Surrealist films

Surrealist Film History

Image from 'Un Chien Andalou'
Image from You Tube

Surrealism was an artistic/cultural movement that started in the 1920s. This new style was prominent in painting, literature, and films. It evolved out of the Dada movement (1916-1922). Dada was a protest against everything, and commented on the stupidity of WW1. Dada was anti-rational, humorous, shocking and anti-art.

Andre Breton was one of the main members of Dada. Breton drafted the Surrealist Manifesto in 1924, and also described surrealism as "pure psychic automatism, by which an attempt is made to express, either verbally, in writing or in any other manner, the true functioning of thought. The dictation of thought, in the absence of all control by the reason, excluding any aesthetic or moral preoccupation". This movement used irrational, shocking, or absurd imagery. It is also often used to try to capture the imagery experienced in dreams. Symbolism became a large part of
this movement.

Early surrealist filmmakers rejected standard plots and attempted to disrupt the plot's time and space, as well as characters, and then mix and match them all until nothing could make any real sense. Surrealists aimed to derange meaning, to upset, disorientate and shock the viewers. They wanted to show images rather than words, feelings rather than thoughts.

Image from 'Un Chien Andalou' (1929), Image from YouTube

The film 'Un Chien Andalou' is an example of surrealist film makers creating a dream sort of state. Un Chien Andalou is a French silent short film, directed by Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dali. This film had a lot of Symbolism that could be perceived in a lot of different ways. Their was also no real plot line for the film to follow along. Some imagery was distressing to me, so the film maker did achieve in his goal with getting a reaction from me, a viewer.