Un Chien Andalou Reviews

Doh

Beats me.

That's all I was going to say, but I was told this review was too short to be accepted. Well, my answer is that the film is too short to count as a film. I could extend this review to an analysis of surrealism and experimental art in the early 2oth century but then I could be accused of pretentious twaddle. Is this long enough?

[Highly rated reviewer]

A classic

Don't try to understand it, it all started with a dream anyway one from Dali and one from Bunuel. Don't bother with the commentaries or the introduction, this guy will just make you want to sleep. Do watch the Bunuel documentary though, it's quite interesting to see the life of this director and might help you appreciate this film even more.

20 minute crazy

Released in 1927, at the very beginning of the era of 'talkie'

film, Un Chien Andalou is a formidable chunk of (film) history.

It was developed between Luis Bunuel, later to become probably the most influential surrealist directors of all time, and Salvador Dali - with the action of the film lifted directly from their dreams. Both artists agreed the right to veto each others dreams until they had enough material that they agreed on to make a film with. The film was part of the more general artistic movement of modernism, and provoked riots, was banned, and generally caused upset wherever it was shown in Europe.

The film was made with the expicit intention that it could not be understood, or rationalised into meaning anything - as a result this is 20-odd minutes of the most bizarre film you will ever see. Loosely, you can pick out an idea of L'amour Fou, but more than anything it is a sequence of unconnected events, images, violence, lust, and impossibilities.

Don't expect to understand it, but that's not to say you won't get anything from it.

A work of art

This film, although short, is of huge significance and importance in the history of film and the surrealist movement. Don't expect to understand this film (although the commentary does provide an ineresting analysis), just watch it and enjoy the images presented to you. If you do this then you will gain much more than if you try and follow a particular narrative. Well worth a rent, even if it's for nothing more than being able to say you've watched it!

Well worth watching

This is a surrealist masterpiece. Bunuel directed the first 'Monty Python' film in 1930!!

?????

Whats this all about? I dont know. As far as i can tell, a study of form and shape. Only for those studying film history. Steer well clear if you want to cosy up and get the popcorn out. Its only about 20 minutes long anyway. But Dali fans should lap it up.

True art

An absolute must for any fan of surrealism. I recommend watching the extra commentary, as it sheds light on what inspired Bunuel and Dali to make this film as they did.

admirable cinema or clever hoax ?

This is a must see for cinephiles and has to be admired for its being so ahead of its time and the debt owed to it by LIndsay Anderson, David Lynch et al. The extras try to provide some expertise to the very short film and this is when you hit pseuds corner and starts to diminsh the film and you wonder if it was only a clever little game being played by 2 artists wanting to attract attention. The decision is yours.

Yeah, well...

Fascinating, that's for sure. A thousand viewers will probably enjoy(?) it in a thousand different ways without any of them being quite certain or at all certain exactly what it is all about. So just sit back and let it wash over you or through you. It will certainly stimulate your mind and you won't forget it in a hurry.

I saw ants crawling out of my hand, it was very nice

I rented this because I am Dali addict, but watching the documentary you realise that he did not have much involvement in the film. It is Bunel film and only he out of the surrealism movement made the transition to film and got praised for it. The doc is hard to follow if you don’t know your art and can become quite boring because of it just a man talking for 30 minutes and it may remind you of the architect from the Matrix, your wondering what hell is he on about. A great short film that must be seen, as this film proves film needs no storytelling or structure. That images can be interpreted in many different ways and hold many stories in themselves.