Movies about Surrealism
10 Surrealist Films for Philosophy Students
Defining “surrealism” or “surrealist films” is no simple task. That said, Andre Breton’s writings provide a definition and overview of the surrealist movement. In his landmark work, Manifest surrealismu, Andre Breton lays out an argument in favor of surrealism, primarily as a means of living and thinking, one which is radically different from our typical, day-to-day mental processes. Much of what Breton opposes is the under-appreciation (or even outright dismissal) of dreams and the bewildering nature of thought, as well as our blind adherence to rationality. He believes that we continue to live under “the reign of logic,” and that the “absolute rationalism that is still in vogue allows us to consider only facts relating directly to our experience.” In his own way, Breton is essentially condemning close-mindedness, and does so by making the claim that it is not merely a defect of the ignorant, but a pervasive quality of the entire human race. He takes this a step further, stating that “under the pretence of civilization and progress, we have managed to banish from the mind everything that may rightly or wrongly be termed superstition, or fancy; forbidden is any kind of search for truth which is not in conformance with accepted practices.”
While Breton never lays out clear instruction for how one may rid themselves of the traditional modes of reasoning and embrace the surreal, he does provide insight into what is znamenalo by the surreal, and specifically how it differs from rationalism. Breton remarks that the “ordinary observer lends so much more credence and attaches so much more importance to waking events than those occurring in dreams,” though in a state of lucidity, man is at the mercy of his own memory, a memory which “takes pleasure in weakly retracing for him the circumstances of his dream, in stripping it of any real importance.” This concept of waking thought being grossly inferior, while simultaneously much more accessible to us is integral to Breton’s hypothesis. We embrace these thoughts and poorly-conceived memories out of habit, and shun our dreams and ephemeral visions for failing to integrate coherently with our usual methods of thought. Breton ultimately concludes that our waking state is nothing more than a “phenomenon of interference.”
So, what is it about dreams that Breton finds so superior to rational thought? In part, it is the abandonment of unnecessary limitations. He summarizes this view with the following:
“The mind of the man who dreams is fully satisfied by what happens to him. The agonizing question of possibility is no longer pertinent. Kill, fly faster, love to your heart’s content. And if you should die, are you not certain of reawakening among the dead? Let yourself be carried along, events will not tolerate your interference. You are nameless. The ease of everything is priceless.”
However, Breton does not completely condemn the waking state. In fact, it is as necessary as the dreaming state, if only as a way to analyze and reform dreams. It is the resolution of these two states that he describes as “surreality,” which is, to Breton, the highest and most absolute reality. Breton continues, providing two more precise definitions for surrealism, one as it relates to functions of the mind:
“SURREALISM, n. Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express — verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner — the actual functioning of thought. Dictated by the thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern.”
…and the other as it relates to a philosophical school of thought:
“[SURREALISM]. Filozofie. Surrealism is based on the belief in the superior reality of certain forms of previously neglected associations, in the omnipotence of dream, in the disinterested play of thought. It tends to ruin once and for all all other psychic mechanisms and to substitute itself for them in solving all the principal problems of life.”
All of this leaves us with a roadmap for interpreting and categorizing surrealist films as being distinctly neskutečný. Using Breton’s definitions as a basis, it is evident that a Surrealist film must, in one way or another, produce a combination of images, sounds, words, and even concepts that are either a reproduction of a dream state or a reflection of the natural state of human thought. As it pertains to images (in any art form), Breton takes from Baudelaire in stating that “it is true of Surrealist images as it is of opium images that man does not evoke them; rather they ‘come to him spontaneously, despotically. He cannot chase them away; for the will is powerless now and no longer controls the faculties.’”
It is important to note the difference between films that include surreal imagery, and productions which may be called surrealist films in the abstract sense. Many films include “dream sequences” that are, by definition, surreal, but once these scenes are finished, the films return to traditional forms. This list is more concerned with films that maintain a certain degree of surrealism throughout. This can be achieved in a variety of ways; films can evoke surrealist concepts through content, form, or a combination of the two. With this in mind, a certain list of qualities, however broad in scope, come to mind when envisioning a surrealist film. The films on this list all possess more than one of the following characteristics:
- A narrative structure that does not conform to the normal Hollywood or even European traditions; the story may be disjointed, repetitive, or include the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated narrative elements.
