Surreal Movies

[MovieCookie]

Surreal - "having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic". Does anyone have any recommendations? Short films and foreign films would be o.k. too. :)

[Lennon]

Southland Tales... Oh wait, that was just sh*tty.

[nebbit]

http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/h/G/N/scienceofsleepposter.jpg

[will.15]

Luis Bunuel movies

Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast

Carnival of Souls

Spellbound (dream sequences by Salvador Dali)

Invaders from Mars (1953)

The Seventh Seal

Oh, What a Lovely War

El Topo

Heavy Metal

2001 A Space Odessy

The Trial (1962)

Last Year At Marienbad

The Tin Drum

The Lathe of Heaven (TV)

Vampyr (1931)

Shorts:

The Red Balloon

Incident at Owl Creek

[mark f]

Most people don't think of it that way, but The Conversation contains almost equal parts of "documentary" and surrealism. The original A Nightmare on Elm Street is almost pure surrealism. Movies with drugs also fall into surrealism sometimes, and my fave acid trip is in Easy Rider. The grandaddy of surrealism for me is Alice in Wonderland and Disney's version is the ultimate surrealistic flick to me, far exceeding Yellow Submarine. However, I'd definitely say that Buñuel is the master of surrealism. Even his "straightest" movies (say, Robinson Crusoe) are awash with surrealistic flourishes.

[honeykid]

http://spankyandjohngotothemovies.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/eraserhead.jpg
http://constantonslaught.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/requiem_for_a_dream_0.jpg
http://www.poster.net/depp-johnny/depp-johnny-fear-and-loathing-in-las-vegas-1221447.jpghttp://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/clockwork_poster.jpg
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/52/MPW-26131
http://images.bluebeat.com/an/1/7/7/6/1/l16771.jpghttp://imagecache5.art.com/p/LRG/7/784/RVHI000Z/moulin-rouge.jpg
http://droneambient.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/koyandvd.jpghttp://www.reelingreviews.com/microcosmos.jpg

[mark f]

Dario Argento's Inferno is more surreal than all that last set put together. :cool:

http://alsolikelife.com/images/images2007/inferno09.jpg http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20071024/300_inferno2.jpg

[FILMFREAK087]

Lost Highway, it'll blow your mind. . .

[MovieCookie]

awesome, awesome, awesome! I've needed new movies to look into and you guys have given me a bunch. Thanks for the recommendations and if you think of anymore let me know.

[regnif]

Every David Lynch movie..yes, even the Elephant Man has surreal scenes in it, in my eyes.

[will.15]

Other Cocteau movies, particularely Orpheus.

[Harry Lime]

Every David Lynch movie..yes, even the Elephant Man has surreal scenes in it, in my eyes.

The Straight Story?

[linespalsy]

i don't know about "surreal", but the straight story definitely has some weird, disturbing things happening.

[meatwadsprite]

http://www.federicofellini.com/dvd/B00005QAPH.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nzaIp2fBL.jpg

;)

[will.15]

Dead of Night (1946) for the climax

Maybe Kwaiden (haven't seen, not sure)

[regnif]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nzaIp2fBL.jpg

;)


How could i foget one of my all time favorite movies (see Fave Movie list :D)...funny i never considered it a surreal movie though...anyways...great choices..anyone who reccomends this movie in any thread deserves a million thumbs up :p

cheers then!

[Moosemonster]

Bunuel's and Dali's "Andalusian dog". It's around 16 minutes long and damn, you need to watch it with a walk trough or something.

Also, "Clockwork orange". I watched it with Czech subtitles (I'm Polish) and it is even more surreal when you don't understand half of the dialogue.

[regnif]

The Straight Story?


....yep...all his movies..the master of surreal cinema...

[Harry Lime]

It's been a long time since I last saw The Straight Story, probably back when it first came out on video. Personally, I wouldn't use the word surreal to describe it. I wouldn't call Lynch a "Master" either, but that's just me.

[linespalsy]

i wouldn't use the word surreal to describe anything. straight story is great though, and lynch's best by far. i strongly recommend a re-watch.

[Harry Lime]

I probably should, really liked it the first time around.

[will.15]

Paris qui dort (The Crazy Ray)
silent short

[honeykid]

Although I wouldn't call The Straight Story surreal, I would say that it has a poetic and dreamlike quality to it and it's narrative.

I'd also agree completely with mark about A Nightmare On Elm Street. It's almost like one, long dream sequence (which is no suprise.)

