Site icon Philosophy in Film

10 Surrealist Films for Philosophy Students

<h2 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">What is a Surrealist Film&quest;<&sol;span><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Defining &&num;8220&semi;surrealism&&num;8221&semi; or &&num;8220&semi;surrealist films&&num;8221&semi; is no simple task&period; That said&comma; Andre Breton&&num;8217&semi;s writings provide a definition and overview of the surrealist movement&period; In his landmark work&comma; <em>Manifesto of Surrealism<&sol;em>&comma; Andre Breton lays out an argument in favor of surrealism&comma; primarily as a means of living and thinking&comma; one which is radically different from our typical&comma; day-to-day mental processes&period; Much of what Breton opposes is the under-appreciation &lpar;or even outright dismissal&rpar; of dreams and the bewildering nature of thought&comma; as well as our blind adherence to rationality&period; He believes that we continue to live under &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;the reign of logic&comma;” and that the &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;absolute rationalism that is still in vogue allows us to consider only facts relating directly to our experience&period;” In his own way&comma; Breton is essentially condemning close-mindedness&comma; and does so by making the claim that it is not merely a defect of the ignorant&comma; but a pervasive quality of the entire human race&period; He takes this a step further&comma; stating that &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;under the pretence of civilization and progress&comma; we have managed to banish from the mind everything that may rightly or wrongly be termed superstition&comma; or fancy&semi; forbidden is any kind of search for truth which is not in conformance with accepted practices&period;”<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">While Breton never lays out clear instruction for how one may rid themselves of the traditional modes of reasoning and embrace the surreal&comma; he does provide insight into what is <i>meant <&sol;i>by the surreal&comma; and specifically how it differs from rationalism&period; Breton remarks that the &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;ordinary observer lends so much more credence and attaches so much more importance to waking events than those occurring in dreams&comma;” though in a state of lucidity&comma; man is at the mercy of his own memory&comma; a memory which &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;takes pleasure in weakly retracing for him the circumstances of his dream&comma; in stripping it of any real importance&period;” This concept of waking thought being grossly inferior&comma; while simultaneously much more accessible to us is integral to Breton’s hypothesis&period; We embrace these thoughts and poorly-conceived memories out of habit&comma; and shun our dreams and ephemeral visions for failing to integrate coherently with our usual methods of thought&period; Breton ultimately concludes that our waking state is nothing more than a &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;phenomenon of interference&period;”<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">So&comma; what is it about dreams that Breton finds so superior to rational thought&quest; In part&comma; it is the abandonment of unnecessary limitations&period; He summarizes this view with the following&colon;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The mind of the man who dreams is fully satisfied by what happens to him&period; The agonizing question of possibility is no longer pertinent&period; Kill&comma; fly faster&comma; love to your heart&&num;8217&semi;s content&period; And if you should die&comma; are you not certain of reawakening among the dead&quest; Let yourself be carried along&comma; events will not tolerate your interference&period; You are nameless&period; The ease of everything is priceless&period;” <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">However&comma; Breton does not completely condemn the waking state&period; In fact&comma; it is as necessary as the dreaming state&comma; if only as a way to analyze and reform dreams&period; It is the resolution of these two states that he describes as &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;surreality&comma;” which is&comma; to Breton&comma; the highest and most absolute reality&period; Breton continues&comma; providing two more precise definitions for surrealism&comma; one as it relates to functions of the mind&colon;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p3"><span class&equals;"s1">&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;SURREALISM&comma; <i>n&period; <&sol;i>Psychic automatism in its pure state&comma; by which one proposes to express &&num;8212&semi; verbally&comma; by means of the written word&comma; or in any other manner &&num;8212&semi; the actual functioning of thought&period; Dictated by the thought&comma; in the absence of any control exercised by reason&comma; exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern&period;”<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">…and the other as it relates to a philosophical school of thought&colon;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p3"><span class&equals;"s1">&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;&lbrack;SURREALISM&rsqb;&period; <i>Philosophy&period; <&sol;i>Surrealism is based on the belief in the superior reality of certain forms of previously neglected associations&comma; in the omnipotence of dream&comma; in the disinterested play of thought&period; It tends to ruin once and for all all other psychic mechanisms and to substitute itself for them in solving all the principal problems of life&period;”<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p3"><span class&equals;"s1">All of this leaves us with a roadmap for interpreting and categorizing surrealist films as being distinctly <i>surreal<&sol;i>&period; Using Breton’s definitions as a basis&comma; it is evident that a Surrealist film must&comma; in one way or another&comma; produce a combination of images&comma; sounds&comma; words&comma; and even concepts that are either a reproduction of a