- The film includes an interpretation of the functions of the mind, whether it is stated outright or through cinematic effect; this might include images that blend into one another, brief intrusions of sounds or visions, or dream-states that offer little or no ostensible narrative significance.
- Images, characters, or dialogue that transcend what we know to be normal or real; this could include fantastical creations that cannot be seen in the real world, absurd or indecipherable languages, or behavior from humans or creatures that seems incompatible with their nature.
- An indifference to practical sense; any aspect of the film may be either counterintuitive or simply irreconcilable with rational thought.
While this is by no means a comprehensive list, the following surrealist films all adhere to the characteristics as they have been described.
10 Surrealist Films for Philosophy Students
10. Svatá Hora (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1973)
In Jodorowsky’s followup to Krtek, a man (simply referred to as The Thief), embarks on a journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening. He is joined by The Alchemist (played by Jodorowsky himself) and seven superior beings that have all come from different planets to discover the secret to immortality. Rich with symbolic imagery and sequences that mix dreams and reality, Svatá hora infuses Jodorowsky’s own beliefs with the psychedelic aesthetic of 70’s cinema. You can find my review of the film zde.
Svatá hora is available to rent or purchase via Amazon zde.
9. Last Year in Marienbad (Alain Resnais, 1961)
At a remote château, a woman is approached by a man who claims to have met her a year prior, though the woman denies it. A second man attempts to emasculate the first man, though the reasons are not entirely clear. Scenes jump in time and space, with images often disconnected from the larger story. The entire film feels like a half-remembered dream, with segments that are hazy or simply cut short. There is no sense of beginning or end, but rather a continuation of dissociative sequences that form a contemplative, but nonetheless incomprehensible whole.
Loni v Mariánských Lázních is available to rent or purchase via Amazon zde.
8. Inland Empire (David Lynch, 2006)
David Lynch is known as a master of the surreal, and this is exemplified in his strange and unsettling drama, Inland Empire. The story follows an actress named Sue who lands the lead role in a film, but the film’s production is plagued by strange occurrences, and Sue is further disturbed by a strange woman claiming to know about future events in her life. Lynch plays with the concept of time, and, as is so often the case in his films, the characters are enigmatic and behave in a cryptic manner.
Inland Empire is available to purchase via Amazon zde.
7. House (Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977)
The only horror film to be on this list, Dům tells the story of Gorgeous, a young girl who goes to visit her aunt with six of her friends. When they arrive, supernatural happenings and demonic possessions force the girl’s to fight for their lives as they attempt to discover the secrets of the house. Not only is the imagery strange (and often shifts between horrific and comedic), but the story follows a dream-logic that offers little justification for the fantastic and frightening occurrences.
Dům is available to rent or purchase via Amazon zde.
6. Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943)
This experimental short, brought to life by real-life husband and wife Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, is more a collection of images than it is a singular film. There is no sense of time or continuity in the narrative, only the a repetition of images to give the film a sense of meaning that is open for interpretation. Much like dreams, we only get flashes of objects and surroundings, giving us an impression of events, rather than a direct view. Though there is little in the way of a cohesive narrative, the film generally follows a woman as she tries to catch a hooded figure and distinguish between her dreams and reality.
Síta odpoledne is available to stream via Amazon zde.
5. Daisies (Věra Chytilová, 1966)
Czechoslovakian filmmaker Věra Chytilová directs this tale of two young women, Marie I and Marie II, who embark on a series of pranks and peculiar misadventures. Though the two show a proclivity for overeating and general misbehavior, there is little coherence that can be drawn from the characters or the narrative. We watch as the two drift among different scenarios, being swept onward by the absurdity of the setting.
Sedmikrásky is available to purchase via Amazon zde.
4. Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966)
As can be surmised from the title, Persona is a film largely about identity, specifically identity insofar as it is an abstract concept, both difficult to define and capricious by nature. In the film, Elisabet is an actress who is suddenly unable to move or speak, and is left under the care of a nurse, Alma. On doctors orders, Alma takes Elisabet to a cottage by the sea. As Alma tells Elisabet various stories from her life, their relationship becomes increasingly complex and their identities seem to blend into one another.
Persona is available to rent or purchase via Amazon zde.
3. Amarcord (Federico Fellini, 1973)
Loosely based on people and events from his own childhood, Fellini’s Amarcord is a comical denunciation of Mussolini’s fascist regime. It features a wide array of character archetypes, ranging from the village idiot to the local nymphomaniac. Much of the story focuses on Titta (based on Fellini himself), and his comical interactions and observations of the other villagers. The narrative meanders between various sequences, giving spectators a strange and satirical view of Italy under fascism.
