SLIFF: The Surreal Thing

(various directors, 1928-30, France, 120 minutes)

The Surrealist movement—started by Guillaume Apollinaire and eventually led by André Breton—had its roots in France, and the earliest films that adhered to its principles also originated there. This program features a trio of foundational films, two shorts and a feature. St. Louis’ Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra provides newly written scores and live accompaniment for “An Andalusian Dog” and “The Seashell and the Clergyman.” In this program: “An Andalusian Dog” (Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, 1929, France, 16 minutes, no dialogue) The first collaboration between Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dalí, “An Andalusian Dog (Un chien Andalou)” features several iconic and still-arresting sequences (a razor slitting an eyeball, ants infesting a hand) during its surrealistic dream narrative. “The Golden Age” (Luis Buñuel, 1930, France, 63 minutes) More than 90 years on, this masterpiece of cinematic surrealism remains as brilliantly witty and shocking as ever. Uniting the genius of Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, “The Golden Age (L’âge d’or)” is a uniquely savage blend of visual poetry and social commentary. “The Seashell and the Clergyman” (Germaine Dulac, 1928, France, 41 minutes, no dialogue) Featuring a screenplay by Antonin Artaud, Germaine Dulac’s “The Seashell and the Clergyman (La coquille et la clergyman),” a fantasy on the erotic hallucinations of a priest, introduced many of the surrealist movement’s characteristic traits.

Presented by Cinema St. Louis. Webster Film Series punch passes not accepted for SLIFF events. Special admission rates apply. See cinemastlouis.org for more details and to buy advance tickets.

Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 7:30pm

Winifred Moore Auditorium
470 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, MO 63119

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