dream state or a reflection of the natural state of human thought&period; As it pertains to images &lpar;in any art form&rpar;&comma; Breton takes from Baudelaire in stating that &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;it is true of Surrealist images as it is of opium images that man does not evoke them&semi; rather they &OpenCurlyQuote;come to him spontaneously&comma; despotically&period; He cannot chase them away&semi; for the will is powerless now and no longer controls the faculties&period;’”<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">It is important to note the difference between films that include surreal imagery&comma; and productions which may be called surrealist films in the abstract sense&period; Many films include &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;dream sequences” that are&comma; by definition&comma; surreal&comma; but once these scenes are finished&comma; the films return to traditional forms&period; This list is more concerned with films that maintain a certain degree of surrealism throughout&period; This can be achieved in a variety of ways&semi; films can evoke surrealist concepts through content&comma; form&comma; or a combination of the two&period; <&sol;span><span class&equals;"s1">With this in mind&comma; a certain list of qualities&comma; however broad in scope&comma; come to mind when envisioning a surrealist film&period; The films on this list all possess more than one of the following characteristics&colon;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<ol class&equals;"ol1">&NewLine;<li class&equals;"li3"><span class&equals;"s1">A narrative structure that does not conform to the normal Hollywood or even European traditions&semi; the story may be disjointed&comma; repetitive&comma; or include the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated narrative elements&period;<&sol;span><&sol;li>&NewLine;<li class&equals;"li3"><span class&equals;"s1">The film includes an interpretation of the functions of the mind&comma; whether it is stated outright or through cinematic effect&semi; this might include images that blend into one another&comma; brief intrusions of sounds or visions&comma; or dream-states that offer little or no ostensible narrative significance&period;<&sol;span><&sol;li>&NewLine;<li class&equals;"li3"><span class&equals;"s1">Images&comma; characters&comma; or dialogue that transcend what we know to be normal or real&semi; this could include fantastical creations that cannot be seen in the real world&comma; absurd or indecipherable languages&comma; or behavior from humans or creatures that seems incompatible with their nature&period;<&sol;span><&sol;li>&NewLine;<li class&equals;"li3"><span class&equals;"s1">An indifference to practical sense&semi; any aspect of the film may be either counterintuitive or simply irreconcilable with rational thought&period;<&sol;span><&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ol>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">While this is by no means a comprehensive list&comma; the following surrealist films all adhere to the characteristics as they have been described&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"p1"><strong><span class&equals;"s1">10 Surrealist Films for Philosophy Students<&sol;span><&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">10&period; The Holy Mountain &lpar;Alejandro Jodorowsky&comma; 1973&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-1099" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;11&sol;alejandro&lowbar;jodorowsky&lowbar;holy&lowbar;mountain&lowbar;black&lowbar;alchemist&lowbar;fusion-300x152&period;jpg" alt&equals;"The Holy Mountain &lpar;surrealist films&rpar;" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"430" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">In Jodorowsky’s followup to <em>El Topo<&sol;em>&comma; a man &lpar;simply referred to as The Thief&rpar;&comma; embarks on a journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening&period; He is joined by The Alchemist &lpar;played by Jodorowsky himself&rpar; and seven superior beings that have all come from different planets to discover the secret to immortality&period; Rich with symbolic imagery and sequences that mix dreams and reality&comma; <em>The Holy Mountain<&sol;em> infuses Jodorowsky’s own beliefs with the psychedelic aesthetic of 70’s cinema&period; You can find my review of the film <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;wp&period;me&sol;p8zIUb-hF"><u>here<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><em>The Holy Mountain<&sol;em> is available to rent or purchase via Amazon <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B00MSJJ7JQ&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B00MSJJ7JQ&amp&semi;linkId&equals;10b429aed149e50dc0bc3648556bad04"><u>here<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">9&period; Last Year in Marienbad &lpar;Alain Resnais&comma; 1961&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-1351" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2018&sol;02&sol;delphine-seyrigs-style-last-year-at-marienbad-10-e1349333718554-300x129&period;png" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"366" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">At a remote château&comma; a woman is approached by a man who claims to have met her a year prior&comma; though the woman denies it&period; A second man attempts to emasculate the first man&comma; though the reasons are not entirely clear&period; Scenes jump in time and space&comma; with images often disconnected from the larger story&period; The entire film feels like a half-remembered dream&comma; with segments that are hazy or simply cut short&period; There is no sense of beginning or end&comma; but rather a continuation of dissociative sequences that form a contemplative&comma; but nonetheless incomprehensible whole&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><em>Last Year in Marienbad<&sol;em> is available to rent or purchase via Amazon <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B00N8MAWZ0&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B00N8MAWZ0&amp&semi;linkId&equals;e71e503a890c8437e150e49922e9a4ac"><u>here<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">8&period; Inland