Journal: Un Chien Andalou, short film from 1929

First off I must say that this short film is the most oddball thing I've ever seen. There's no evident story line just visionary scenes of violence and artistic examples through visual examples. The random scenes do not connect in any way, but there is an attraction to this. Because of the offbeat approach one can't help but look on in interest because of the sheer madness of it all! The opening scene gives us a man out on a balcony looking at the moon and then suddenly we are forced into watching another scene almost immediately of this man slicing a woman's eyeball open. For the time that this was made I would imagine this to get a very mature rating because of the violence. Even now that eyeball scene seems just as gruesome as it was then. The same goes for the other random scenes of madness.

The man with a rope in hand pulling on two pianos with dead horses on them is mind boggling. You can't make sense of it all, so just watch it and enjoy it for what it is, which is artistic expression through film. What we have is a surrealist film depicting the ugly side of man. German Expressionism (1919-1924) and French Impressionism 1917-1930) are two very distinctive styles from different regions of filmmakers. What's the purpose of "Un Chien Andalou"? I'm sure a lot of people who see it wonder. This is the kind of short film where everybody will view it differently because much like analyzing the human mind, which is never really complete the same can be said for this film. No one answer is honestly correct because no explanation is ever given in this silent short of the purpose is. I think the purpose is sheer insanity of ourselves and this short shows us that. Take a look at this short in its entirety and give your opinion is it's madness or genius. I think it is both and there's a message in it to ourselves about what makes us go to far in terms of violence and being purely crazy!

Here's something I found, "The eternal themes of life, death, lust and love are thrown up at various points, although there is no framework on which to attach these emotions. This is of no consequence though as Buñuel has already hurried onto the next sequence, violently cutting so that the desired woman becomes naked in a flash - a picture of what are ardent suitor really sees. Un Chien andalou does not require such deep analysis though, being much more a film which should be purely experienced. It achieves that which Buñuel and Dalí aimed for and, with a live music accompaniment, is unstoppable".