'An auteur production is a "vehicle for making 'significant statements'. To what extent would you agree with this view point when making a comparison between your chosen films'

'The Lady from Shanghai' (1948) and 'Blade Runner': The Directors Cut (1992) can both be shown as making significant statements about the power struggle of women in context to when the films were released. The Lady from Shanghai exemplifies the tensions between a studio (Columbia) and auteur (Welles). Despite heavy studio cuts, the film remains a visually striking, unsettling film noir, notable for exceptional chiaroscuro lighting, compositions and camerawork. Blade Runner is a bleak and dystopian neo noir fable that draws on the conventions of film noir and science fiction. Despite Ridley Scott encountering similar production issues as Orson Welles, the film's impressively oppressive aesthetics crossing at times into the absurd draw the spectator into a horrific version of the future that puts the death humanity at its center through its exploration of mortality, memory and identity.  

Uncomfortable close ups are used to make the characters appear somewhat distorted. These close-ups give us a sense of how Michael O’Hara comes to view these characters, contributing to a sense of mistrust and unease. In the opening sequences, Elsa is photographed in a gleaming light against the blackness of the carriage, while Michael often stays in shadow. The lighting reflects Michael’s view of Elsa, as beautiful and exotic, and his insignificance compared to her Chiaroscuro lighting conveys an ominous feeling throughout. This lighting, combined with oblique angles and uncomfortable close ups, creates a sinister, dark and grotesque mood which fit perfectly to Elsa's character. Elsa is a femme fatale – a dangerous, beautiful woman who deceives the anti-hero. The femme fatale was a common character type in film noir. She represents post-war male anxieties about strong, independent women. The femme fatale is usually ‘contained’ in the film’s conclusion – here she is shot by O’Hara. Welles used Elsa's femme fatale character to make a significant statement about women, Elsa was played by Rita Hayworth who has Welles' wife at the time, the film was released just a year before they divorced and there are clear parallels between their character's turbulent relationship and their own.   

The Hall of Mirrors scene in 'The Lady from Shanghai' remains one of the most striking scenes in Hollywood cinema. Elsa appears, admitting she shot Grisby after he messed up her plan to do away with her husband Bannister, he then appears - he knows she was planning to have him killed and tells Elsa she would be foolish to fire her gun - "... these mirrors - it's difficult to tell - you are aiming at me aren't you?  I'm aiming at you, lover!" This dialogue literally mirrors their marriage, where it is difficult to tell if they are plotting against each other or not, he acknowledges the fact that they have hidden behind a loving relationship, when in fact he has always questioned her loyalty to him.The scene is full of reflections and shadows and deliberately disorientates the viewer. This expressionist and surrealist imagery is used to connote the sense of confusion and lack of trust - characters shoot mirror images of themselves, not knowing who or what is real.  The musical score is indicative of the tensions between the studio and auteur (Welles) – Welles originally intended the Hall of Mirrors sequence to be silent, however, the studio added a musical score. The studio ignored almost every one of Welles’ suggestions for the score. Welles was unhappy with the studio's addition of crashing background music.  He felt that the gunfire and breaking glass alone would be more effective and realistic. The scene includes the chilling view of Elsa's femme-fetal cold heart as she holds the gun she just fired from. Elsa shooting at her husband multiple times not only shows a strong comparison to how her character is first introduced – as being weak and claiming to not know how to use a gun, but also makes a significant statement about the power of women developing in post war America.   

