Contextual Studies | Auteurs: Edgar Wright

Edgar Wright is best known for his action/comedy films, such as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz (The 'Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy') and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and I would argue that he stands out as an auteur through his distinct visual style and consistent ability to create visual comedy.

Before I explore Wright as an auteur, I must explain what I mean by the term.  I will be following Andrew Sarris' criteria that define an auteur that he outlines in 'Notes on Auteur Theory in 1962': an auteur is technically competent, understands interior the interior meaning of their work, and possesses a distinguishable personality as a director.

Wright is frequently praised for his filmography and public response to his directorial work has been consistently positive - Shaun of the Dead receiving 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, Hot Fuzz 91%, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 81%, The World's End 89% - and so it is easy to argue that Wright's success at satisfying an audience is palpable.  Keith Phipps of AV Club writes that "Wright directs with an expert sense of rhythm but never lays his technical finesse on with Guy Ritchie thickness", highlighting Wright's talent in the pacing of the film.

One of Wright's most distinguishable motifs of his work is the use of montage which is used to juxtapose characters and their personalities.  In this scene from The World's End, we see the juxtaposition of the central character, Gary King (played by Simon Pegg) and Andy Knightley (played by Nick Frost regarding their attitudes to drinking: (0:24 - 1:13)



This is an excellent example of how Wright uses montage to create visual comedy by building tension through the repetitive action of the beer being pulled and ending on the anti-climactic action of water pouring combined with the score ending on the pouring sound.  In this scene, we can see how Wright has also utilised the extreme close-up shot of the four beers (and one water), which is another key feature of his work.  This typically portrays objects being used by the characters in quick succession, often used as a transition to another scene and/or location.  The video below demonstrates this perfectly in four of Wright's most prolific films (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World):



Wright's style is predominantly effective through its ability to parody other genres, such as romantic comedy, horror, action thriller and science fiction.  By using motifs such as rapid dolly movements, close-up and montage, Wright is contradicting our expectations of these genres by bringing forth his unique and potent ability to create visual comedy.  His style has developed through his films, predominantly as a result of advances in filming technology and through an increase in budget due to Wright's growing success.  The 'Cornetto Trilogy' began with Shaun of the Dead at a budget of $6.1 million, Hot Fuzz at $12 million and The World's End at $20 million.  This has allowed Wright more freedom in terms of visual effects: The World's End relies heavily on CGI, for example.

Overall, I feel that Edgar Wright can certainly be seen as an auteur director.  His style is unique and stands out from other directors, as well as his technical ability for pacing and the build-up of tension.  He is also able to convey interior meaning by the well thought-out visual comedy to parody other genres.