Assignment - 5 - Surrealism in Cinema

TOPIC OF THE BLOG:-

This blog is part of an assignment for the paper  110 A: History of English Literature - From 1900 to 2000, Sem - 2, 2023.

SURREALISM IN CINEMA

Table of Contents:-

• Personal Information
• Assignment Details
• Abstract
• Keywords
• Introduction
• Historical Context
• Characteristics of Surrealism Cinema
• Examples of Surrealist Cinema
• conclusion
• Works Cited

Personal Information:-

Name:- Pooja Anilbhai Bhuva

Batch:- M.A. Sem 2 (2022-2024)

Enrollment Number:- 4069206420220005

E-mail Address:- poojabhuva2002@gmail.com

Roll Number:- 15

Assignment Details:-

Topic:- Surrealism in Cinema

Paper & subject code:- 110 A: History of English Literature - From 1900 to 2000 & 22403

 Submitted to:- Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU,

Bhavnagar

Date of Submission:- 31st March, 2023

About Assignment:- In this assignment I described how Surrealism not only remains as an art form but also emerges as an interesting - somewhat boring after sometime - in Cinema too.

Abstract:- 

Surrealist cinema, a genre of film that emerged in the early 20th century and is characterized by dreamlike imagery, exploration of the unconscious mind, disruptive editing, and a rejection of traditional narrative structures. Surrealist filmmakers sought to challenge the viewer's perception of reality and create an emotional and visceral experience through the use of unconventional techniques such as non-linear storytelling, distorted imagery, and experimental sound design. Dreamlike imagery is a hallmark of Surrealist cinema and involves using surreal or distorted images to create a sense of unreality. Filmmakers achieve this through a variety of techniques, including unconventional camera angles, superimposed images, and sound design. Exploration of the unconscious mind is another key characteristic of Surrealist cinema, as filmmakers sought to tap into the irrational and inexplicable aspects of human experience. Disruptive editing is also used to challenge traditional narrative structures and create a sense of unpredictability and chaos. Surrealist cinema offers a unique and innovative approach to storytelling that challenges viewers to engage with the medium in new and imaginative ways.

Key Words:-

Surrealism, Cinema, Unconscious ideology, Dadaism, Dada Movement, Surrealistic works

Introduction:- 

This movement originated in France in the 1920s and was a development of Dadaism. Dadaism was a nihilistic movement in art and literature started in Zurich in 1916 by a Rumanian, Tristan Tzara, an Alstian and others. The term was meant to signify everything and nothing. By 1912 Dadaism as a movement was subsumed by Surrealism.

Surrealism was the first literary and artistic movement to become seriously related with cinema. The Surrealists were some of the first people who grew up with movies being a normal part of their everyday lives. The Surrealists believed that film was a medium that erased the limits of reality. 

Historical Context:- 

Before the Surrealist movement began, Breton already had a strong interest in movies. While he was serving in the First World War in Nantes, he spent his free time watching movies with a superior officer named Jacques Vaché.

Surrealist films emerged in the early 1920s, during a period of great political and cultural upheaval in Europe. The aftermath of World War I had left many people disillusioned with the traditional values and beliefs that had dominated Western culture for centuries. The rise of fascism in Italy, Germany, and Spain also created a sense of uncertainty and anxiety, as people grappled with the prospect of authoritarian regimes taking hold in their own countries. 

At the same time, the ideas of Sigmund Freud and other psychoanalysts were beginning to gain widespread acceptance, challenging traditional views of the human psyche and paving the way for new forms of artistic expression. The Surrealists were particularly interested in the concept of the unconscious mind, which they believed held the key to unlocking the mysteries of human desire and creativity. 

The Surrealists were also deeply influenced by the Dada movement, which had emerged in the aftermath of World War I as a protest against traditional values and bourgeois culture. Dadaists sought to create art that was anarchic, nonsensical, and anti-establishment, often using collage, photomontage, and other techniques to subvert the conventions of traditional art forms. 