Anyway, a few more I'd put up. Some or more may've already been mentioned, but I can't be bothered to check back and look. Sorry.

http://infolab.stanford.edu/~prasanna/dmc/collapse/delicatessen.jpghttp://static.ulike.net/img/01_Fight_Club.jpg
http://i38.tinypic.com/y2uef.jpg
http://summerinthecity09.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/donnie-darko-directors-cut11.jpg
http://jiveturkey.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/amelie.jpg
http://www.lib.washington.edu/media/criterion/images/thethirdman.jpg
http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/poster-suspiria-french1.jpg

Most Argento films could, on some level, be described as 'dreamlike' or have dreamlike sequences.

[TONGO]

If you want surreal each of these classics touched on it in a different way.

http://chasness.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/memento.jpg

http://www.impawards.com/1999/posters/blair_witch_project_ver3.jpg

http://eyeonfilm.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/apocalypse_now_ver3.jpg

http://www.backseatproducers.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/taxi_driver_poster.jpg

[will.15]

Some Robert Altman movies

Brewster McCloud

Images

Quintet

3 Women

and the movie that inspired 3 Women

Bergman's Persona

[meatwadsprite]

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:4mndZarYZVXxgM:http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/3/K/4/eternalsunshinepubv.jpg http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:g9C5y5CieMPTeM:http://moviebanter.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/adaptation1.jpg http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:zt_vrmAZ2ZOZ-M:http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2008/05/29/synecdoche-new-york-poster.jpg http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:--JJLWu_3vAGgM:<a href=http://www.impawards.com/2001/posters/mulholland_drive_ver1 target=_blank>http://www.impawards.com/2001/posters/mulholland_drive_ver1</a>.
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:KDO6dC-dOCCE-M:http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000286RNE.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:qAPO3Bk2lb7rVM:http://www.hollywoodgothique.com/wp-content/uploads/sunset-boulevard-poster.jpg http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:TjK-vAysdpqLuM:http://nighthawknews.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/spirited_away.jpg http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:KMabvN6fvZjRfM:http://www.impawards.com/1980/posters/shining_ver1.jpg
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A946fX47INlmQM:http://www.shteffi.net/blog/archives/2008/blogimg/12monkeys.jpg http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:BaRxbvQOO9i6HM:http://ntuanimeworks.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/ponyo_on_the_cliff_by_the_sea_1_jan_poster_low.jpg http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:lq02dnzHbbqwpM:http://userpages.umbc.edu/~landon/13_Images_Movie/GoodfellasP.jpg http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ppRQhf5wnPWVlM:http://www.movietrimmer.com/content/default/english/images/movies/41199_3.jpg

[will.15]

The Bed Sitting Room

[will.15]

I think we all forgot Alphaville, one of the best.

[LeRolls]

I liked Donnie Darko, Amelie, Delicatessen, Blue Velvet, and Ashes of Time Redux.

[tiptom83]

how bout Jacob's Ladder or the Fountain

[zedlen]

This is one of my favorite genres, here are a few they haven't been mentioned

Trainspotting

http://chrisburton.info/images/dvd-trainspotting.gif

Paprika

http://www.newyork-tokyo.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/paprika.jpg

Alice In Wonderland

http://www.ezydvd.com.au/g/i/p/220091.jpghttp://i43.tower.com/images/mm106983116/alice-in-wonderland-robbie-coltrane-dvd-cover-art.jpg

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

http://www.cinemastrikesback.com/news/reviews/lifeaquatic9ILI10O0.jpg

A Scanner Darkly

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2006-06/19/xin_170603191711332133242.jpg

Waking Life

http://www.familyvideo.com/catalog/famvid/muze/images/dvd/34/192434.jpg

Pan's Labyrinth

http://i43.tower.com/images/mm107011629/pans-labyrinth-doug-jones-dvd-cover-art.jpg

Tokyo

http://www.filtersage.com/uploads/tokyo.jpg

Tideland

http://www.flixray.com/dvd_covers/200702/39700.jpg

[regnif]

http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss239/regnif/wakinglife.jpg
http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss239/regnif/wakinglifepic.jpg
http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss239/regnif/waking-life-00-800-75.jpg
http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss239/regnif/wl.jpg
http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss239/regnif/life2.jpg
Waking Life (2001)

[Garrett]

Tokyo

http://www.filtersage.com/uploads/tokyo.jpg

oooh, I need to see this. Carax's Mauvais Sang is one of my favorites. Don't know if that would qualify as a surreal movie. Maybe?

[honeykid]

I agree with Zed and Regnif with Waking Life. That's a film I meant to mention myself.

[zedlen]

oooh, I need to see this. Carax's Mauvais Sang is one of my favorites. Don't know if that would qualify as a surreal movie. Maybe?

