Neil Jordan

A picture paints a thousand words is a proverb that has been used by many to describe the works of many famous artists. A work of art can depict a message that does not have to be said or written, a painting can spark a lot of speculation and indeed this in itself is part of the art form. It could be said that a director is to a film as a painter is to a painting, that a director is the painter and the various other members of staff and cast are the paints in which the director uses to colour the film. This would suggest that the direction of a film is an art form. This is central to the concept of auteurism; that may be defined as "the belief that cinema was an art of personal expression, and that its great directors were as much to be esteemed as the authors of their work as any writer, composer or painter." Ref: Lapsey, Westlake: Film Theory Notes.…