Screen Arts 2/4

Surrealist Film

Surrealism is a cultural movement that started in the 20's. It evolved from the Dada movement (1916-1922). Dada is a madeup word to protest against everything. Commenting on the stupidity of WW1 and was anti-rational, humorous, deliberately shocking and anti art.

Surrealism was founded as a movement in 1924 by Andre Breton who was a major Dada member. He drafted the Surrealist Manifesto declaring surrealism as pure physic automatism. "The dictation of thought, in the absence of all control by the reason, excluding any aesthetic or moral preoccupation.
The movement used shocking, irrational or absurd imagery to challenge traditional art functions."

Surrealist filmmakers rejected conventional narrative forms, attempted to disrupt narrative conventions of time and space, plot, character and causality then rearrange them until they made no sense. They aimed to derange, meaning upset disorientate and shock. Emphasis image rather than word. They wanted to liberate Western culture from reason and reveal the true reality.

Un Chien Andalou(An Andalusian Dog) was produced by Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali. The film is made up from a succession of non conventional dreamlike sequences. Bunuel states the script was inspired by the brainstorms of their own dreams combined.

Jean Cocteau
Director, poet, novelist, painter, playwright, set designer and actor. "When I make a film, it is a sleep in which I am dreaming"

Man Ray
The only american to play a major role in surrealism and the dada movement. The Starfish (L'Etoile de mer)(1928) and Leave Me Alone (Emak Bakia)(1926).

Maya Deren
Meshes of the Afternoon(1943) was made by Maya Deren and shot by her cinematographer husband Alexander Hammid.

Hitchcock
Salvador Dali designed the dream sequences in Alfred's film Spellbound.

David Lynch
Current "weirdest" filmmaker. Responsible for the original film adaptation of Dune in 1965.

The surrealist film movement is just too weird for my tastes. I prefer films that dont require any brainpower to understand the plot.


BlueVelvet (1986). This film concerns a young college student who, returning home to visit his ill father, discovers a severed human ear in a field that leads to his uncovering a vast criminal conspiracy and entering a romantic relationship with a troubled lounge singer.

What elements of this film suggest that it is surrealist? The macro photography used at the beginning in the grass scene. The story jumps around quite a bit too, leaving scenes feeling unfinished almost. The use of the dream sequence type shooting when the film zoomed in on the ear.

What themes do you feel are explored? Manipulation, questionable decision making.