The films by Un Chien Andalow and Ballet Mécanique portrays a unique style of cinematography that creates an abstract logic beyond our rational way of thinking. In each film the sequence of images is random and do not seem to be telling a story from start to finish like we traditionally except from films. The disorder in the sequence of events is intended to challenge our scope of reality, logic and traditional way of thinking. Even though there are times where one can convince themselves that there is a sequence to the images and they are attempting to tell a story, when stepping back and looking at the story as a whole one can see that these consecutive scenes are mainly random and don’t offer answers to our questions but instead force our imagination to guide us make unfounded conclusions. This relates to Andre Breton’s Manifesto on Surrealism because the time period labeled Surrealism is best known for its visual artworks and writings that were intended to express the imaginative dreams and visions free from conscious rational control and stressed the subconscious or unexpected juxtapositions of objects. The randomness of consecutive scenes like the woman standing in the street waiting to get hit by a car only to be followed with a scene of the man and woman going back and forth in the bedroom is a prime example of the juxtapositions of images and events with no real chronological order and no true meaning.
The themes from Dadaism can be found in the Ballet Mécanique because just like the film we watched in class, The ABC’s of DADA, there is no chronological order to the images being shown and both directors use tempo and music to change the experience of the viewer. Similarly, in Ballet Mécanique the music creates disorientation for the viewer and distracts them by continuing to change the tempo and pitch, creating the expectation that something is going to happen although the images remain the same or they move to a similarly confusing sequence of images that have little connection to the prior image. The way these directors use music and tempo distracts from the fact that the sequence of images is unrelated and do not tell any chronological story.
Daniel R
Great post. You obviously grasp what the Surrealists are trying to do here. A few quick notes (since your reading itself is good): (1) the title is Un Chien AndalOU; (2) ‘Surrealism’ doesn’t really denote a time period. It is a way of encountering the world and of relating this experience in some aesthetic form. There was a group that formed out of the Dadaists in the early 1920s that explicitly called themselves Surrealists, and this was formed by Breton and his cohort — but it was more of a group, a movement, or a collective, rather than the label for an era. There were still plenty of artists and thinkers who thought very differently during this time period; for example, it is also during the 1920s that you have a parallel attempt to recreate a very structured order (look at Le Corbusier’s architecture, for example). The influence of Surrealism can still be felt to this day: David Lynch’s films are one great example. It might not be exactly the same as what they were doing in the 20s, but it’s still out there. You could also look at another filmmaker like Bill Morrison, particularly his work “Decasia” (2002), one of my favorite films, along with its score. Here Morrison culls from archives of decaying nitrate film and creates interesting narratives, or non-narratives, out of them to create something very haunting, very surreal. It’s definitely worth a look. Anyway, I digress — the point is to see Surrealism as an attitude toward the world and of aesthetic ‘representation.’ What kind of a reality do these artists see?
I also really appreciate you taking into account the sound associated with the films. While these are silent films, and it’s not clear to me what sort of music was played over the images, it’s greatly important to pay attention to the ‘noise’ and not just the images. If we’re cutting eyes and showing bleeding eyes in Un Chien Andalou, why might sound be so important suddenly? It’s good that you have your ears perked up. Well done! 5/5