Amarcord is available to rent or purchase via Amazon zde.
2. Naked Lunch (David Cronenberg, 1991)
Adapted from the works of William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch follows William Lee, an exterminator turned writer who becomes entangled in a conspiracy surrounding illegal narcotics. William, as well as several other characters, are frequently under the influence of hallucinatory drugs, making it difficult to distinguish between their visions and reality (if such a distinction even exists). Little of Naked Lunch’s plot can be justified as a coherent chain of cause-and-effect, and the anthropomorphic beings are treated as relatively normal occurrences within the narrative world.
Naked Lunch is available to purchase via Amazon zde.
1. Hiroshima Mon Amour (Alain Resnais, 1959)
Though it is a love story, Hirošima Mon Amour is primarily a study on memory and reflection, framing its narrative as a series of cryptic conversations and visions of the past. Through several documentary-style sequences, the characters (simply referred to as Her and Him) compare the death of their relationship with the bombing of Hiroshima. The film’s dialogue, which is often repetitive and ambiguous, is juxtaposed with images that reflect the transient nature of memories and human emotion.
Hirošima Mon Amour is available to rent or purchase via Amazon zde.
Surrealist Films, Honorable Mentions:
8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, 1963)
Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
Lost Highway (David Lynch, 1997)
Repulsion (Roman Polanski, 1965)
If you have any other surrealist films that you think should have been included, feel free to leave a comment!
Zdroje:
Breton, Andre. “Manifesto of Surrealism.” Jstor, College Art Association, Nov. 1971, www.jstor.com.
Sdílet tento:
- Kliknutím sdílejte na Twitteru (otevře se v novém okně)
- Kliknutím sdílejte na Facebooku (otevře se v novém okně)
- Kliknutím sdílejte na reddit (otevře se v novém okně)
- Kliknutím sdílejte na Tumblr (otevře se v novém okně)
- Kliknutím sdílejte na Pinterest (otevře se v novém okně)
The 13 Best Examples of Surrealism in Movies, Explained
Sometimes, a movie can be bizarre. Not in a bad way, but it’ll hit you with a quality that feels foreign and unusual. We call it surreal.
2. července 2023
Pokud si něco koupíte pomocí našich odkazů, můžeme získat provizi bez dalších nákladů. Děkuji za vaši podporu!
You’ve probably seen that Salvador Dalí painting of melting clocks in the desert, right? Dalí was one of many surrealist artists in the 1920s, alongside others like René Magritte and André Breton.
Projekt surrealism movement was known for its absurdist and nonsensical interpretations of reality—interpretations that were often dreamlike, erotic, and disturbingly unnerving.
That avant-garde style spread into all forms of art, including paintings, poetry, sculptures, and film. There are still traces of surrealist culture in modern movies (even if surrealism itself is a niche genre).
Here’s a complete beginner’s guide to surrealism in movies and the curious elements that drive it, explained using several iconic and important films from over the years.
Luis Buñuel and the Origins of Surrealism
Surrealism was an evolution of the Dada movement, which flourished in early 20th century Paris. Dadaism was an avant-garde reaction to World War One that was very much anti-war and anti-bourgeois.
Dadaism’s radical left-wing politics and rejection of logic gave birth to what we now recognize to be surrealism.
The Spanish-Mexican filmmaker Luis Buñuel was one of the first to pioneer surrealism in movies. He’s essentially the Dalí of cinema, having directed one of the most shocking films ever made: Chien Andalou, the first surrealist movie.
After single-handedly changing cinema, Buñuel went on to direct many famous surrealist films throughout his revolutionary career, including Le charme diskrétní de la buržoazie (Diskrétní kouzlo buržoazie) v roce 1972 a Le fantôme de la liberté (Fantom svobody) v 1974.
13. Un Chien Andalou (1929)
Directed by Luis Buñuel
Starring Pierre Batcheff, Simone Mareuil, Luis Buñuel
Short, Fantasy, Horror (16m)
Také známý jako Andaluský pes v angličtině, Chien Andalou is a silent French short film that started with a limited release and ended up with an eight-month-long run in the Studio des Ursulines in Paris.
When a film begins with «Once upon a time. » we usually expect a traditional, fairy tale-like plot. However, in Chien Andalou, what follows is a disjointed series of random, unrelated events.