Riddely Scott uses 'Blade Runner' to make a similar significant statement about the power of women, in another decade when such statements were particularly relevant. Although the director's cut wasn't released until 1992, the original production was released in 1981, a time where women were predominantly becoming more independent by having their own careers and owning their own homes – these things were uncommon of women before this time. This movement was also reflected by the fashion of period with women wearing suit-jackets with built in shoulder pads and interestingly these fashions were translated into the dystopian world of Blade Runner. despite being set in 2019. Rachel is the perfect example of this, when introduced her make-up, including her lipstick is meticulously and perfectly applied. She is dressed in a two-piece black suite: a tight black pencil skirt and a well-tailored buttoned up jacket with high shoulder pads. She presents herself in rather formal and stiff attire which is accentuated by the small tie on her neck. This mise-en-scene is highly significant as in this particular moment she is very reminiscent of a stereotypical femme fatale type of character. As she holds the cigarette in between her long immaculately well-polished fingers she transforms into a popular film noir actress – for example Rita Hayworth, suggesting that Scott could have been influenced by the works of Old Hollywood directors such as Orson Welles. Scott's style is largely identifiable by his use of low key lighting in the mise-en-scene. 'Blade Runner' takes place in a futuristic 2019 dystopian Los Angeles, during most of the movie a major theme is a non-stop rain that doesn't seem to end, and this is to show a sense of despair, pollution, and create ambiance throughout. Scott uses ample amounts of fluorescent neon in his films when fitting, particularly 'Blade Runner', such as in clubs or on buildings, and the famously known umbrella poles featured in the opening sequence. In this scene when the main character Deckard interrogates the suspected replicant Rachel in Tyrells corporation is one of the only scenes when the Sun is quite present while most of the movie has a mysterious blue tinge this scene is quite the opposite with warm yellow feel to it. In this shot Deckard is lit from the back casting a halo effect around him which shoots his protagonists' role. He then ironically states it's too bright, and the shade is pulled down returning the scene to a mysterious blue tint. This lights Deckard from the front and Rachel from behind, however in Ridley's films we rarely see people's face completely lit, portraying how we perhaps never see their complete character.  

Similar to the Hall of Mirrors scene in 'The Lady from Shanghai', Scott shows Rachel's femme-fatal nature as Rachael’s suspicion about her identity progresses she decides to escape and go against her creator Tyrell, going as far as shooting another replicant to save Deckard’s life. She is in a state of uncertainty about her future and seems distraught. It is quite evident that Rachael is no longer the perfect specimen we encountered in the first scene. She is taking on traits that are more human because she is becoming less perfect in her appearance as opposed to well composed and formally attired. Her character development can be shown through the mise-en-scene as in a later scene she is still wearing the pencil skirt and the well-tailored buttoned up suit jacket; however, now we notice that the small tie around her neck has suddenly become loose and her eye make-up is running down her face. The colour of her suit is different in this scene - now it is grey instead of black. The lighter colour may suggest a progression to a more informal state. She is no longer the formal well-composed Rachael we first encountered as her appearance is slowly starting to change. Eventually Rachael’s appearance takes a dramatic turn. She is no longer wearing the high powered formal suit jacket as in the last two scenes. Here, she is in light loose -fitting unbuttoned silk shirt playing the piano. The colour of her wardrobe has now changed to white. She methodically puts down her hair in an awkward gesture. Her trademark scarlet red lipstick is gone, and her smudged eyeliner disappears. She seems to be more natural in her appearance. This scene ironically suggests that when she comes to fully accept that she is a replicant she becomes more human and less perfect. She finally accepts who she is, and she seems to be more vulnerable and scared. Her face is more child-like as opposed to the femme fatale which was presented to us in the first scene. As the scene unfolds questions are raised to the audience about misogyny and ambiguous sexual consent – it appears that the female replicants are either constructed as a male fantasy as sexual gratification or objectified for visual pleasure. The dominant representations of the male figure in film are negative. Deckard is trapped in a version of masculinity that limits his emotional responses and internalises experience. Links with male self-destructive film noir characters is obvious. Other images of masculinity draw on conventional ideas of power, control and sadism. It is left to the male non-human replicants to voice desire, fragility and any meaningful philosophical viewpoint. 

To conclude, I agree that an auteur production is a "vehicle for making 'significant statements as both Orson Welles and Riddely Scott use their recognisable auteur features in their films to make significant statements about the emerging power of women during appropriate decades of movement.