That's my impression too--I grew up on the auteur theory (including articles in the Cahiers) and Sarris's American "The American Cinema." Over the years, I've come to realize how significant the writing per se is, in spite of the talent of the director and other contributors. And from your book and articles here I've come to understand the importance of character as the heart of good writing. (Footnote: even Andrew Sarris came to understand the contribution of Billy Wilder, the greatest writer-director of all time, whom Sarris had previously classified as "Less than meets the eye.")

I don't watch a lot of movies these days, mostly detective / police / crime television. For my taste, the best crime TV is British and Scandinavian, and it's largely because of the writing. French detective television (with a few exceptions) is bland and derivative (maybe other French genres are more original / engaging). It seems to me that if French writers are eager to up their game, they would learn from your book the importance of character over formula.