Ballet Mécanique (1924)
Ballet Mécanique belongs to the Dada movement, it is not 'art', it is 'anti-art' according to Hans Richter. Its beliefs of anti-commercialism and an anti-sensibility is represented throughout the whole film, it opposes traditional art in every way possible and it is intended to be unattractive and Dadaists hope to invoke negative reactions from audiences and a sense of unease.
Dada was started by a group of 'rebel' artists in Europe during World War I who were discontented about art, war and the world as a whole. Although Dada has indeed had some affects in art, it wasn't a traditional art movement. Its founders’ purpose was to shake the art world to its core while protesting the war.
Black and white films have not really been an appeal to me, I'm more drawn to colour cinematography because I prefer to use colour to depict what I see. This could be because I often used oils to create paintings on canvases in Fine Art, during my A2 level course. Concentrating on details and creating moods is what I was always good at, although I concentrated on eyes most of the time. I am not sure if I liked this film but I thought it was exciting, the perpetual movement of cogs and shapes, the mechanical woman with her eerie smile, her doll-like and robotic qualities; it was uneasy to watch at times with the ideology of objectifying women, established through phallic images. Combining sexual symbols with machinery reminded me of H.R. Giger's artwork, he's a surrealist painter, sculptor and set designer. The repetition made me feel restless and trying to relate to this film was difficult. However, I could see a glimpse of what artists were like during the revolution in WW1. Surrealism has always been my favourite art genre, this post-Cubist art film taught me a different variety of anti-conformism in film narrative. It also reminded me of Futurism with the 'violence, speed, youth and technology'.
Begotten (1990)
Begotten was released in 1990 that looks like it should be released along with Ballet Mecanique and Luis Bunuel's Un Chien Andalou in the 1920s. It belongs to the Dada movement, there is nothing aesthetically appealing about Begotten (1990) but I can appreciate it on an intuitive and intellectual level. These three films should unite together, maybe they'll create the ultimate iconoclast avant-garde surrealism art film with eye slits, men disemboweling themselves with straight razors and mechanical women smiling and dancing with the movement on cogs. I don't recommend anyone watching Begotten (1990) if they are not into surreal experimental films, but seeing small segments of it made me curious.
So I did a research and found out that it's about when "a time is depicted that predates spoken language; communication is made on a sensory level." The film is surreal because it contains allegorical grotesque images of sufferings during rituals, laced with avant-garde visuals and a hypnotic ambient soundtrack. The evoking and derangement of the senses the film causes within the viewer, relies on the fact that it has no dialogue and no narrative structure according to traditional codes and conventions, the themes of cosmic death and rebirth seem to be a fading impression of the plot. Begotten (1990)'s intention is not set out to entertain, and it does not entertain, therefore it is anti-art and it belongs to the Dada movement that lasted between 1913-1923.
We tend to find modern filmmakers trying to conjure ideas that are dead, influences that we have lost in the past and trying to re-create it in modern times. I guess that it could be called 'avant-garde' in the Dada art genre. The film has heavy grain, dark contrasted gritty image that is distorted throughout the whole film, you could faintly make out the abstract forms, it's about God dispelling himself with a razor venturing into a barren landscape, depicting god, mother earth and the son of man.
A recent article I read about Surrealism
Ballet Mécanique belongs to the Dada movement, it is not 'art', it is 'anti-art' according to Hans Richter. Its beliefs of anti-commercialism and an anti-sensibility is represented throughout the whole film, it opposes traditional art in every way possible and it is intended to be unattractive and Dadaists hope to invoke negative reactions from audiences and a sense of unease.
Dada was started by a group of 'rebel' artists in Europe during World War I who were discontented about art, war and the world as a whole. Although Dada has indeed had some affects in art, it wasn't a traditional art movement. Its founders’ purpose was to shake the art world to its core while protesting the war.
Black and white films have not really been an appeal to me, I'm more drawn to colour cinematography because I prefer to use colour to depict what I see. This could be because I often used oils to create paintings on canvases in Fine Art, during my A2 level course. Concentrating on details and creating moods is what I was always good at, although I concentrated on eyes most of the time. I am not sure if I liked this film but I thought it was exciting, the perpetual movement of cogs and shapes, the mechanical woman with her eerie smile, her doll-like and robotic qualities; it was uneasy to watch at times with the ideology of objectifying women, established through phallic images. Combining sexual symbols with machinery reminded me of H.R. Giger's artwork, he's a surrealist painter, sculptor and set designer. The repetition made me feel restless and trying to relate to this film was difficult. However, I could see a glimpse of what artists were like during the revolution in WW1. Surrealism has always been my favourite art genre, this post-Cubist art film taught me a different variety of anti-conformism in film narrative. It also reminded me of Futurism with the 'violence, speed, youth and technology'.