These events include a man riding a bicycle while dressed like a nun, a piano with dead donkeys on it, and—most famously—a woman’s eye being sliced with a razor.
Chien Andalou doesn’t even have spatial-temporal awareness, as a title card reading «Eight years later» is followed by a sequence in the same lineal space as before. Some objects and characters seem to link, but not in any way that holds meaning.
Salvador Dalí co-wrote the short film with Buñuel, who based the images off their own dreams. Buñuel expected a riot to ensue during his first screening, but instead became the first filmmaker officially welcomed into André Breton’s surrealist gang.
Chien Andalou is now in the public domain and is free to watch for anyone who has access to YouTube.
Související: Nejlepší filmy vyprávěné pozpátku s obrácenými nebo nelineárními příběhy
12. L’Âge d’Or (1930)
Directed by Luis Buñuel
Starring Gaston Modot, Lya Lys, Caridad de Laberdesque
Komedie, drama (1h 3m)
Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí were commissioned to make a sequel to Chien Andalou, but not in the way we know sequels today.
As there was no plot to follow up on, the connection comes from its free association narrative style and visuals that are intended to shock and disgust the bourgeoisie.
Buñuel was thoroughly irritated when Chien Andalou was received as a hit in the high Parisian society that he was attacking (even if its success meant financing for a sequel).
L’Âge d’Or uses perverted sexual and religious images—like sucking the toes of a statue and decorating a crucifix with scalps—to mock the conservative repression of bourgeois society.
Surrealism is nothing if not subversive and daring, so L’Âge d’Or is the perfect representation of the Dada-inspired movement that’s been praised by the likes of Pablo Picasso and David Bowie.
David Lynch and Modern Surrealism
The following three movie examples on our list were all created by director David Lynch. He’s the contemporary revivor of surrealism, using meditation and dreams to inspire his senseless worlds.
David Lynch is one of the few filmmakers who still uses the surrealist mode of address and has become world-famous for his peculiar, offbeat stories. Best known for his absurd TV series Twin Peaks, let’s look at his three most surrealist movies.
Související: Slavní filmoví režiséři a jejich filmové styly, vysvětleno
11. Blue Velvet (1986)
Režie: David Lynch
Starring Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper
Crime, Drama, Mystery (2h)
David Lynch tends to sway toward the crime-mystery genre, as the shadowy characters and ambiguous plotlines perfectly match the tone of surrealism. After all, surrealists favor the subconscious over the conscious, dreams over reality, darkness over light.
Modrý samet taps into this idea and stirs up controversy with its unsettling sadomasochistic themes.
Dennis Hopper stars as the twisted drug lord Frank Booth, who forces lounge-singer Dorothy (played by Isabella Rossellini) into sex slavery.
College grad Jeffrey (played by Kyle MacLachlan) ends up entangled in their illicit world, which grows darker and weirder with each scene.
The extremity of violence and erotica in Modrý samet—especially for an 80s film—makes it more than just a little wacky. It’s completely and utterly surrealist. Perhaps Dalí would approve.
Související: Nejlepší klasické nezávislé filmy 1980. let, hodnoceno
10. Mulholland Drive (2001)
Režie: David Lynch
Starring Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux
Drama, Mysteriózní, Thriller (2h 27m)
Mulholland pohon isn’t as thematically surrealist as Modrý samet, but the narrative logic (or lack of logic) certainly is.
Lynch has spoken extensively on his daily practice of transcendental meditation to get his creative juices flowing, and this is evident in films like Mulholland Drive. How else could Lynch come up with such intricately bizarre storylines, if not by subconscious exploration?
This mystery-thriller follows the survivor of a car crash (played by Laura Harring) who stays with an aspiring actress (played by Naomi Watts) until she regains her memory.
For a Lynch film, Mulholland pohon starts off relatively normal, but then things get a little. freaky.
It might take more than one watch to fully grasp all the twists and turns of this psychological movie, which blends dreams, reality, imagination, and deception into one surrealist mesh.
Související: Nejlepší filmy, které byly inspirovány sny a meditací
9. Eraserhead (1977)
Režie: David Lynch
Starring Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph
Fantasy, horor (1h 29m)
Lynch’s directorial debut was a disturbing black-and-white indie horror starring Jack Nance. Mazací hlava opens to the head of Henry Spencer (played by Jack Nance) floating in the sky.
