Review of Un Chien Andalou (1929) by Hiatt N — 25 Aug 2012
Many, many attempts have been made to find meaning in Un Chien Andalou, and Luis Bunuel laughed at all of them. Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali apparently wrote the script by suggesting random ideas that came from dreams of theirs or their odd imaginings. If an idea made the least bit of sense, it was immediately rejected. Of course, we must take this story with a grain of salt, because Bunuel and Dali were both known for creating their own histories.
That said, this is an incredible film. The visceral quality of the images strike at something: I believe it's the teenage film-goer in all of us. We don't even realize how very frustrated we've become with standard plots and ideas until we see something so radically different from those ideas that we're affronted. It takes a few viewings, but this is one of the all-time greats.
On an almost unrelated note (isn't that the point of this film anyway?) Bunuel decided he wanted to make a movie after seeing Battleship Potemkin and becoming (at least briefly) a communist. He reportedly went outside with Dali and began ripping up street stones to build a barricade. I just thought that was funny.
This review of Un Chien Andalou (1929) was written by Hiatt N on 25 Aug 2012.
Un Chien Andalou has generally received very positive reviews.
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