I haven't seen Mauvais Sang but Carax's portion of Tokyo is probably the lesser of the three.

[On Screen]

Funnily enough the Godfather of surrealism, Salvador Dali was involved in the production of a surrealist movie alongside director Luis Buñuel, which in my opinion is by far the original and best surrealist film.

Check out the Un chien andalou (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=search_playlists&search_query=Un+chien+andalou&uni=1) part and 2 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqdhsrKkck8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsfpXb6e-D0

Jay
On Screen

[Tindie]

The baby (1973)
http://events.liveguide.com.au/568507_thumbnail_280_The_Baby_1973_Cult_Cinema_Monday.jpg

A social worker who recently lost her husband investigates the strange Wadsworth family. The Wadsworths might not seem too unusual to hear about them at first - consisting of the mother, two grown daughters and the diaper-clad, bottle-sucking baby. The problem is, the baby is twenty-one years old

Here is clip :eek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=gS1qxSDrwHg

[L .B . Jeffries]

Some great ones already mentioned. I thought I'd add a few new ones.

The Saragossa Manuscript directed by polish director Wojciech Has
Jean-Luc Godard's weekend
Guy Maddin's Careful
Chris Marker's La Jetée short film that uses still photography to tell it's story.

I seconded Incident at Owl Creek amazing short film.

[karibou]

Tideland

http://www.flixray.com/dvd_covers/200702/39700.jpg



Ack, you beat me to it!

Also, Audrey Rose:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/bou/audreyrose.jpg

[Valentino]

I'm unsure if it's been mentioned but one of Vanilla Sky's most attractive features is it's surreal features.

Seeing Tom Cruise alone in an isolated Times Square surely ranks right up there.

As does seeing Steven Spielberg casually stroll by inside David Aimes' (Cruise) apartment.

[genesis_pig]

Kontroll
Cashback
No Smoking
Science of Sleep

[genesis_pig]

I can't believe I forgot this.

Final Programme based on a book by Michael Moorcock. I loved this one.

[altopablo]

Yep Straight Story - wonderful movie

[Darkrose]

Sublime
http://www.horror-movies.ca/albums/userpics/poster_sublime-poster.jpg
really cool movie

[genesis_pig]

Yep Straight Story - wonderful movie

is that the name of the movie?

[ollanik]

Sherlock Jr. 1924
L'Age d'Or 1930
The Blood of a Poet 1932
Beauty and the Beast 1946
Orpheus-1950
Wild Strawberries 1957
The Seventh Seal 1957
Last Year at Marienbad 1961
The Exterminating Angel 1962
8½ 1963
Woman in the Dunes 1964
Diamonds of the Night 1964
Juliet of the Spirits 1965
Persona 1966
Daisies 1966
Belle de Jour 1967
Hour of the Wolf 1968
The Color of Pomegranates 1968
Fando and Lis 1968
Teorema 1968
Fellini Satyricon 1969
El Topo 1970
Performance 1970
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders 1970
WR: Mysteries of the Organism 1971
Long Live Death 1971
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie 1972
Solaris 1972
The Holy Mountain 1973
Fantastic Planet 1973
The Phantom of Liberty 1974
Sweet Movie 1974
Celine and Julie Go Boating 1974
The Mirror 1975
Monty Python and the Holy Grail-1975
Black Moon 1975
The Tenant 1976
That Obscure Object of Desire 1977
Eraserhead 1977
The Shout-1978
Stalker-1979
Altered States 1980
Possession 1981
Videodrome 1983
Brazil 1985
Come and See 1985
Blue Velvet 1986
Wings of Desire 1987
Anguish 1987
Drowning by Numbers 1988
Alice 1988
Time of the Gypsies 1988
Santa Sangre 1989
Tetsuo, the Iron Man 1989
The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover-1989
Begotten 1990
Jacob's Ladder 1990
Barton Fink 1991
Naked Lunch 1991
Delicatessen 1991
Europa 1991
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me 1992
Léolo -1992
Arizona Dream 1993
Lesson Faust 1994
Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream That One Calls Human Life 1995
The City of Lost Children 1995
Underground 1995
Conspirators of Pleasure 1996
Lost Highway 1997
Open Your Eyes 1997
Gummo 1997
Pi 1998
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 1998
Being John Malkovich 1999
Songs from the Second Floor 2000
Requiem for a Dream 2000
Werckmeister Harmonies 2000
The Cell 2000
Spiral 2000
Greedy Guts 2000
Mulholland Dr. 2001
Donnie Darko 2001
Spirited Away-2001
Waking Life 2001
Gozu 2003
The Triplets of Belleville 2003
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004
The Taste of Tea 2004
Lunacy 2005
Inland Empire 2006
The Science of Sleep 2006
You, the Living 2007
Synecdoche, New York 2008
Enter the Void 2009
Antichrist 2009
Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) 2010

