Un chien andalou (1929)'s comments

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corchap

For the people who don't understand this film-- its an experimental film from the 20's in France when the avant-garde expression was born. There is no narrative, its a series of dream sequences that is meant to see things differently without explaining them. It is relying on dream impressions rather than objective observation. When we dream, things change form and events occur for no reason and this film was meant to bring our dream sequences into our conscious mind. Its not pleasing to the eye- pun intended- but it means to attack the casualties of our dreams and make us aware of them.

10 years 2 months ago

SkilledLunatic

"It was Buñuel's intention to shock and insult the intellectual bourgeoisie of his youth, later saying: Historically, this film represents a violent reaction against what at that time was called 'avantgarde cine,' which was directed exclusively to the artistic sensibility and to the reason of the spectator. Against his hopes and expectations, the film was a huge success amongst the French bourgeoisie, leading Buñuel to exclaim in exasperation, "What can I do about the people who adore all that is new, even when it goes against their deepest convictions, or about the insincere, corrupt press, and the inane herd that saw beauty or poetry in something which was basically no more than a desperate impassioned call for murder?"
They wanted to be hated.

10 years 9 months ago

pfluke

I can practically smell the absinthe

11 years ago

kottonen

This was an experience of a film. The kind where, after watching, my partner and I both opened the relevant Wikipedia article with its very detailed synopsis to confirm: yes, that was, indeed, what we had seen. There was that bit with armpit hair, and that part with the clerics, and the stripy box, and–

Intended as a slap, a provocation, a smirk into the stupidly-round face of bourgeoisie, Un Chien Andalou is a technical feat and, in places, absurd to the point of being funny. Directed by young Luis Buñuel and written by young Salvador Dali, it is supposed to satirise the art contemporary to it, but ends up becoming a part of the cinematic canon.

It is great to once again see the diversity of silent film and the extent it had developed in the late 1920s. Another point is the fashion, the interiors, the French streets as they existed at the time. I am so used to seeing all of that recreated on film, but here is genuine article!

I have come across the notion that music videos owe their style to Un Chien Andalou. Perhaps. There, certainly, are similarities. In my own turn, I rather started thinking about David Lynch and his taste for the absurd and horrific.

6 years 10 months ago