I had a really great time presenting this Appetizer! I’m glad that I could bring Surrealist film into the class, because I think that it’s a really cool lens to look at the Grotesque and Carnivalesque, especially after watching Fellini-Satyricon. I loved seeing all of your reactions to watching “Un Chien Andalou,” and I was happy to hear a lot of great discussion happening in the smaller groups in addition to the large group discussion.
The main thing that I would have done differently would be to explain what Surrealism is a little better. I know that a lot of people may not have much background knowledge about this, and I am not an expert either, so I tried to keep my description very basic because I was worried that there wouldn’t be enough time for discussion if I took too long with my introduction. Looking back, I would have liked to spend just another minute talking about what exactly Surrealism is in film. That being said, I think that Surrealism kind of speaks for itself in a lot of cases, and everyone had very insightful things to say, so I’m still very happy with how it went. When I saw “Un Chien Andalou” for the first time, it filled me with a dull discomfort that I’ve never quite been able to shake, and this is my hope for you all as well.
I would of course appreciate any feedback on my presentation, especially about what you would have liked to talk more about, or any questions you still have! Thanks for the great discussion!
Here’s the sources that I used for my presentation:
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Surrealism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 31 Jan. 2020, www.britannica.com/art/Surrealism.
“Un Chien Andalou.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Un_Chien_Andalou.
Link to the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=054OIVlmjUM
