UN CHEIN ANDALOU CONDENSED FACT SHEET
Came out in 1929
FILM TECHNIQUES
- Surrealist imagery and symbolism: many irrational and disturbing images used, such as
the eye sliced by a razor. Objects and characters juxtaposed in bizarre ways, creating a
disjointed narrative that reflects Freudian dream analysis and subconscious thought
- Non-linear narrative: deliberately lacks a coherent plot, emphasising fragmented and
seemingly unrelated scenes. Time is intentionally distorted, with no logical progression
- Match cuts and visual rhymes: transitions between scenes using match cuts to link
disparate elements, for example, the cloud cutting across the moon followed by the
razor slicing the eye. The visual rhymes create a sense of continuity in an otherwise
chaotic narrative
- Double exposure and dissolves: double exposure layers the images and creates
ghostly, surreal effects. Dissolves are used to blend scenes together, adding to the
fluid, dreamlike feel. Fade is used when the man is carried out the frame, suggesting
the film is coming to a close but it isn’t. This subverts our understanding of film
conventions
- Discontinuity editing: abrupt jumps in time and place, breaking the rules of traditional
continuity editing. Characters’ positions and settings change without explanation,
enhancing the dream-like quality
- Sound design: Wagner’s Liebestod and the combination of high and low cultural music
adds an ironic contrast to the disturbing visuals. The repeating descending and
ascending minor chords in the beginning of the film maintains the audiences interest
and mirrors the chaotic feeling of the film. Use of swooping strings that crescendo
during assault scene, creating a jarring clash as it feels like romantic music that
contrasts the threat in the scene
- Mise-en-scène: objects and settings are carefully places to evoke a sense of
displacement and absurdity. Props like dead donkeys on pianos or rotting animal
carcasses add to the grotesque surrealism. The translucent blinds make the scene look
ghostly and create an ominous atmosphere. The costuming remains the same
throughout the film despite the intertitles mentions jumps in time, exploring the
illogical nature of the fil.
- Vignetting: suggestive of a dreamscape and creates the feeling of being an observer
- Framing: the traditional framing juxtaposes the visuals as it is typical and normal,
whilst the visuals are extreme and abnormal
- POV shots: creates themes of voyeurism, evoking an uncomfortable and exciting feeling
in the audience
OPENING SEQUENCE
- The scene begins with a calm shot of a full moon, with a thin cloud moving across it.
This is immediately followed by the image of a man slicing a woman’s eye with a razor.
The use of a match cut makes the scene feel even more jarring, with the clash of nature
vs violence. It symbolises the disruption of peaceful perception. It sets the tone for the
film’s exploration of the subconscious and irrationality
- The extreme close-up of the eye being sliced open shocks the audience and forces
them to confront the grotesque. The shock factor is central to the film’s aim of
challenging conventional cinema
- It is preceded by the intertitle ‘Once upon a time’ creating the illusion of a narrative.
The film immediately subverts this with non-linear editing and disturbing content,
disorientating the viewer. It serves as a direct critique of traditional storytelling,
signalling that the film will not adhere to logical progression.
- The calm, romantic music that plays before such a violent act creates a jarring contrast,
heightening the sense of unease. It reinforces the unsettling atmosphere and intensifies
the shock. It also mocks the traditional use of music in film by deliberately clashing with
the visual content.
- Buñuel plays the man with the razor, staring directly at the camera before committing
the violent act. The acknowledgement of the audience feels confrontational as if
challenging the viewer’s passive role. It implicates the viewer, making them feel
complicit in the disturbing act and it blurs the boundary between the film world and
reality.
Came out in 1929
FILM TECHNIQUES
- Surrealist imagery and symbolism: many irrational and disturbing images used, such as
the eye sliced by a razor. Objects and characters juxtaposed in bizarre ways, creating a
disjointed narrative that reflects Freudian dream analysis and subconscious thought
- Non-linear narrative: deliberately lacks a coherent plot, emphasising fragmented and
seemingly unrelated scenes. Time is intentionally distorted, with no logical progression
- Match cuts and visual rhymes: transitions between scenes using match cuts to link
disparate elements, for example, the cloud cutting across the moon followed by the
razor slicing the eye. The visual rhymes create a sense of continuity in an otherwise
chaotic narrative
- Double exposure and dissolves: double exposure layers the images and creates
ghostly, surreal effects. Dissolves are used to blend scenes together, adding to the
fluid, dreamlike feel. Fade is used when the man is carried out the frame, suggesting
the film is coming to a close but it isn’t. This subverts our understanding of film
conventions
- Discontinuity editing: abrupt jumps in time and place, breaking the rules of traditional
continuity editing. Characters’ positions and settings change without explanation,
enhancing the dream-like quality
- Sound design: Wagner’s Liebestod and the combination of high and low cultural music
adds an ironic contrast to the disturbing visuals. The repeating descending and
ascending minor chords in the beginning of the film maintains the audiences interest
and mirrors the chaotic feeling of the film. Use of swooping strings that crescendo
during assault scene, creating a jarring clash as it feels like romantic music that
contrasts the threat in the scene
- Mise-en-scène: objects and settings are carefully places to evoke a sense of
displacement and absurdity. Props like dead donkeys on pianos or rotting animal
carcasses add to the grotesque surrealism. The translucent blinds make the scene look
ghostly and create an ominous atmosphere. The costuming remains the same
throughout the film despite the intertitles mentions jumps in time, exploring the
illogical nature of the fil.
- Vignetting: suggestive of a dreamscape and creates the feeling of being an observer
- Framing: the traditional framing juxtaposes the visuals as it is typical and normal,
whilst the visuals are extreme and abnormal
- POV shots: creates themes of voyeurism, evoking an uncomfortable and exciting feeling
in the audience
OPENING SEQUENCE
- The scene begins with a calm shot of a full moon, with a thin cloud moving across it.
This is immediately followed by the image of a man slicing a woman’s eye with a razor.
The use of a match cut makes the scene feel even more jarring, with the clash of nature
vs violence. It symbolises the disruption of peaceful perception. It sets the tone for the
film’s exploration of the subconscious and irrationality
- The extreme close-up of the eye being sliced open shocks the audience and forces
them to confront the grotesque. The shock factor is central to the film’s aim of
challenging conventional cinema
- It is preceded by the intertitle ‘Once upon a time’ creating the illusion of a narrative.
The film immediately subverts this with non-linear editing and disturbing content,
disorientating the viewer. It serves as a direct critique of traditional storytelling,
signalling that the film will not adhere to logical progression.
- The calm, romantic music that plays before such a violent act creates a jarring contrast,
heightening the sense of unease. It reinforces the unsettling atmosphere and intensifies
the shock. It also mocks the traditional use of music in film by deliberately clashing with
the visual content.
- Buñuel plays the man with the razor, staring directly at the camera before committing
the violent act. The acknowledgement of the audience feels confrontational as if
challenging the viewer’s passive role. It implicates the viewer, making them feel
complicit in the disturbing act and it blurs the boundary between the film world and
reality.