Empire &lpar;David Lynch&comma; 2006&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-1352" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2018&sol;02&sol;inlandempirerabbits-300x165&period;jpg" alt&equals;"surrealist film Inland Empire rabbits" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"469" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">David Lynch is known as a master of the surreal&comma; and this is exemplified in his strange and unsettling drama&comma; <em>Inland Empire<&sol;em>&period; The story follows an actress named Sue who lands the lead role in a film&comma; but the film’s production is plagued by strange occurrences&comma; and Sue is further disturbed by a strange woman claiming to know about future events in her life&period; Lynch plays with the concept of time&comma; and&comma; as is so often the case in his films&comma; the characters are enigmatic and behave in a cryptic manner&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><em>Inland Empire<&sol;em> is available to purchase via Amazon <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B004Q9JM82&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B004Q9JM82&amp&semi;linkId&equals;9372521d897fe66121fb64046ec83ff8"><u>here<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">7&period; House &lpar;Nobuhiko Obayashi&comma; 1977&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-1353" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2018&sol;02&sol;tumblr&lowbar;mu3c911fru1qd588ho1&lowbar;500-300x161&period;jpg" alt&equals;"surrealist films&colon; House blue faces scene" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"456" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">The only horror film to be on this list&comma; <em>House<&sol;em> tells the story of Gorgeous&comma; a young girl who goes to visit her aunt with six of her friends&period; When they arrive&comma; supernatural happenings and demonic possessions force the girl’s to fight for their lives as they attempt to discover the secrets of the house&period; Not only is the imagery strange &lpar;and often shifts between horrific and comedic&rpar;&comma; but the story follows a dream-logic that offers little justification for the fantastic and frightening occurrences&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><em>House<&sol;em> is available to rent or purchase via Amazon <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B00A5IXR16&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B00A5IXR16&amp&semi;linkId&equals;7cc0e88dc454c221a7c8bd32a24c258a"><u>here<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">6&period; Meshes of the Afternoon &lpar;Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid&comma; 1943&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-1355" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2018&sol;02&sol;meshes&lowbar;of&lowbar;the&lowbar;afternoon-1-300x175&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"497" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">This experimental short&comma; brought to life by real-life husband and wife Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid&comma; is more a collection of images than it is a singular film&period; There is no sense of time or continuity in the narrative&comma; only the a repetition of images to give the film a sense of meaning that is open for interpretation&period; Much like dreams&comma; we only get flashes of objects and surroundings&comma; giving us an impression of events&comma; rather than a direct view&period; Though there is little in the way of a cohesive narrative&comma; the film generally follows a woman as she tries to catch a hooded figure and distinguish between her dreams and reality&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><em>Meshes of the Afternoon<&sol;em> is available to stream via Amazon <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B01M2WH40U&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B01M2WH40U&amp&semi;linkId&equals;b291ef2c2cd52a49a5d5962a1acdbb26"><u>here<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">5&period; Daisies &lpar;V&ecaron;ra Chytilová&comma; 1966&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-1356" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2018&sol;02&sol;Film&lowbar;Eclipse&lowbar;Daisies&lowbar;original-300x169&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"478" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Czechoslovakian filmmaker V&ecaron;ra Chytilová directs this tale of two young women&comma; Marie I and Marie II&comma; who embark on a series of pranks and peculiar misadventures&period; Though the two show a proclivity for overeating and general misbehavior&comma; there is little coherence that can be drawn from the characters or the narrative&period; We watch as the two drift among different scenarios&comma; being swept onward by the absurdity of the setting&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><em>Daisies<&sol;em> is available to purchase via Amazon <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B001PPVD1E&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B001PPVD1E&amp&semi;linkId&equals;a03ab8f67f177a5471e73a4bd910ccb9"><u>here<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">4&period; Persona &lpar;Ingmar Bergman&comma; 1966&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-1357" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2018&sol;02&sol;persona1-590x308-300x157&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Persona face &lpar;surrealist films&rpar;" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"444" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">As can be surmised from the title&comma; <em>Persona<&sol;em> is a film largely about identity&comma; specifically identity insofar as it is an abstract concept&comma; both difficult to define and capricious by nature&period; In the film&comma; Elisabet is an actress who is suddenly unable to move or speak&comma; and is left under the care of a nurse&comma; Alma&period; On doctors orders&comma; Alma takes Elisabet to a cottage by the sea&period; As Alma tells Elisabet various stories from her life&comma; their relationship becomes increasingly complex and