Which particular aspects of the film medium are explored in
In this essay I plan to point out which particular aspects of the film medium are explored in surrealist film. In doing this task I will need to define surrealism in terms of the cinema and therefore explain exactly which aspects of a surrealist film set it apart from other genres to make it surrealist. In turn I shall also compare surrealist film to other genres of film including that which it is most often compared to, avante-garde cinema. The particular surrealist films I shall be making reference to are L'age D'Or (France, 1930, d. Luis Bunuel) and Un Chien Andalou (France, 1928, d. Luis Bunuel) as these are the surrealist films that I am most familiar with. I shall also be exploring surrealist film in terms of narrative, style and content as well as addressing issues such as fantasy, reality and voyeurism in terms of film. The surrealism movement took place during the aftermath of the First World War and started primarily in France. Surrealism was more of a broad range, cultural and social project interested in liberating human society from conscious and logical thinking to create a utopian society, than an art movement. The surrealism movement was in search of a gateway into society's subconscious,
As an audience, we are used to the escapism of film without the knowledge that it is in fact just a film and that we are merely watching from a great distance in the safety of an auditorium, which, surrealist film, with its shock value and its call to revolt against the idioms and the bourgeois of society somewhere loses its value as a piece of cinema which will ultimately leave the masses alienated and uninterested. At the end of this declaration was something of a warning made to the western world, "We say in particular to the Western world: surrealism exists. And what is this new ism that is fastened to us? Surrealism is not a poetic form. It is a cry of the mind turning back on itself, and it is determined to break apart its fetters, even if it must be by material hammers!" With these in mind it is difficult to see how surrealism could in fact be translated to the medium of film. Indeed, audiences and critics alike largely hated surrealist film, with mainly only those familiar with surrealist art and literature truly appreciating the new genre. The founders of this movement were quite specific in terms of what they wanted surrealism to be and in fact made a declaration in 1925 called the manifesto of surrealism. The most relevant points of this are as follows "Surrealism is not a new means of expression, or an easier one, nor even a metaphysic of poetry. It is a means of total liberation of the mind and of all that resembles it" And, "We make no claim to change the mores of mankind, but we intend to show the fragility of thought" in view of these declarations, surrealism can indeed be seen as a revolution.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Chien Andalou, L'age D'Or, France Surrealism, Naked Lunch, Lost Highway, Dr Caligari, , surrealist film, Luis Bunuel, un chien, chien andalou, Un Chien, Lynch Cronenbergs, un chien andalou, surrealist films, medium film, l'age d'or, chien andalou wherein, terms narrative, narrative surrealist, explored surrealist, andalou wherein, explored surrealist film, films un chien, narrative surrealist film,
Approximate Word count = 2576
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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