Schreiber theory
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The Schreiber theory is a writer-centered approach to film criticism and film theory which holds that the principal author of a film is generally the
screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...
rather than the
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
. The term was coined by David Morris Kipen, Director of Literature at the US
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
.


Outline

In his 2006 book ''The Schreiber Theory: A Radical Rewrite of American Film History'', Kipen says that the influential 1950s-era
auteur theory An auteur (; , 'author') is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded but personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, which thus manifests the director's unique ...
has wrongly skewed analysis towards a director-centred view of film. In contrast, Kipen believes that the screenwriter has a greater influence on the quality of a finished work and that knowing who wrote a film is "the surest predictor" of how good it will be:
A filmgoer seeking out pictures written by, say,
Eric Roth Eric R. Roth (born March 22, 1945) is an American screenwriter. He has been nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay — for ''Forrest Gump'' (1994), '' The Insider'' (1999), ''Munich'' (2005), '' The Curious Case o ...
or
Charlie Kaufman Charles Stuart Kaufman (; born November 19, 1958) is an American filmmaker and novelist. He wrote the films '' Being John Malkovich'' (1999), '' Adaptation'' (2002), and '' Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (2004). He made his directorial ...
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 Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and ''Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. ...
. It's all a matter of betting on the fastest horse, instead of the most highly touted or the prettiest.
Kipen acknowledges that his writer-centred approach is not new, and he pays tribute to earlier critics of auteur theory such as
Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael's opinions oft ...
and
Richard Corliss Richard Nelson Corliss (March 6, 1944 – April 23, 2015) was an American film critic and magazine editor for ''Time''. He focused on movies, with occasional articles on other subjects. He was the former editor-in-chief of '' Film Commen ...
. He believes that the auteurist approach remains dominant, however, and that films have suffered as a result of the screenwriter's role being undervalued. Kipen refers to his book as a "
manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...
" and in an interview with the magazine '' SF360'' stated that he wished to use Schreiber theory as "a lever to change the way people think about screenwriting, and movies in general".


Origin of term

In seeking a name for his theory, Kipen chose the
Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
word for writer – Schreiber – in honor of the many early American screenwriters who had Yiddish as their mother tongue.


Criticism

Writing in ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', 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". 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".Michael Fox.
Author! Author! David Kipen Posits a New Auteur Theory
. ''SF360'', March 6, 2006.


References

{{Filmstudies Film theory