Then, we move from outer space to an industrial landscape where Henry moves into a one-room apartment with his girlfriend and his alien-looking baby.
A whole bunch of wild stuff happens, and Henry discovers the baby has no skin. It’s simply a pile of organs held together by a blanket.
Mazací hlava is eccentric, to say the least. Lynch certainly came into the film industry with a bang! The atmospherics and grotesque imagery of Mazací hlava—alongside the oftentimes nonsensical plot—carves out a unique space for it to occupy in the surrealist indie film world.
Related: The Best Body Horror Movies, Ranked
8. Trainspotting (1996)
Directed by Danny Boyle
Hrají Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller
Trainspotting isn’t strictly a surrealist film per se, but it does offer some uncannily surrealist sequences that work as a good stepping stone into the movement.
The film centers on a group of heroin junkies, and Trainspotting uses drugs to explore the frenzied subconscious world.
Examples of surrealist scenes include: a baby crawling on the ceiling, the «Worst Toilet in Scotland» sequence, and the characters’ array of nightmarish visions while under the influence of durgs (or when they’re suffering from withdrawal).
Danny Boyle’s black-comedy is one of the most popular British indie films, mostly thanks to its daring hallucinogenic scenes and its rejection of capitalist society.
If you enjoy the likes of Trainspotting, you’re already on the way to appreciating surrealism!
Related: Trippy Drug Movies With Psychedelic Experiences
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Režie Michel Gondry
Hrají Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson
Drama, Romantika, Sci-Fi (1h 48m)
Michael Gondry uses surrealist imagery as a lens into the human psyche—specifically memory, pain, and love.
Věčný svit neposkvrněné mysli follows a dream-like rationale, where Joel Barish (played by Jim Carrey) has the memories of his volatile girlfriend Clementine (played by Kate Winslet) wiped.
Viewers are taken through the vaults of Joel’s mind while he undergoes the procedure, venturing through the uncanny landscape of his deepest desires, fears, memories, and hopes.
The surrealist mood of Věčný svit neposkvrněné mysli is mostly crafted through its cinematography, with images glitching in fragments. It’s a good starting point for surrealism, with more melancholy hopefulness and not as much grotesque darkness.
Related: The Best Movies About Memories and Memory Loss
6. Donnie Darko (2001)
Režie Richard Kelly
Hrají Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell
Drama, Mysteriózní, Sci-Fi (1h 53m)
Donnie Darko generally follows the typical cause-and-effect narrative we’ve come to know in movies. Well, at least up until the end.
That’s when director Richard Kelly takes a surrealist approach and incorporates nonlinear time, with fans still theorizing the finale’s meaning two decades later.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as the troubled teenager Donnie, who sleepwalks and hallucinates his way through high school.
He’s the only one who can see Frank, a giant creepy-looking bunny who warns him that the world is going to end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. What could be more surrealist than a giant talking bunny rabbit?
The «Mad World» of Donnie Darko made it an instant cult classic, eerily skirting on the edges of avant-garde surrealism.
Související: Nejlepší nezávislé filmy roku 2000, hodnoceno
5. Synekdocha, New York (2008)
Režie: Charlie Kaufman
Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams
A postmodern psychological drama that blurs fiction with reality, Synecdoche, New York implements surreal-realism. That’s sort of oxymoronic, isn’t it? But trust us, it’s a thing.
Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as theater director Caden Cotard, who becomes plagued with physical ailments.
While his body continuously fails him (yet he somehow remains alive through it all), Caden focuses on his work and spirals into the obsessed artist archetype.
The story world of Caden’s stage and the reality of his (increasingly isolated) life begin to fuse together in a semi-surrealist haze. Doppelgangers, meta-references, and Jungian psychology make Charlie Kaufman’s movie a truly one-of-a-kind must-watch.
Related: The Best Dream Movies With Dream Logic and Dreamscapes
4. Beau Is Afraid (2023)
Režie Ari Aster
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan
Comedy, Drama, Horror (2h 59m)
The A24 epic film Beau se bojí takes the studio’s artsy reputation to the extreme as it follows one man named Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) and his paranoid odyssey in visiting his mother.
Swim in the depths of depravity and wander through a storybook animation in this self-aware, completely bonkers meta-narrative.
Beau is the definition of a passive protagonist. He’s just as confused by what’s happening as we are as he ends up running through a fever dream of unexpected events.
