golden Age

The Surreal Thing

120 minutes 3 Films
Experimental

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
Andalusian Dog

An Andalusian Dog

Directed by
Luis Buñuel & Salvador Dalí
France
1929
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.
Program
The Surreal Thing
Golden Age

The Golden Age

Directed by
Luis Buñuel
France
1930
63 minutes
French
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 Dali, "The Golden Age (L'âge d'or)" is a uniquely savage blend of visual poetry and social commentary.
Program
The Surreal Thing
Seashell and Clergyman

The Seashell and the Clergyman

Directed by
Germaine Dulac
France
1928
41 minutes
No Dialogue
Featuring a screenplay by Antonin Artaud, Germaine Dulac's "The Seashell and the Clergyman (La coquille et le clergyman)," a fantasia on the erotic hallucinations of a priest, introduced many of the surrealist movement’s characteristic traits.
Program
The Surreal Thing
Archival Presentations
International Spotlight
Fine Arts Spotlight
Robert French and French-Language Focus
Women in Film Spotlight