Ballet Mecanique is a Dadaist film conceived, written, and co-directed by the artist Fernand Léger. My first impression when I finished watching this film was that I don’t know what is going on. When I applied rational thinking to relate this film with my understanding of the world, I could not interpret it. The logic falls apart!  The idea of “Dada” apply perfectly in this film which it might has one particular meaning or multiple meanings or no meaning at all. Films in general might represent particular message, emphasize something or use metaphors to depict our world. On the other hand, Dadaist films are completely absurd, contradictory and illogical. Dadaist tried to destroy the old tradition and future completely. They wanted to achieve the zero point which no real meaning applied (everything has no particular meaning). Just like child’s point of view on the world. Their actions are meaningless.

Un Chien Andalou is a surrealist film written and directed by Luis Buñuel. Surrealism is influenced by Dadaism, it rejected logic and reason. It combined dream (unreal) with reality. The film’s title Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog) had no connections with film itself. I think automatic writing can be applied in this film. The author made this film with his unconscious mind. He created it without thinking about particular rules or concepts (Free writing). The film was abstract and absurd. Each Plot in the film had no meaning to me, but it did mean something (unconsciousness part of author’s creation). Ants were all over the man’s palm and it could go in and out of the body through the hold in the palm. Razor blade slicing through an eye. Dead donkeys were on the piano.  The man touched the woman’s breast. Same thing happen here, logic falls apart. No rational explanation.

Ballet Mecanique and Un Chien Andalou just like the bicycle picture showed in the class, it oppose to normal, tradition, and logic. But the bicycle itself does not have any meaning at all.