Un Chien Andalou

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

A 1929 Mind Screw short silent film made by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali, the father of cinematic Eye Scream, a milestone on surrealist cinema, a Real Life example of True Art Is Incomprehensible and of course of Le Film Artistique and the plot -- it's indescribable at best.

The title translates to An Andalusian Dog, which if anything just makes it more confusing (Dali's friend Lorca was an Andalusian, and they had a falling out around the production of this film, so the title is a Take That at Lorca).

Tropes used in Un Chien Andalou include:
  • Creator Cameo:
    • That's Salvador Dali dressed as a priest, being dragged along the ground where a piano used to be.
    • Buñuel is the man with the razor.
  • Eye Scream: The opening scene is one of the oldest and most infamous cinematic examples. They used a dead donkey's head and heavy lighting to try obscuring the hairs on the face.
  • Gainax Ending: And beginning, and middle.
  • Identical Grandson: The father and son.
  • Mind Screw: Oh, God.
  • Non-Appearing Title: There is no dog seen in the entire movie. Especially not from Andalusia!
  • Random Events Plot: Probably the Ur Example in film history.
  • Springtime for Hitler: While their aim was not failure, Dali and Buñuel were definitely out to offend. Story goes that when they screened the film for the first time, the duo filled their pockets with rocks in order to defend themselves against the inevitably violent reactions from their audience. Much to their surprise and disappointment, however, the audience enjoyed it.