Tonight I watched....

Un Chien Andalou

Finally saw it. Now I can TRULY listen to and enjoy "Debaser." The opening eye-slitting scene does truly make an impression even after more than seven decades. Of course I re-watched it twice and, like everything else does, it became easier to watch. It also makes the rest of the film feel like an afterthought--although it really is not, and I enjoyed it. How can you top that opening, though? But I suppose buildup and payoff aren't big priorities in surrealism.

I'm reading a collection of George Orwell's essays (here is one of the better ones), and I am constantly finding great quotable lines. One of them I can paraphrase as 'The final test for art is the test of time.' In any case, Dali and Bunuel's foray into film has certainly passed that test. Not much else one can add to that.

Here's another Orwell quote for you, because paraphrasing is no fun: "Nevertheless the high sentiments always win in the end, leaders who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more out of their followers than those who offer safety and a good time."

Hmm, sounds familiar.