Un Chien Andalou

OK, there is no way anyone could watch Un Chien Andalou and not want to talk about it. As a person who is very interested in Art History I have studied Surrealist art forms in the past. However, I remain baffled by this early Surreal film. While there is an underlying plot to this movie which can be excavated through analysis, I don't think that is what the artist who created this film intended. The whole point of Surrealism is to create art based on imagination or dreams, and while this film seems to not make much sense to the conscious viewer, it is ringing clear as day with our sub-conscious selves.

One scene in the film which registered with me was in the second half, when the man in the woman's bed awakens, and the woman opens her apartment door to another man who barges in and angrily strips the first man of his work attire and throws it out the window. The audience is thus led to believe that the man who barges in is the first man's boss, but we do not know because there is no sound and we are never allowed to see his face. As soon as I realized that this mysterious man never reveals his identity to us, I began to recall dreams in which the same thing occurred. I would have full conversations with someone, and while i might have had an idea of who it was, I never saw their face. I now understand that the person in my dreams was whoever I wanted it to be, the embodiment of anyone whom I desired to be in that position based on past experiences I have had with that person. Sometimes the character in this position would even change persona's multiple times during my dream, each time becoming someone closer to me.

I also have the feeling where my dream's setting suddenly changes out of the blue, yet it doesn't even phase me. I just walk through my house, into a jungle, and end up in a library, calm and unaware of the strange quickness at which I am able to travel. This idea can be seen toward the end of the movie when the boy is shot in the woman's apartment, and is suddenly lying in a park. Or, at the very end when the woman closes her apartment door, and instead of a hallway finds an endless beachfront. It is these oddities which make dreams so wonderful, and keep us hitting the snooze button every morning wanting more. It is therefore understandable why surrealist artists would want to focus on the subconscious mind, bringing dreams and imagination to life through their works.

...An interesting side note...when I watched Un Chien Andalou a second time at my house I forgot to exit out of my minimized blog which was still playing the techno music accompanying my slide show! I kept it on throughout the movie and it was actually a really cool experience. Mixing extremely modern music with old-fashioned film and surreal ideas...I highly recommend it.