UCA CONTEXT FLASHCARDS
When did it come out? – 1929
Who was the director? – Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí
What were Buñuel’s film signatures? – Known for his surreal, provocative, and subversive
cinematic style, non-linear narratives and absurd, dreamlike sequences. He is known for his
critique of organised religion
What are conventions of surrealism? – Dream-like visuals, subversion of film grammar, dream
and reality combined, the relationship between the objective and subjective, the
externalisation of the subconscious, irrational juxtaposition
What were Buñuel’s intentions? – To break away from the narrative and stylistic conventions
of mainstream cinema, shock and disturb the audience, mock those who would search for
deeper symbolic meaning in the film
What are examples of surrealist thematic couplings? – Desire and death, perception and
reality, conscious and subconscious, the bourgeoisie and the masses, the rational and the
irrational
Link to Todorov’s theory? – None because it follows a non-linear narrative and rejects any form
of conforming to mainstream cinema
Link to Levi-Strauss’ theory? – The man and the woman, death and reincarceration, surrealist
vs realist
Link to Neale’s theory? – Has dream-like visuals, subverts film grammar, dream and reality
combined, irrational juxtaposition, attacks on bourgeoisie institutions
Link to Barthes’ theory? – Semantic codes in the ants coming out of hand scene
Link to Altman’s theory? – Syntactic as it doesn’t follow a linear narrative and subverts realist
expectations, semantic as it has dream-like visuals, such as match cuts and illogical time
stamps
Link to Mulvey’s theory? – Female character is sexualised and sexually assaulted
Link to Hypodermic Needle Theory? – It was so subversive of the mainstream cinema and
media that it got a negative response
Link to Hall’s theory? – Doesn’t link as there is no meaning
Link to Bazin’s theory? – L’Age D’Or mimics his signatures of absurd, dreamlike sequences
and being critical of organised religion
What does the sliced eye symbolise? – Violent awakening, destruction of perception, or the
breaking of illusions.
What do the ants crawling out the hand symbolise? – Decay, guilt, or obsession
What did ants mean in Freudian terms? – Death and decomposition.
What does the moon and the razor symbolise? – Feminine vs masculine, the natural vs the
violent.
What do the dead donkeys on pianos symbolise? – The burden of tradition and artist
stagnation
What does the striped box symbolise? – Memory, secrets, or the burden of the past.
What does the moth with a skull marking symbolise? – Death, transformation, and the
macabre
What is a death’s-head hawk moth often associated with? – The inevitability of death or the
presence of evil
What does the sexual imagery symbolise? – Repressed desires and violent impulses
What does the androgynous figure symbolise? – Ambiguity of identity and fluidity of gender
What does the death scene symbolise? – Hopelessness or the cyclical nature of human
relationships.
When did it come out? – 1929
Who was the director? – Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí
What were Buñuel’s film signatures? – Known for his surreal, provocative, and subversive
cinematic style, non-linear narratives and absurd, dreamlike sequences. He is known for his
critique of organised religion
What are conventions of surrealism? – Dream-like visuals, subversion of film grammar, dream
and reality combined, the relationship between the objective and subjective, the
externalisation of the subconscious, irrational juxtaposition
What were Buñuel’s intentions? – To break away from the narrative and stylistic conventions
of mainstream cinema, shock and disturb the audience, mock those who would search for
deeper symbolic meaning in the film
What are examples of surrealist thematic couplings? – Desire and death, perception and
reality, conscious and subconscious, the bourgeoisie and the masses, the rational and the
irrational
Link to Todorov’s theory? – None because it follows a non-linear narrative and rejects any form
of conforming to mainstream cinema
Link to Levi-Strauss’ theory? – The man and the woman, death and reincarceration, surrealist
vs realist
Link to Neale’s theory? – Has dream-like visuals, subverts film grammar, dream and reality
combined, irrational juxtaposition, attacks on bourgeoisie institutions
Link to Barthes’ theory? – Semantic codes in the ants coming out of hand scene
Link to Altman’s theory? – Syntactic as it doesn’t follow a linear narrative and subverts realist
expectations, semantic as it has dream-like visuals, such as match cuts and illogical time
stamps
Link to Mulvey’s theory? – Female character is sexualised and sexually assaulted
Link to Hypodermic Needle Theory? – It was so subversive of the mainstream cinema and
media that it got a negative response
Link to Hall’s theory? – Doesn’t link as there is no meaning
Link to Bazin’s theory? – L’Age D’Or mimics his signatures of absurd, dreamlike sequences
and being critical of organised religion
What does the sliced eye symbolise? – Violent awakening, destruction of perception, or the
breaking of illusions.
What do the ants crawling out the hand symbolise? – Decay, guilt, or obsession
What did ants mean in Freudian terms? – Death and decomposition.
What does the moon and the razor symbolise? – Feminine vs masculine, the natural vs the
violent.
What do the dead donkeys on pianos symbolise? – The burden of tradition and artist
stagnation
What does the striped box symbolise? – Memory, secrets, or the burden of the past.
What does the moth with a skull marking symbolise? – Death, transformation, and the
macabre
What is a death’s-head hawk moth often associated with? – The inevitability of death or the
presence of evil
What does the sexual imagery symbolise? – Repressed desires and violent impulses
What does the androgynous figure symbolise? – Ambiguity of identity and fluidity of gender
What does the death scene symbolise? – Hopelessness or the cyclical nature of human
relationships.
