studies
Marina

In this assignment I will be discussing two different directors,  Ang Lee and Tim Burton. Also I will be explaining queer and auteur theory and detailing the codes and conventions used in each type of theory to make them different from one another. I'll also be discussing genres and the ,meaning behind Queer and Auteur theory.

One of the directors that I have chosen to cover is Ang Lee who is considered a queer film maker. The first film that I will be discussing is The Wedding Banquet. Ang Lee is considered a queer theory director because he is known for his works which theorises queerness. An example of this is Brokeback mountain which demonstrates forbidden love between two male cowboys in the 1960's which is a part of the New Queer Cinema movement in the early 1990s. The techniques that Ang Lee uses is subtle colours, minimal effects and classic music. The purpose of this is to make his movies appear to be real life from a third person point of view. Rather than a very highly edited film. Ang Lee is consistent in his use of gay characters in his films like Taking Woodstock.

In The Wedding Banquet Wai-Tung and his boyfriend live together as a gay couple in New York but since Wai-Tung hasn't been open with his sexuality to his Taiwanese parents he decides have a traditional Chinese wedding to get his fiancee Wei-Wei a green card. Realistically though he doesn't want to do this because he is in love with Simon. It seems that he tends to use the same techniques through his different movies to create the same result. This means that he is consistent with his films to create one effect. In comparison to his film Brokeback mountain it seems that he has a consistent theme of his characters living a heterosexual lifestyle although inside the closet they are really homosexual. Another theme that also occurs is the fact that this homosexual lifestyle does not fit societal norms which means that these characters are stuck in the closet of not being able to express their true feelings.

Queer theory is one of the newer theories due to the fact that homosexuality has not always been accepted in society and therefore by incorporating this theory in his films it means that these films have a deeper meaning to them beyond the everyday films that may reflect societal norms. For instance. his other film, Brokeback mountain his main characters are in love with each other and it can be seen that the love is true however it makes the audience connect with the characters more because inside there is a deep empathy for the characters since they are unable to truly express themselves. Both of the characters have wives and children which reflects a traditional family of a mother, father and children however they don't want this. One might say that they are just accepting this everyday simple lifestyle because they are scared to pursue their love in the eyes of the public.

The second director that I have chosen to cover is Tim Burton. He is an Auteur film maker. The film that I will be discussing is Charlie and the Chocolate factory. This is one of Tim Burton's greatest films. Tim Burton is an auteur because he uses the same elements across his different films. For instance when the children are introduced to the chocolate factory a spectrum of vivid colours burst into view. This use of symbolism portrays a happy moment. This means that the audience will be able to sense that something good is going to happen which makes him a successful auteur. The genre of the film is mostly fairy tale and humour. Tim Burton is an auteur because in most of his films he incorporates humour and some fantasy fiction. I think that it engages an audience more because the surrealist element of his films makes them seem magical.

Auteur theory is all about the director being the main creative force in a film. This involves the use of bright colours for happy moments or dull colours for sad moments but overall creating a very strong message that the audience can pick up on.