their identities seem to blend into one another&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><em>Persona<&sol;em> is available to rent or purchase via Amazon <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B00FWLKQHO&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B00FWLKQHO&amp&semi;linkId&equals;377b34d50a5cadab220bb517d645b998"><u>here<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">3&period; Amarcord &lpar;Federico Fellini&comma; 1973&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-1358" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2018&sol;02&sol;amarcord-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000-300x169&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"478" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Loosely based on people and events from his own childhood&comma; Fellini’s <em>Amarcord<&sol;em> is a comical denunciation of Mussolini’s fascist regime&period; It features a wide array of character archetypes&comma; ranging from the village idiot to the local nymphomaniac&period; Much of the story focuses on Titta &lpar;based on Fellini himself&rpar;&comma; and his comical interactions and observations of the other villagers&period; The narrative meanders between various sequences&comma; giving spectators a strange and satirical view of Italy under fascism&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><em>Amarcord<&sol;em> is available to rent or purchase via Amazon <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B002R2HSRM&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B002R2HSRM&amp&semi;linkId&equals;bff0119c8860f3250231ce175e5ac5f7"><u>here<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">2&period; Naked Lunch &lpar;David Cronenberg&comma; 1991&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-1359" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2018&sol;02&sol;nakedlunch1-300x149&period;png" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"423" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Adapted from the works of William S&period; Burroughs&comma; <em>Naked Lunch<&sol;em> follows William Lee&comma; an exterminator turned writer who becomes entangled in a conspiracy surrounding illegal narcotics&period; William&comma; as well as several other characters&comma; are frequently under the influence of hallucinatory drugs&comma; making it difficult to distinguish between their visions and reality &lpar;if such a distinction even exists&rpar;&period; Little of <em>Naked Lunch<&sol;em>’s plot can be justified as a coherent chain of cause-and-effect&comma; and the anthropomorphic beings are treated as relatively normal occurrences within the narrative world&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><em>Naked Lunch<&sol;em> is available to purchase via Amazon <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B00B2BYXSG&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B00B2BYXSG&amp&semi;linkId&equals;759246c7c98c6b38755322e01bd69753"><u>here<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3><span class&equals;"s1">1&period; Hiroshima Mon Amour &lpar;Alain Resnais&comma; 1959&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-1360" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2018&sol;02&sol;hiroshimamonamourhd&lowbar;pub-300x169&period;png" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"478" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Though it is a love story&comma; <em>Hiroshima Mon Amour<&sol;em> is primarily a study on memory and reflection&comma; framing its narrative as a series of cryptic conversations and visions of the past&period; Through several documentary-style sequences&comma; the characters &lpar;simply referred to as Her and Him&rpar; compare the death of their relationship with the bombing of Hiroshima&period; The film’s dialogue&comma; which is often repetitive and ambiguous&comma; is juxtaposed with images that reflect the transient nature of memories and human emotion&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><em>Hiroshima Mon Amour<&sol;em> is available to rent or purchase via Amazon <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B00ZRCAG3M&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B00ZRCAG3M&amp&semi;linkId&equals;1b5c183f148de4cb1234946462bf9ad9"><u>here<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Surrealist Films&comma; Honorable Mentions&colon;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<h5 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B00VWT335C&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B00VWT335C&amp&semi;linkId&equals;adf1dca2195e89b3bd73963b12c0259d">8 1&sol;2<&sol;a> &lpar;Federico Fellini&comma; 1963&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h5>&NewLine;<h5 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B000I9WWAY&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B000I9WWAY&amp&semi;linkId&equals;254f2fca0d7eb61f8f0a98a7729c762d">Mulholland Drive<&sol;a> &lpar;David Lynch&comma; 2001&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h5>&NewLine;<h5 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B01N2SDD4C&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B01N2SDD4C&amp&semi;linkId&equals;c7d9a5fcc171df5d97525076df8e8763">Lost Highway<&sol;a> &lpar;David Lynch&comma; 1997&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h5>&NewLine;<h5 class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B001TUUK3W&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B001TUUK3W&amp&semi;linkId&equals;244ff681a7bf842a27bf6f6718c34f8d">Repulsion<&sol;a> &lpar;Roman Polanski&comma; 1965&rpar;<&sol;span><&sol;h5>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p4"><span class&equals;"s1">If you have any other surrealist films that you think should have been included&comma; feel free to leave a comment&excl;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h5 class&equals;"p4"><span class&equals;"s1">Sources&colon;<&sol;span><&sol;h5>&NewLine;<p>Breton&comma; Andre&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Manifesto of Surrealism&period;” <i>Jstor<&sol;i>&comma; College Art Association&comma; Nov&period; 1971&comma; www&period;jstor&period;com&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

Exit mobile version