MUBI brings you a great new film every day.  Start your 7-day free trial today!
Watch a new film every day for $4.99.
Try MUBI for FREE.
Learn More
 

SURREALISM & ITS OFFSHOOTS

By: Kenji

“Surrealism is based on the belief in the superior reality of certain forms of previously neglected associations, in the omnipotence of dream, in the disinterested play of thought”.

The boundaries between surreal films and magical realism or films with a dreamlike ambiance at times can be blurred, the meaning of the term surrealism has become diluted, now often used to describe films that are simply weird or vaguely dreamlike. Maybe it’s a case of surreal and neo-surreal. Anyway, deviating somewhat from a purist position (in which at least Bunuel would be pretty safe) and now having changed the list title to include offshoots, it’s a wider selection. Germaine Dulac’s The Seashell and the Clergyman is often cited as the first truly surreal film, but others in the 20s (i include Entr’acte) were clearly influenced by the surrealist movement; this developed from dadaism and was also indebted to the Greek-italian painter Giorgio de Chirico and the poet Apollinaire. Led by André Breton, it had leftist tendencies, though it attracted the hardly radical Cocteau, indeed he may be due father figure status, as it was a Cocteau ballet which led Apollinaire to coin the term in 1917. The movement in due course distanced itself from the self-serving preening poseur Dali (i’m with Sister Wendy on that particular artist). Breton saw the movement as a revolutionary one, emphasising the importance of surprise, illogicality and unexpected juxtapositions.

Suggestions or opinions very welcome. I’ve heard mixed views on whether Last Year at Marienbad qualifies as surrealist. It’s been said on one forum thread- and by a distinguished professor, if memory serves!- that anyone who considers the Resnais film surrealist doesn’t understand surrealism. But i’m sure many films on this list will meet with his disapproval. What of 8 1/2? Or W.R.Mysteries of the Organism, Pan’s Labyrinth, Stalker? Gilliam, Greenaway, Paradjanov, Lynch? Jean Vigo would appear to be on the fringe, and there was an anarchic element in surrealism. Maya Deren was clearly influenced by the 20s avant-garde and surrealists (and by her husband’s earlier Aimless Walk). Note that The Saragossa Manuscript was based on a classic novel long before “surrealism” existed- well, so too, Svankmajer’s Alice. And referencing Lewis Carroll we have Rivette’s great masterpiece Celine and Julie go Boating. Maybe not a pure model either, Hadzihalilovic’s beautifully haunting debut feature Innocence would also appear to have more than a hint of surrealism, and i’m including Feuillade’s 1915 serial Les Vampires as it was admired by the surrealists .
—


Valerie and her Week of Wonders

 

Wall

Displaying 4 of 7 wall posts.
see all
Picture of Max Levi

Max Levi

20Feb13

Thank you for this.

Picture of ralch

ralch

10Apr12

Wha'? No "Better Off Dead"? :)

Picture of Colton Bose

Colton Bose

22Jan11

I'd argue for the inclusion of Harmony Korine's work, which is has always seemed to me like a frantic (and in my opinion, very successful) blending of hyper-realism and surrealism.

  • Picture of Tøkk

    Tøkk

    29Jan12

    If we want to distinguish surrealism from other genres (such as magical realism), then i wouldn't say Korine really fits in.

  • Picture of Tøkk

    Tøkk

    29Jan12

    Oh, "and its offshoots". But what about adding Stalker and Mirror by Tarkovsky then? I see at least a few purely surreal elements in both of these (such as the flying mother in Mirror and the final sequence of Stalker)

  • Picture of Colton Bose

    Colton Bose

    30Jan12

    I second the inclusion of Tarkovsky; there are some definite surreal elements across his entire filmography (including the scenes you previously mentioned). So would you argue that Korine is more an example of magic realism? Or did you just mention it as a comparable genre type to surrealism (if you can even label "surrealism" as a genre)?

Picture of Kenji

Kenji

20Nov10

Very kind of you both to say so.

Fans

Displaying 5 of 105 fans.
see all
Picture of Nanon

Nanon

Picture of filmbot

filmbot

Picture of Jiri Nvk

Jiri Nvk

Picture of Mario

Mario

Picture of signekassow

signeka​ssow