Dir. Luis Buenel
France, 1929
Probably the best cinematic example of surrealism, Un Chien Andalou (The Andalusian Dog) is disturbing, non-linear, and odd, to say the least. The best example of its eccentricity can be seen within the first five minutes of the film. A man, who is looking at the moon while a cloud cuts across it, takes a razor blade to a woman's eye and cuts it lengthwise. Considered to be one of the most perturbing scenes in film history, it was accomplished by slicing the eye of a cow. This visceral mirroring of images: the cloud cutting the moon and the razor cutting the eye, sets the film up for visual symbolism, gut-wrenching action, and backwards logic.
Having been written by Luis Buenel and Salvador Dali, the tone of the film straddles two minds fighting over control. Many of the vignettes were Buenel's brain children and under his direction; however, Dali claimed the work as his own and left out Buenel's major contributions. This caused a rift between the two to form, since Dali was the more well-known of the two and was able to claim his coworkers contributions as his own.
While only sixteen minutes long, the surrealistic overtones are quite apparent. The storyline, which is pretty non-linear, consists of short scenes that use euphemisms as imagery. At one point in the film a woman looks to her palm and finds ants crawling out of the center. While an eerie and disturbing visual, the French saying, "sentir fourmis" (to feel ants) corresponds with this visual. Many of the other short vignettes include symbolic, literal translations of ideas and portray them throughout the film. However, not everything in the film has a meaning. It is the watchers responsibility to search for meaning when it is there and to perceive the spectacle when there is none.
While many of Dali and Buenel's scenes are surrealistic, many of the ideas originated from everyday occurrences. The two would get their inspiration from their dreams. Dali was even known to sit in front of a blank canvas with a bell in his hand. When he would drift off to sleep he would drop the bell, waking himself, and would paint whatever he dreamt.
Un Chien Andalou is an important piece of cinematic history. It was the first time that a non-linear storyline was used as well as surrealism in film. It continued to shock, awe, and confuse audiences throughout time. David Bowie would play the film before his performances on his "Station to Station" tour. Un Chien Andalou is still shown today in film classes all over the world. The eye cutting scene still carries the same visceral reaction it did eighty years ago. Definitely a vital piece of film evolution, Un Chien Andalou is something you will not want to miss.
France, 1929
Probably the best cinematic example of surrealism, Un Chien Andalou (The Andalusian Dog) is disturbing, non-linear, and odd, to say the least. The best example of its eccentricity can be seen within the first five minutes of the film. A man, who is looking at the moon while a cloud cuts across it, takes a razor blade to a woman's eye and cuts it lengthwise. Considered to be one of the most perturbing scenes in film history, it was accomplished by slicing the eye of a cow. This visceral mirroring of images: the cloud cutting the moon and the razor cutting the eye, sets the film up for visual symbolism, gut-wrenching action, and backwards logic.
Having been written by Luis Buenel and Salvador Dali, the tone of the film straddles two minds fighting over control. Many of the vignettes were Buenel's brain children and under his direction; however, Dali claimed the work as his own and left out Buenel's major contributions. This caused a rift between the two to form, since Dali was the more well-known of the two and was able to claim his coworkers contributions as his own.
While only sixteen minutes long, the surrealistic overtones are quite apparent. The storyline, which is pretty non-linear, consists of short scenes that use euphemisms as imagery. At one point in the film a woman looks to her palm and finds ants crawling out of the center. While an eerie and disturbing visual, the French saying, "sentir fourmis" (to feel ants) corresponds with this visual. Many of the other short vignettes include symbolic, literal translations of ideas and portray them throughout the film. However, not everything in the film has a meaning. It is the watchers responsibility to search for meaning when it is there and to perceive the spectacle when there is none.
While many of Dali and Buenel's scenes are surrealistic, many of the ideas originated from everyday occurrences. The two would get their inspiration from their dreams. Dali was even known to sit in front of a blank canvas with a bell in his hand. When he would drift off to sleep he would drop the bell, waking himself, and would paint whatever he dreamt.
Un Chien Andalou is an important piece of cinematic history. It was the first time that a non-linear storyline was used as well as surrealism in film. It continued to shock, awe, and confuse audiences throughout time. David Bowie would play the film before his performances on his "Station to Station" tour. Un Chien Andalou is still shown today in film classes all over the world. The eye cutting scene still carries the same visceral reaction it did eighty years ago. Definitely a vital piece of film evolution, Un Chien Andalou is something you will not want to miss.