Un Chien Andalou

Andalusian Dog is one of those movies that most will fall in love instantly, or find incredibly annoying to watch because of its random and meaningless progression. It truly is a meaningless succession of events, which is exactly what it was meant to be. The movie is the early work of surrealist Luis Brunuel. It starts out with the infamous eye cutting scene, followed by a man dressed as a nun riding a bike, and eventually leads to such scenes as a man dragging 2 priests tied to a piano with a dead horse laying to it.

There is nothing in the film that connects these scenes. If one tries too hard to elaborate on the inner meanings of the scenes, they will be sorely disappointed. The title itself has little meaning. Andalusian is just a type of Spanish horse and the dog is self explanatory. Although there is little to ponder in the scenes, the reason for the chaotic nature has a bit more possibilities. Either it was created purely for the confusing effect that it would inflict on the viewer’s pre-conceived reality, as is the objective of the surrealists. It could be trying to hold on to some of the Dadaists ideals, which by 1929 had already died. More likely it could have been a new director just beginning to grasp his new medium, and Andalusian Dog being the product of his experimentation.

Whether you like it or not, in the end, it still worth watching for its historical value.