Un Chıen Andalou / An Andalusıan Dog
Un Chien Andalou
Directed and edited by Luis
Buñuel, who also co-wrote the screenplay
with Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali, the French-Spanish short film An Andalusian
Dog is classified under the surrealism movement of the twentieth century as
a great example and was produced in 1929. Surrealist artists depicted frustrating,
illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to
express itself. Actually, An Andalusian Dog does not have a specific
plot, either. It gives the idea that a stream of consciousness technique is used
to deliver the main points of the film. Even though I cannot remember where I
read it and, therefore, cannot check the accuracy of the information, as far as
I know, Luis Buñuel and
Salvador Dali came up with the idea of making An Andalusian Dog while
telling each other the dreams they had.
The very first time I watched the film, I realized that it
left me speechless with an only question in my mind “What did I just watch
now?” Since the film does not have an only correct interpretation, we can say
that every viewer has their own opinion and individual experience regarding the
film. However, it is possible to assume that every viewer would come to the
conclusion or agree that the film sheds light on some questions that have
everlasting relevance in a person’s mind as long as we live in collective
societies. Especially, I mean the traditional or societal norms we live by, and
the question of whether we should really try that hard to stay as a part of
these expectations that are taken for granted with our roles in society. There
are several examples that can be pointed out from An Andalusian Dog.
Everything starts with the cloud covering the full moon,
because after he dreams of cutting the woman’s eye with a razor, and that could
be the point we can mark as entering the dreamlike, fantastic world of the man.
He directly links the cloud covering the full moon to cutting an eye, since when
the moon is covered, the light it shed would be gone, so he can free his darker
side too. An interpretation of him being actually a violent person can be
discussed as in further scenes we again see him attacking to the woman and
getting violent over taking advantage of her body.
The girl who was in the middle of a street and how she got
hit by a car in a street that was empty just right after being pointed out by
several people, whom may be just called society, can be an example of the
stress that societal expectations cause. The girl with the bicycle can be
thought of as a reference to religion because of the way she was dressed up,
and she could be a criticism of the position of our religious beliefs and how
they shape the behaviors of a society. Moreover, that girl, or at least the person
who dressed up as one, turns out to be the man, which could be another taboo in
society, since it could be how he actually feels as and there was a box with a
luge lock that could contain his secrets. The woman, who was just watching from
the window rushes out and shows signs of worrying about his condition when s/he
falls from the bicycle.
In the film, everything was placed as a confrontation
between one’s real emotions and thoughts and how they were expected to be. He
throws away the clothes of the girl riding the bicycle, or just his own
clothes, and thinks about living according to the requirements of being an
accepted part of society; however, he realizes that he cannot do so. When
society thinks that he was suppressed, he claims his last fight in order to be
himself. Consequently, An Andalusian
Dog can be interpreted as a fight against society and traditions because
everyone has existential questions in their subconscious that they try to gain
awareness of, especially regarding their place in society.
İdil Zeynep Özdemir
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