A quote from Marinetti to support my final point: "Marinetti expressed a passionate loathing of everything old, especially political and artistic tradition. "We want no part of it, the past", he wrote, "we the young and strong Futurists!" The Futurists admired speed, technology, youth and violence, the car, the airplane and the industrial city, all that represented the technological triumph of humanity over nature, and they were passionate nationalists. They repudiated the cult of the past and all imitation, praised originality, "however daring, however violent", bore proudly "the smear of madness", dismissed art critics as useless, rebelled against harmony and good taste, swept away all the themes and subjects of all previous art, and gloried in science."
Begotten (1990)
Begotten was released in 1990 that looks like it should be released along with Ballet Mecanique and Luis Bunuel's Un Chien Andalou in the 1920s. It belongs to the Dada movement, there is nothing aesthetically appealing about Begotten (1990) but I can appreciate it on an intuitive and intellectual level. These three films should unite together, maybe they'll create the ultimate iconoclast avant-garde surrealism art film with eye slits, men disemboweling themselves with straight razors and mechanical women smiling and dancing with the movement on cogs. I don't recommend anyone watching Begotten (1990) if they are not into surreal experimental films, but seeing small segments of it made me curious.
So I did a research and found out that it's about when "a time is depicted that predates spoken language; communication is made on a sensory level." The film is surreal because it contains allegorical grotesque images of sufferings during rituals, laced with avant-garde visuals and a hypnotic ambient soundtrack. The evoking and derangement of the senses the film causes within the viewer, relies on the fact that it has no dialogue and no narrative structure according to traditional codes and conventions, the themes of cosmic death and rebirth seem to be a fading impression of the plot. Begotten (1990)'s intention is not set out to entertain, and it does not entertain, therefore it is anti-art and it belongs to the Dada movement that lasted between 1913-1923.
We tend to find modern filmmakers trying to conjure ideas that are dead, influences that we have lost in the past and trying to re-create it in modern times. I guess that it could be called 'avant-garde' in the Dada art genre. The film has heavy grain, dark contrasted gritty image that is distorted throughout the whole film, you could faintly make out the abstract forms, it's about God dispelling himself with a razor venturing into a barren landscape, depicting god, mother earth and the son of man.
There are three protagonists (God, mother earth and son of man) venturing into this dark, gritty and surreal world, it is experimental at its best. It's a metaphorical film that provokes nihilistic ideologies and religious thoughts. Apparently, Begotten (1990) is suppose to be one of the most important films in modern time according to Susan Sontag, a novelist and photographer. I could very much appreciate the art house element and achievement on the surrealistic aspect of the film and its ability to provoke reactions from audiences because it somehow liberates our minds from traditional narratives. The interpretations of cruelty with the destined violence of life and it's an overpowering and forceful viewing experience.
"Every frame in the film was transformed in post-production: the black and white contrasts were turned up to 11, and flickering, pulsing light effects were added. These efforts turned the finished, reconstituted images into something abstract and mysterious. The effect is like looking at a world that’s been wrapped in wet newspaper, or watching a series of faded, archival crime scene pictures stitched together to make a film. The visual transformations are utterly unique. And, the grotesque images of suffering are alternated with images of aching natural beauty: moonrises, a black bird flapping across the sky, sunlight streaming through the rushes. At times, the picture becomes so scrambled that it can be difficult to make out what’s “actually” appearing on the screen, which adds to the movie’s dreamlike effect. Even the film’s harshest critics would be hard pressed to deny that, at least on the technical level, the film brings something original, impressive, and praiseworthy into existence.” BY G. SMALLEY (366WEIRDMOVIES), ON JUNE 22ND, 2009
Yet again, Begotten is one of those films that remain like 'nothing else' in the modern cinematic universe. I certainly don't consider this as art in an aesthetically beautiful sense, it's more of an escape from reality and it's a film that makes you think outside your comfort zone, rather than capturing the beauty of real objects. It has crossed the realm of reality and entered the world of the grotesque and pain.
A recent article I read about Surrealism
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