COLLECTION NAME:
Graduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
The Life Authentic with Wes Anderson
Creator:
Zongrone, Daryn
Subject:
Thesis (M.A.) -- Cinema Studies
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Cinema Studies
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
"Recent scholarship has taken a particular interest in indie filmmaker Wes Anderson because of
his incredible success and popularity. Much has been said regarding Anderson’s general visual
aesthetic, tone, and literary proclivities. While some scholarship discusses ubiquitous themes
throughout his films, others outline his extratextual persona, mainstream success, and indie
sensibility. These attributes all combine to make him the first "branded auteur," redefining
traditional auteur theory for a new generation. His singular artistic vision makes him an auteur,
but that vision’s omnipresence and economic strategy has made him a brand. This branding and
its effects on the indie filmmaker are directly reflected in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
(2004). Zissou is a once-prominent filmmaker idolized by his fans, just like Anderson. In the
film, Zissou’s popularity has waned as he’s aged out of his success, yielding existential
frustrations. Anderson uses The Life Aquatic to explore the anxieties of an indie filmmaker, and,
through this exploration, we are better able to understand how Anderson has forged his own path
by becoming a branded auteur."
his incredible success and popularity. Much has been said regarding Anderson’s general visual
aesthetic, tone, and literary proclivities. While some scholarship discusses ubiquitous themes
throughout his films, others outline his extratextual persona, mainstream success, and indie
sensibility. These attributes all combine to make him the first "branded auteur," redefining
traditional auteur theory for a new generation. His singular artistic vision makes him an auteur,
but that vision’s omnipresence and economic strategy has made him a brand. This branding and
its effects on the indie filmmaker are directly reflected in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
(2004). Zissou is a once-prominent filmmaker idolized by his fans, just like Anderson. In the
film, Zissou’s popularity has waned as he’s aged out of his success, yielding existential
frustrations. Anderson uses The Life Aquatic to explore the anxieties of an indie filmmaker, and,
through this exploration, we are better able to understand how Anderson has forged his own path
by becoming a branded auteur."
Abstract:
*Keywords: anti-Hollywood, auteur, authenticity, brand, Hollywood, indie, indie authenticity,
Steve Zissou, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Wes Anderson
Steve Zissou, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Wes Anderson
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia : Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2018-05
Format:
PDF : 41 pages