Director Ari Aster opens to a familiar setting: a therapist’s office. As Beau walks home, his city grows increasingly crime-ridden by degrees until we end up in a hyperbolically dystopian world.
From there, things only get weirder. There are traveling woodland circuses, fortune-telling CCTVs, and deaths by orgasm.
If you’ve got the time, patience, and open-mindedness for Beau se bojí, it’s definitely worth the mind-bending experience. You’ll wonder how anybody could imagine a script this unpredictable!
Related: The Best Dystopian Movies of All Time (And Their Meanings)
3. 8½ (1963)
Directed by Federico Fellini
Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Claudia Cardinale
Životopis, drama (2h 18m)
Federico Fellini wasn’t a full-fledged surrealist, but he did like to dip his toe (or leg) in the field. One of his best examples is 8½, an Italian comedy-drama starring Marcello Mastroianni.
Mastroianni plays the stunted filmmaker Guido Anselmi, who struggles to get his new movie off the ground. Overwhelmed by his emotions, Guido wanders around his thoughts and the fantastical world he creates.
A soulful powerhouse of surrealism, 8½ won two Academy Awards back in the 60s. Shot in black-and-white as a hallmark of the avant-garde, its ambition is met with wit and grace.
Fellini tapped into his own experiences when crafting this snapshot into the madness—and inspiration—of life.
Související: Nejlepší filmy o vytváření filmů, hodnoceno
2. Mechanický pomeranč (1971)
Režie Stanley Kubrick
Hrají Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates
Komedie, Drama, Krimi (2h 16m)
Hodiny oranžová is still pretty controversial despite its iconic cult status. Director Stanley Kubrick even withdrew the film from public showings in Britain until his death in 1999.
Aside from its depictions of questionable morals and intense graphic scenes, some people disliked the film simply because because it’s plain weird. And by weird, we mean surrealist.
Malcolm McDowell stars as psychopathic Alex, who gets into some odd situations, including experimental correction therapy.
From the jarring Nadsat dialect (a blend of Russian and English) to the «droogs» futuristic costumes, everything about Hodiny oranžová is peculiar and absolutely surreal.
1. Být Johnem Malkovichem (1999)
Režie Spike Jonze
Starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener
Komedie, Drama, Fantasy (1h 53m)
Surrealism loves to be self-reflexive, embedding intertextual references into its mixed-up world—and few films are as self-aware and satirical as Být John Malkovich (which you could probably guess from its title).
Spike Jonze directs this surreal fantasy comedy, starring John Cusack as an eccentric puppeteer named Craig Schwartz.
Craig finds work at an office with an impossibly low ceiling and, after discovering a hidden tunnel, enters a portal into John Malkovich’s body. Yep, you read that right.
John Malkovich plays a caricature of himself, and he even enters the portal at one point, transporting him into a world full of Malkoviches that can only say the word «Malkovich.»
It’s pretty mad, yet Být John Malkovich remains a movie that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime!
Číst dále: Nejlepší filmy natočené (téměř) zcela v POV záběrech, hodnoceno
The Other Salvador Dalí: How the King of Surrealism Made his Mark on Cinema
In this article series, we explore the lesser-known artistic output of artists who became known for another medium or genre of art. Often, great artists wear many different hats, but break through and achieve acclaim because of their work in one specific medium. We aim to highlight the multifaceted nature of their talent by shining a light not on what they are best known for, but on the lesser-known side of their artistic production. This week, we explore the various cinema projects of the great Surrealist master Salvador Dalí who, despite being famous for his painting, also made his indelible mark on cinema.
Chien Andalou (1929)
In 1929 in Paris, Luis Buñuel told Salvador Dalí about a dream he had had, in which a razor blade sliced open an eyeball. Dalí then shared his dream with Buñuel, about a hand crawling with ants. Inspired by these powerful images, Dalí convinced Buñuel to make a film together: the movie would be based solely on their dreams and focused on the emotions they felt, abandoning the traditional notion of a linear plot, and logic. At the time, Buñuel was already working as an assistant director in the French film industry, but this movie would be the beginning of something completely new for him.
Buñuel and Dalí agreed that the movie should be filled with irrationality and images without explanation. The script was completed in 6 days.
