PopGap #28: Un chien andalou (1929)

Luis Buñuel launched his six-decade career as one of world cinema's most distinct rascals with this poster child of surrealist filmmaking. With Salvador Dali as co-writer, Buñuel's 16-minute short Un chien andalou foreshadows his entire career in a brief survey: playfully shocking imagery, daring mockery of false piety, sexual menace resulting from repression, and the inevitable rot of the bourgeoisie. While some of the content of Un chien andalou takes visual symbolism to absurdly obscure lengths, the moments that work — the ants in the hand, the eyeball, the final shot — stay with you forever.

Un chien andalou was brought to my Potluck Film Fest by Flickcharter Mike Seaman, who can be found on Flickchart under the username Celldweller7. He ranks it on his chart at #36 / 2323 (98%) putting it at #3 on his chart of 108 short films. Un chien andalou ranked on my Flickchart at #1086 (72%), making it my 8th favorite out of 15 short films.