Shakespeare and the Auteurs: Rethinking Adaptation through the Director’s Cinema

The introduction to this special issue uncovers the important role played by Shakespeare films in international cinema since lapolitique des auteurs. The essay historicizes both the circumstances of la politique and the legacy of the auteur theory, which sought to characterize the French movement’s impact on film production and especially reception after the 1950s. Arguing that auteurism—as a critique mainly of film adaptations of literature—constituted nothing less than an early form of adaptation theory/criticism, the essay explores four particular questions: 1) In what ways has auteurism impacted the critical and popular reception of filmic adaptations of literature?2) In what ways has the auteur Shakespeare film proved exceptional within this larger cinematic history of adaptations?3) How might reading particular Shakespeare films through the lens of the auteur theory help us to understand and appreciate them?4) Which scholarly methods should we prioritize in pursuing answers to these and other questions related to Shakespeare and the auteurs?In response to this final question, the essay offers three premises of auteur Shakespeare film study intended to facilitate future research on the topic.