Chien Andalou begins with that very image from Buñuel’s dream: a man slicing open a woman’s eyeball with a razor blade, immediately followed by a cloud passing over the moon, as though it is slicing it open. Other surreal scenes include the hand crawling with ants, a man dragging two pianos containing the corpses of two donkeys across a room, and a man’s mouth disappearing suddenly from his face. Buñuel and Dalí had expected a riot to break out, but the film was met with a positive reception and many famous Parisian artists like Picasso, Jean Cocteau, and André Breton, attended the movie’s premiere. While Buñuel was relieved, the flamboyant Dalí, who loved a bit of drama, was quite disappointed. Chien Andalou led to an invitation to both Dalí and Buñuel to join the Surrealist movement. Instead of the hoped-for turmoil, the artists ironically received 1 million Francs from wealthy French patrons to make a sequel to Chien Andalou. However, they could not seem to come to an agreement on how to approach the film, and their relationship eventually came to an end. Dalí left the project, and Buñuel continued on his own and turned the project into his hour-long movie L’Âge d’Or (1930). Dalí criticised the film as he claimed it was an aggression against Catholicism, and the film was in fact banned at the time due to its blasphemous nature.
Impressions de la Haute Mongolie (1975)
The last movie Dalí worked on in his lifetime was Impressions de la Haute Mongolie in 1975. He wanted to create an homage to the French writer Raymond Roussel (1877-1933), a forerunner of the Surrealists whom he admired greatly. According to Dalí, Roussel was a precursor of his paranoiac-critical method. In order to express his admiration for the writer, Dalí conceived this experimental film as a fantastic journey through Upper Mongolia, loosely inspired by Roussel’s self-published 1910 novel Dojmy z Afriky, in which he describes his impressions of Africa, which he never actually visited.
Babaouo (1997)
In 1997, eight years after Dalí’s death, the director Manuel Cussó-Ferrer made Babaouo, a film based on an original screenplay of the same name written by Dalí in 1932. At the time of its conception, Dalí intended for Babaouo to become a Surrealist film, something along the lines of Chien Andalou. The story was filled with Dalí’s Surrealist images such as melting watches and burning giraffes. However, nothing besides the screenplay, some designs, and the poster was completed, and Dalí abandoned the project.
As per Dalí’s original intentions, the film takes place in 1934 in a European country during the civil war. The movie follows Babaouo, who is on a quest to find his love Matilde. She has sent him a letter from a castle in Portugal asking for his help. After all kinds of encounters and strange situations during his journey, Babaouo finds Matilde and they escape. However, their car crashes, Matilde dies, and Babaouo is blinded. When he regains his sight, he decides to become an artist.
Destinace (2003)
In America, besides his work on okouzlený in 1945, Dalí had also tried to collaborate with the Marx Brothers and Walt Disney on movie projects. However, to his great disappointment, both projects fell through. Dalí’s 1937 screenplay Salát žirafy na koni, which he had written for the Marx Brothers, turned out to be just a bit too surreal for the studio which declined the projects. Dalí had envisioned scenes of giraffes in gas masks set on fire, and Harpo Marx catching dwarves with a butterfly net.
Between 1945 and 1946, Dalí and Disney studio artist John Hench worked on the storyboard for Destinace (Spanish for “Destiny”). But this project was stopped early on as well. Walt Disney Studios were struggling with financial problems due to World War II, and the production was ultimately considered financially unviable and put on hold indefinitely. In 1999, Walt Disney’s nephew Roy E. Disney decided to bring the project back to life. He brought Walt Disney Studios Paris on board to complete the project. The short movie, which is only 7 minutes long, was directed by French animator Dominique Monféry. Approximately 25 animators worked together to decipher Dalí and Hench’s original storyboards. Gala Dalí and Hench, who were both still alive at the time, helped them to understand the cryptic storyboards as well, and Dalí’s journals offered some clues too. The result is mostly traditional animation including Hench’s original footage, with some computer animation here and there.
Příběh Destinace shows the ill-fated love of Chronos for a mortal woman named Dahlia. We see Dahlia dancing through surreal scenery inspired by Dalí’s paintings. 17 seconds of original footage is included in the film: the segment with two tortoises.
Dalí’s visionary art and eccentric mind were clearly very well suited to the medium of film, and his iconic Surrealist images live on through these versatile movie projects.
We collect Movies about Surrealism rating based on ratings and reviews on popular services. To collect Movies about Surrealism we analyze rendition, popular services, comments, people reviews, forum comments and make our own rating. If you think there is a movie missing in the selection, you can leave a comment with the name of the movie that should be included in the selection. Let’s make a rating Movies about Surrealism together!