Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Silent But Deadly: Un Chien Andalou

I bet you were not expecting this, were you? A silent, French art film- you? This is a famous film and is the first official film to give rise to something I am a fan of- gore. Plus it is one of the few films to be directed by a famous artist (not including The Spirit...which sucks). Let's dig right in to...
Let me get this quick dig out of the way: this movie makes no sense. It has barely any logical flow to it...which is kind of the point. Salvador Dali was never a man of common sense and will never be that understood. I live less than 20 miles from a museum dedicated to the man and I don't get him.
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Also, the title has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Much like 2005's Tom Yung Goong, the title is just there. Maybe Dali had a reason for it...but probably not. Okay, actual plot now.
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The film begins with a man sitting around and playing with a straight razor. For no apparent reason, he grabs his wife and cuts her eye open. This makes as much as it sounds. Want an explanation? Too bad. It cuts to 'eight years later' as a man rides a bike while dressed as a nun. He collapses right before meeting his lady lover. Why? Another good question. You get no answers from me, but you do get a scene of person with ants coming out of their hand.
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In case you had not figured it out, this is not a film for people who want questions answered. You get a blind man being run over by a car, two priests (one of them Dali) being dragged down the street and a death's head moth. Why? Seriously, stop asking questions. If you want to make sense of this movie, either get a partial lobotomy or take peyote. It is nineteen minutes long, so make the effort.
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This is a good movie, although it is hardly a film. It is a series of random, unrelated vignettes that make no sense. It is nothing more and nothing less. My biggest complaint is honestly not with the film, but with all of the DVD releases. They want you to pay as much as $30 for a copy of a film that is less than twenty minutes long. This would be a great film to cover for Interweb Cinema, but not a DVD. Watch it if you like old-time insanity, but, if you plan to buy it, get it cheap.
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I think one man needs his own segment. That man: Shaaaaatttttneerrrr!!!!! Stay tuned...

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