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SURREALIST FILMS
Over the
years, there have been numerous films that have captured the surrealist
spirit, from the early experiments of Luis Bunuel and Man Ray, to the
later works of directors like Federico Fellini, Andrei Tarkovsky, Lindsay
Anderson and Bertrand Blier, to name just a few.
Here are some of the key surrealist films made in
Paris during the 1920s:
(For a list of other films by contemporary
directors that capture the surrealist spirit, click here
.)
1.
Le Retour A La Raison
(1923)
Director: Man Ray Running time: 3
minutes; B&W; silent
 Two stills from Man Ray's Le
Retour A La Raison.
CLICK HERE to view Le Retour A
La Raison on YouTube.
2. Entr'acte
(1924)
Director: René Clair Script: Francis Picabia,
René Clair Photo: Jimmy Berliet Music: Henri Sauguet Cast: Jean
Börlin, Inge Frïss, Francis Picabia, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Darius
Milhaud, Erik Satie, Mamy Country: France Language:
French Running time: 22 min; B&W; silent
 Stills from Rene Clair's
Entr'acte. Left: Marcel Duchamp & Man Ray play
chess. Right: Francis Picabia leaps beside a
cannon.
Description: Directed by René
Clair, Entr'acte was originally made to fill an interval
between two acts of Francis Picabia’s new ballet, Relâche, at the
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris in 1924.
A few of
the scenes include: Two men approach a canon and fire it. Rifle-range
dummies sway in the wind. A dancing ballerina turns into a strange bearded
man. Two men (Marcel Duchamp & Man Ray) on a roof-top terrace play a
game of chess. A funeral procession, moving in slow motion, follows a
coffin pulled by a camel.
CLICK HERE to watch Entr'acte
on UBUWEB.
3. Emak-Bakia
(1926)
- Director: Man Ray
- Script: Man Ray
- Photo: Man Ray
- Cast: Kiki of Montparnasse (Girl with painted
eyes), Jacques Rigaut
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Running time: 18 min; B&W; silent
Four stills from Man Ray's Emak-Bakia.
CLICK HERE to view
Emak-Bakia on UbuWeb.
4. L'Etoile De Mer
(1928)
Director: Man Ray Script: Robert
Desnos Photo: Man Ray Cast: Kiki of Montparnasse; Robert
Desnos Country: France Language: French Running time: 17 minutes;
B&W; silent
 Two stills from Man
Ray's surrealist masterpiece L'Etoile De Mer, scripted by
Robert Desnos.
CLICK HERE to view L'Etoile De Mer on UbuWeb.
5. Un chien andalou
(1929)
Director: Luis Bunuel Script: Luis Bunuel
& Salvador Dali Photo: Albert Duverger Cast: Pierre Batcheff;
Simone Mareuil; Luis Bunuel; Salvador Dali Country: France Language:
French Running time: 16 minutes; B&W; silent

 Four stills from Luis Bunuel's masterpiece
Un chien andalou.
CLICK HERE to view Un chien
andalou on UbuWeb.
6. L'Age d'or (1930)
Director: Luis Bunuel Script: Luis
Bunuel & Salvador Dali Photo: Albert Duverger Cast: Lya Lys;
Gaston Modot; Max Ernst; Pierre Prevert Country: France Language:
French Running time: 63 minutes; B&W; silent
  Four stills from Bunuel's infamous L'Age
d'or.
CLICK HERE to view L'Age
d'or on YouTube.
OTHER FILMS THAT CAPTURE THE SURREALIST
SPIRIT
Luis Bunuel is perhaps the greatest surrealist
filmmaker. Highly recommended are: The Criminal Life of
Archimbaldo de la Cruz; Viridiana; The Exterminating
Angel; Simon of the Desert; The Milky Way; The
Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie; and The Phantom of
Liberty. For a full list of Bunuel's films, click here.
Federico Fellini directed several films that
capture the surrealist spirit, including La Dolce Vita; 8 and
a Half; and City of Women.
Andrei
Tarkovsky, although a devote Catholic, was a great admirer of
Bunuel. His films were often dream-like and deeply spiritual.
Among his greatest masterpieces are The Mirror and
Nostalgia.
Jean-Luc Godard directed
a series of films during the 1960s that blended the Marxist ideology of
Brecht with the frantic energy and anarchism of Surrealism. Highly
recommended are Weekend; Pierrot le fou; and Two or
Three Things I Know About Her.
Lindsay Anderson created a trilogy
of films, if...; O Lucky Man; and Britannia
Hospital, that capture the surrealist
spirit.
Alain Resnais directed a number
of psychological studies, often exploring life from an internal
perspective, and examining the mysterious qualities of memory. His
best known films are Hiroshima Mon Amour; Last Year at
Marienbad; and Mon oncle d'Amerique.
Bertrand
Blier directed a few films that are highly surrealist in
nature, including Buffet froid and
Menage.
Peter Greenaway's Drowning by
Numbers has a surrealistic flavor.
Marc Caro &
Jean-Pierre Jeunet collaborated on Delicatessen and
a handful of other films that feature an abundance
of surrealist imagery and humor.
A few other directors
who have, at times, captured the surrealist spirit: David
Lynch; Terry Gilliam; Marco Ferreri; The Cohen Brothers (especially
Barton Fink); Roman Polanski (especially The Tenant); to
name just a few.
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IMAGES page
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RECOMMENDED
READING
"Bash is one of the few contemporary playwrights who captures the
spirit of surrealism. In fact, surrealist figures from the past, such as
Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali and Paul Eluard, appear as characters in a
couple of his plays. Dream-like, funny, and sometimes disturbing,
SANCTUS FUMIGACI (which, in English, loosely translates to "Holy
Smoke") is recommended for fans of avant garde literature and experimental
theater."
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