Against this backdrop, Surrealist filmmakers such as Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí sought to create films that would challenge viewers' preconceptions about reality and the nature of human experience. They used dreamlike imagery, absurd narrative structures, and provocative themes to create a new form of cinematic expression that reflected the tumultuous social and political climate of the time.

 

Characteristics of Surrealism Cinema:-

Dreamlike Imagery:-

Dreamlike imagery is a hallmark of Surrealist cinema, and involves using strange, distorted, or otherwise surreal images to create a sense of unreality. The goal of dreamlike imagery is to create an emotional impact on the viewer by blurring the line between reality and fantasy. Filmmakers achieve dreamlike imagery through a variety of techniques. For example, they may use unconventional camera angles to distort the viewer's perspective or create a sense of disorientation. 

They may also use superimposed images to create layered, surreal visuals, or change the scale of objects in a scene to create a sense of distortion or unease. In addition to these visual techniques, filmmakers may use sound design to create a dreamlike atmosphere. This might include non-diegetic sounds (sounds that don't come from within the world of the film), or unusual sound effects that create a sense of unease or disorientation. 

Dreamlike imagery is often used to reflect the themes of Surrealist cinema, which often deal with the subconscious mind, the irrational, or the inexplicable. By creating a sense of unreality and disorientation, filmmakers hope to immerse viewers in a more emotional and visceral experience, and encourage them to question their own perceptions of reality.

Absurd Narrative Structures:-

Absurd narrative structures are a hallmark of Surrealist cinema, which often eschews traditional narrative techniques in favor of non-linear, fragmented, or completely illogical structures. By subverting traditional filmic conventions, Surrealist filmmakers create a sense of disruption and disorientation, encouraging viewers to engage with the film on a more active and imaginative level. Techniques such as jarring cuts, discontinuous sound design, and unexpected shifts in tone or style are used to create ambiguity and uncertainty, challenging the viewer's assumptions about the nature of storytelling. Surrealist filmmakers use absurd narrative structures as a means of disrupting the viewer's expectations and encouraging them to question their own assumptions about storytelling and narrative coherence. 

They may present a series of disconnected scenes that seem to have no logical relationship to one another or use dreamlike imagery and nonlinear editing to create a sense of disorientation and confusion. The aim is to create a sense of ambiguity and uncertainty that encourages viewers to engage with the film in a more active and imaginative way. By challenging the boundaries between reality and fantasy, Surrealist cinema encourages viewers to question their own perceptions of reality and embrace a more open and imaginative approach to storytelling.

Exploration of the Unconscious Mind:-

Exploration of the unconscious mind is a fundamental theme of Surrealist cinema. Surrealist filmmakers are interested in the psychological workings of the human mind and how they manifest in the creative process. They seek to access the unconscious mind, which is thought to be the source of creative energy, by using dreamlike imagery, free association, and other techniques that allow the subconscious to express itself freely. Through this exploration of the unconscious, Surrealist filmmakers hope to reveal hidden truths about the human experience and to challenge the conventions of traditional storytelling.  

Surrealist cinema often blurs the line between reality and fantasy, using dreamlike imagery and surreal narratives to create a sense of the irrational and the inexplicable. The goal is to tap into the viewer's subconscious mind, encouraging them to question their own perceptions of reality and to embrace the irrational and the unexpected. By exploring the unconscious mind, Surrealist filmmakers hope to create a more immersive and emotionally engaging cinematic experience, challenging viewers to look beyond the surface of the film and to engage with the deeper psychological and emotional themes at play.

Disruptive Editing:-

Disruptive editing is a key characteristic of Surrealist cinema, which seeks to disrupt traditional narrative structures and challenge the viewer's expectations. In Surrealist films, editing is used in unconventional ways to create a sense of disorientation and to blur the line between reality and fantasy. Filmmakers may use abrupt cuts, non-linear storytelling, and other techniques to create a fragmented, dreamlike narrative that defies traditional storytelling conventions. This creates a sense of unpredictability and surprise, encouraging viewers to engage with the film on a more imaginative and emotional level.  

