The Edges of Surrealism

Quote: "The beginnings of dada were not the beginnings of an art, but of a disgust." - Tristan Tzara

Processes employing chance to uncover unconscious creativity.
Doubt is cast on language and literature, questioning their ability to represent reality.
Established art is viewed as pretentious luxury.
Rejection of conventions, embracing chaos, spontaneity, absurdity, and free will.
Note: Dada eventually disbanded as it became perceived as "too accepted."

Advocated for the liberation of unconscious creativity within art.
Focus on irrational, instinctual drives.
Emphasized a synthesis of dream and reality through juxtaposition of incompatible images.
Advocated for the rejection of narrative, asserting that images serve simply as a beginning.

Role: Pioneer of avant-garde cinema in Paris (circa 1920s).
Notable Work: "The Smiling Madame Beudet" (1922)
Philosophy: Emphasized emotional truth in cinema, advocating for a connection to the world of sensation.
Viewed cinema as analogous to music through motifs and tempo changes.
Became an important feminist figure within a male-dominated field.

Directed by Germaine Dulac, considered by many as the first surrealist film.
Based on a scenario by Antonin Artaud, known for raw and transgressive themes, though he was expelled by the Surrealists due to his misogynistic views.
Featured a narrative that critiques patriarchy, religion, and male sexuality.
Dulac's Statement: "Not a dream, but the world of images itself taking the mind where it would never have agreed to go…"
Explored the illusory boundaries of religion, sexual identity, and desire.

Their conflicting visions on the execution of the scenario led to tension during production.
Preceded Un Chien Andalou (1929), which faced harsh criticism from contemporaneous Surrealists.

Directed by Luis Buñuel & Salvador Dalí (1929).
Representation of Surrealism:
- Features shocking and provocative images, such as the famous eyeball scene, emphasizing exploration of the unconscious.
- Deconstructed narrative cinematic conventions through deliberate incoherence and absurdity, mimicking dream logic.

Directed by Jean Cocteau (1950).
Adaptation: Loose interpretation of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, focusing on Orpheus's fascination with Death rather than achieving rescue.
Strived for visual poetry, intertwining metaphysical representations of life and death, avoiding complete absurdity which Cocteau deemed pretentious.

Now referred to as avant-garde, which includes unusual or new experimental ideas in film.
Often low-budget projects created by amateurs or academics, enabled by the advent of lightweight equipment (e.g., 16mm film) and the rise of cinema studies.

Notable for her contributions to avant-garde film.
Highlighted women's perspectives and emotions in film, promoting a feminist discourse.
"Meshes of the Afternoon" (1943): A significant work exploring themes of surrealism and psychological states

Innovative in direct animation, handheld filming, rapid editing, and multiple exposures.
"Mothlight" (1963): Created using moth wings, flower petals, and grass pressed onto film using splicing tape.
Focused on the physical aspects of the film and projection to evoke a pure experience, aiming for a “pre-linguistic state.”

Slavko Vorkapich: Innovator of montage, focusing on a brief cascade of images that shortcut exposition.
Key Contributions:
- Telescoping: Technique that advances the narrative rapidly.
Notable Works: "Life and Death of 9413" (1927) and "The Furies / Crime Without Passion" (1944).

Saul Bass: Revolutionized title sequences from perfunctory attachments to mood and theme-setting devices.
His work combined graphic design, animation, and live-action to create highly conceptual performance art in credit sequences, collaborating notably with Alfred Hitchcock on works such as "North By Northwest" and "Vertigo".