Surrealist Movies
Philippe Regnauld
but there are IMHO two masterpieces of surrealism, though they did leave
me very depressive afterwards:
Jacob's Ladder (Adrian Lyne)
Europa (Lars von Trier)
Those who have seen the latter, I'd like your comments, as I have myself
too much to say on it!
-- Phil
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Celeste Ramsay
> Sorry to interrupt everyone's quest for a surrealist COMEDY,
> but there are IMHO two masterpieces of surrealism, though they did leave
> me very depressive afterwards:
>
> Jacob's Ladder (Adrian Lyne)
> Europa (Lars von Trier)
>
> Those who have seen the latter, I'd like your comments, as I have myself
> too much to say on it!
Sorry, haven't seen _Europa_, but I must contest the label of surrealist
applied to _Jacob's Ladder_. Surrealism, according to the manifestos, exists
inbetween the real and the imaginary, the waking and the dream state. To the
surrealists there is no boundary between these states, and therefore there can
be no exclamation of "Oh, it was all just a dream!" I was profoundly disgusted
by the soap-opera cop-out ending in _Jacob's Ladder_. If you want to see a
true surrealist film, you would have to go all the way back to Brunel, because
he is the only filmmaker sanctioned by Breton as a true surrealist. (_Un chien
Andalous_, _L'age d'or_) I do believe that there are some filmmakers working
today who derive greatly from the surrealist movement, but the laws of artistic
categotrization are very strict, and I think we need to put a "neo- in front of
the epithet "surrealist." Terry Gilliam has much of the spirit in him,
especially in his playfulness. I think that his disreagard for the boundaries
between fantasy and reality are what make his film so "difficult" for american
audiences to understand. We are always expecting the protagonist to wake up at
the end and resume his/her normal, mundane life. At the end of a Gilliam film
the characters remain in their surreal state, and there is no moral message
telling us that this is wrong, as there is in most children's fantasy films.
David Lynch is also a "neo-surrealist," well, most of the time anyway. His is
not afraid to integrate dream symbolism into "reality" nor is he afraid to make
real that which we can't rationally understand. He also utilises the
surrealist concept of the microscope to look at life in a surrealist manner.
On the surface of Twin Peaks and Lumberton everything is flat, mundane, banal.
But throught the microscopic camera lenswe can see into the nooks and crannys
of the town, and into the unusual, uncomfortable and often deranged. And if
you're looking for a "surrealist" comedy, I think that _Eraserhead_ is one the
most hysterical films I've ever seen.
Celeste (french-lit/film queen)
Marten Sahlen
>
> Sorry to interrupt everyone's quest for a surrealist COMEDY,
>but there are IMHO two masterpieces of surrealism, though they did leave
>me very depressive afterwards:
>
> Jacob's Ladder (Adrian Lyne)
> Europa (Lars von Trier)
>
Just to clear things up, I should point out that the latter was released as
'Zentropa' in the US of A. However, I wouldn't agree that theses movies are
surrealistic, not in the true sense of the word. Von Trier's debute movie,
'The Elements of Crime' is a better example, a surrealistic thriller if I ever
saw one.
For true surrealism you have to go back to Luis Bunuel, who in his early
movies often collaborated with Salvador Dali. You should particularly check
out 'Age d'Or' or 'Un Chien Andalou', both from the 1920-30's. But any movie
from Bunuel's back catalogue will do, they all have a more or less surreal
content.
Another good example of surrealism, I think, is Neil Jordan's 'Company of Wolves'
in which you are never sure of what takes place in the dreams or in the reality.
The problem is, though, that the plot meanders with dreams within stories within
dreams... so it is very difficult to follow.
And, as someone else pointed out, David Lynch's masterpiece 'Eraserhead' is a
hilarious, yet sometimes bone-chilling, surrealist comedy.
--
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Dean Carlson
> telling us that this is wrong, as there is in most children's fantasy films.
> David Lynch is also a "neo-surrealist," well, most of the time anyway. His i
> not afraid to integrate dream symbolism into "reality" nor is he afraid to ma
> real that which we can't rationally understand. He also utilises the
> surrealist concept of the microscope to look at life in a surrealist manner.
> On the surface of Twin Peaks and Lumberton everything is flat, mundane, banal
> But throught the microscopic camera lenswe can see into the nooks and crannys
> of the town, and into the unusual, uncomfortable and often deranged. And if
> you're looking for a "surrealist" comedy, I think that _Eraserhead_ is one th
> most hysterical films I've ever seen.
>
> Celeste (french-lit/film queen)
You seem to have a good understanding of surrealness and you boast
that you are a "film queen" but I fail to see ERASERHEAD as a "comedy".
After analyzing the movie, picking out the details of the poor man's
predictiment, ERASERHEAD emerges as a true horror movie. Sure, there are
humorous elements to it (the fact that the kid stole Henry's head to sell
it to the pencil-maker) but the overall movie is extremely disturbing and
filled with frightening concepts.
David Lynch has been described as a "minimalist". Basically, the
viewer will either "get" what Lynch is trying to say or s/he doesn't. I
"get" over ninety-percent of Lynch's work and that's why I love it so
much.
Now, my question is, did you "get" ERASERHEAD? If so (and I
sincerly hope you do), how do you see it as a "comedy"?
The image of Henry killing his child will haunt me forever.......
Dean
GPB1138
situation. He was having doubts about "fatherhood" and the like. Seems to me
more of an impressionistic film, with his impression of his emotions guiding
his vision. That's what made it a godd movie. Everyone has a different idea,
based on their own interpretation of Mr. Lynch's impression.