Disruptive editing is often used in Surrealist cinema to reflect the themes of the irrational and the inexplicable. By disrupting the traditional narrative structure, Surrealist filmmakers aim to create a sense of chaos and confusion that reflects the unpredictability of the human experience. This encourages viewers to question their own assumptions and to engage with the film on a deeper, more emotional level. 

Through disruptive editing, Surrealist cinema offers a unique and innovative approach to storytelling, challenging viewers to embrace the unexpected and to explore the boundaries of the cinematic medium.  In addition, Surrealist filmmakers often use disruptive editing to comment on the political and social climate of their time. By disrupting traditional narrative structures, they can challenge established power structures and question dominant ideologies.

Examples of Surrealist Cinema:-

By all these characteristics and elements one can explore that some movies are total Surrealist and some only have some glimpse of it.

ANTRUM (2018)

Antrum is a horror movie made in Canada in 2018. The movie has two parts: a documentary-style beginning and end, and a horror feature film in the middle. The documentary tells the story of a cursed movie called Antrum that is said to harm anyone who watches it. The feature film supposedly is the only known copy of the cursed movie, which has been changed by someone unknown. The filmmakers, David Amito and Michael Laicini, came up with the idea for Antrum while brainstorming for another project. They thought it would be scary to watch a movie that was believed to be cursed, and decided to make a horror movie about it. This movie is of course a horror one but the images and frames which are used in this movie follows the characteristics of Surrealist Cinema.

UN CHIEN ANDALOU (1929)

Luis Buñuel's Un Chien Andalou (1929), a surrealist film that famously opens with the shocking image of a razor blade slicing through an eye. This bizarre, unsettling image sets the tone for the rest of the film, which is filled with similarly surreal and disorienting imagery.

This is a short French film Directed and Written by Luis Bunuel. This movie casted with Pierre Batcheff, Simone Mareuil, Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí and Jaime Miravilles.

STRIKE (1925)

This movie is a Soviet propaganda film that features a famous montage sequence in which images of animals being slaughtered are intercut with images of striking workers. The sequence is designed to create a sense of shock and disorientation, challenging viewers to question their own perceptions of violence and power. This movie is directed by Sergei Eisenstein and Written by Grigori Aleksandrov, Ilya Kravchunovsky, Sergei Eisenstein and Valerian Pletnev. This movie Starring Grigori Aleksandrov, Maksim Shtraukh and Mikhail Gomorov as the main characters. 

Conclusion:-

If one wants to know why Surrealist Cinema is needed they should know that Surrealist cinema seeks to challenge viewer’s expectations and push the boundaries of what is considered "normal" or "real." Surrealism Cinema which has characteristics like Dreamlike Imagery, Absurd Narrative Structures, Use of Symbolism, Exploration of the Unconscious Mind, Disruptive Editing, Political or Social Critique, etc. helps us to understand how this cinema works in context of Surrealism. With the characteristics examples matched in a quite similar way. Not only in Cinema but also in life, Literature and Modern World Surrealism play some hiddenly important role.

Works Cited:-

• Amito, David and Michael Laicini, directors. Antrum. Uncork'd Entertainment, 2018. 
• Bunuel, Luis, director. Un Chien Andalou. Les Grands Films Classiques, 1929. 
• Eisenstein, Sergei, director. Strike. Goskino, 1925.
• Francis M. Naumann, New York Dada, 1915–23.  Abrams. 1994.
• Gould, Michael. Surrealism and the cinema: (open-eyed screening). A. S.  vBarnes. 1976.
• Kovács, Steven. From Enchantment to Rage: The Story of Surrealist Cinema. Fairleigh Dickinson. 1980.
• Matthews, John Herbert. Surrealism and Film. University of Michigan Press.1971.

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