[Tyler1]

Sherlock Jr. 1924
L'Age d'Or 1930
The Blood of a Poet 1932
Beauty and the Beast 1946
Orpheus-1950
Wild Strawberries 1957
The Seventh Seal 1957
Last Year at Marienbad 1961
The Exterminating Angel 1962
8½ 1963
Woman in the Dunes 1964
Diamonds of the Night 1964
Juliet of the Spirits 1965
Persona 1966
Daisies 1966
Belle de Jour 1967
Hour of the Wolf 1968
The Color of Pomegranates 1968
Fando and Lis 1968
Teorema 1968
Fellini Satyricon 1969
El Topo 1970
Performance 1970
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders 1970
WR: Mysteries of the Organism 1971
Long Live Death 1971
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie 1972
Solaris 1972
The Holy Mountain 1973
Fantastic Planet 1973
The Phantom of Liberty 1974
Sweet Movie 1974
Celine and Julie Go Boating 1974
The Mirror 1975
Monty Python and the Holy Grail-1975
Black Moon 1975
The Tenant 1976
That Obscure Object of Desire 1977
Eraserhead 1977
The Shout-1978
Stalker-1979
Altered States 1980
Possession 1981
Videodrome 1983
Brazil 1985
Come and See 1985
Blue Velvet 1986
Wings of Desire 1987
Anguish 1987
Drowning by Numbers 1988
Alice 1988
Time of the Gypsies 1988
Santa Sangre 1989
Tetsuo, the Iron Man 1989
The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover-1989
Begotten 1990
Jacob's Ladder 1990
Barton Fink 1991
Naked Lunch 1991
Delicatessen 1991
Europa 1991
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me 1992
Léolo -1992
Arizona Dream 1993
Lesson Faust 1994
Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream That One Calls Human Life 1995
The City of Lost Children 1995
Underground 1995
Conspirators of Pleasure 1996
Lost Highway 1997
Open Your Eyes 1997
Gummo 1997
Pi 1998
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 1998
Being John Malkovich 1999
Songs from the Second Floor 2000
Requiem for a Dream 2000
Werckmeister Harmonies 2000
The Cell 2000
Spiral 2000
Greedy Guts 2000
Mulholland Dr. 2001
Donnie Darko 2001
Spirited Away-2001
Waking Life 2001
Gozu 2003
The Triplets of Belleville 2003
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004
The Taste of Tea 2004
Lunacy 2005
Inland Empire 2006
The Science of Sleep 2006
You, the Living 2007
Synecdoche, New York 2008
Enter the Void 2009
Antichrist 2009
Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) 2010

Very nice. I would add Millennium Actress, Street of Crocodiles, The Invasion of Thunderbolt Pagoda, Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome, The Hourglass Sanatorium and Marketa Lazarova.

[Tyler1]

This is quite an interesting thread... Have seen most of the films listed here. Would love to get more responses as I love surreal movies.

[ollanik]

This is quite an interesting thread... Have seen most of the films listed here. Would love to get more responses as I love surreal movies.

House - 1977
Ghost in a Shell 2 - 2004
http://www.imdb.com/images/b.gifNeon Genesis Evangelion The End of Evangelon 1997
Tideland 2005
Adventures of Baron Munchausen 1988
Dogtooth 2009
Memories 2004
MirrorMask 2005

[wjm1663]

not sure if its surreal, but it does suppose an alternate reality society in such a matter-of-fact way that its very believable: never let me go-2010. some ppl see it as horrifyingly depressing, but i think its a borderline masterpiece, and see it as a strangely uplifting,cautionary story on multiple levels.

[ollanik]

not sure if its surreal, but it does suppose an alternate reality society in such a matter-of-fact way that its very believable: never let me go-2010. some ppl see it as horrifyingly depressing, but i think its a borderline masterpiece, and see it as a strangely uplifting,cautionary story on multiple levels.

Just because it is depressing movie,does not mean it is surreal.I watched that film and i haven't seen any surreal element in it.

Anyway,by many professional critics,only films by Luis Bunuel was truly surreal,not any other element in them,just pure surrealism...

[donniedarko]

Donnie Darko
Eraserhead
Mullholland Drive (pretty much any Lynch move)
The Machinist
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fight Club
Stranger then fiction
Memento
Triangle