Page "Formalist film theory" Paragraph 12

Secondly, it sought to redeem many filmmakers who were looked down upon by mainstream film critics.

It argued that genre filmmakers and low-budget B-movies were just as important, if not more, than the prestige pictures commonly given more press and legitimacy in France and the United States.

According to Truffaut's theory, auteurs took material that was beneath their talents — a thriller, a pulpy action film, a romance — and, through their style, put their own personal stamp on it.