no. 2 : Surrealism, Feature Films and 'The Little Prince'

"Surrealism... can be defined as an artistic attempt to bridge together reality and the imagination.... [seeking] to overcome the contradictions of the conscious and unconscious minds..." - Bryanna Licciardi

Surrealism started out as a cultural movement in Europe, expressed through various platforms including: literature, the visual arts and politics. With the turmoil of World War 1 remaining in the heart of Europe, the arts had become a political tool to control and keep the masses at bay. "....Surrealists wanted to break free from the constraints being posed on art and [wanted] to do so in an extreme, yet positive way." (Licciardi). The intention of surrealism was to 'free the mind' so to speak, tap into people's imagination by presenting the irrational. Works such as 'The Treachery of Images by René Magritte (1929) were created in order to challenge rational thinking. In french under the pipe, Magritte states that "This is not a pipe", the first thought in a viewer's mind that would surface almost immediately would be "but it is". But after a time of thinking it is hoped that the viewer realises that it is in fact, not a pipe, but a painting of a pipe.

I'm sure you've heard of various riddles that you have categorised as absurd or irrational. Many riddles confront people to think outside the box, or perhaps you could say that it challenges people to think with a surrealist perspective, throwing out rationality. One such riddle that I often ask friends and family often frustrates them as they believe that the outcome is far too 'ludicrous'. The answer will be found at the end of this blog.

Imagine you're in a cramped sealed impenetrable box sinking in the open ocean, you're running out of air. You have nothing but the clothes on your back, a photograph of your family in your pocket and the company of a dead rat. How do you get out?

In more recent times the surrealist movement has been considered more of a genre of the arts rather than the cultural movement it started out as. Notes of surrealism can be argued to be found in modern film as a genre.

"Genre can be understood as the categorisation of media texts according to shared characteristics." - John Hartley

Of course there are purely surrealist films such as Jan Švankmajer's adaptation of Alice in Wonderland 'Něco z Alenky' (Alice) that defy rationality in visual and plot. But a much milder kind of surrealism is often found in modern film such as 'Inception', 'The Matrix' and many movies targeted at younger audiences, like 'Le Petit Prince' ('The Little Prince'). I call this 'mild surrealism' as it is not truly surrealist but contains ideas that have the scent of abstract and open thinking.

'Le Petit Prince' is a novella (written by aviator-author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) turned into feature film - released in 2015 on Netflix - about the importance of childhood and memory. The film mainly features the unnamed characters of Aviator, Little Girl, Mother, and of course the Little Prince himself. You can see in the video below the roles of each character:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEPqgSNLfK8

The connection 'The Little Prince' holds with surrealism lies in the representation of each character. Each main character seems to portray a stage within Surrealism, the Aviator being the "bridge between reality and imagination", the Mother being "oppressive rationality", the Little Girl being the "viewer" and the Little Prince as "irrationality". It's said that the story itself is based on the mirages and illusions that the author experienced in the desert.

Answer to the box riddle: Stop imagining.

Grassland

CIU110 Blog #2

References:

Alice. Retrieved from https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0095715/mediaviewer/rm1481821184

Hartley, J. (2011). Communication, cultural and media studies (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.

Little Prince Poster. Retrieved from https://i2.wp.com/teaser-trailer.com/wp-content/uploads/TheLittlePrince-new-intl-poster-2.jpg?ssl=1

Valentin, M. Surrealism. Culturemechanism.blogspot.com.au. Retrieved 28 February 2018, from http://culturemechanism.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/surrealism.html

What is Surrealism in Literature? - Definition, Characteristics & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com. Study.com. Retrieved 28 February 2018, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-surrealism-definition-artists.html

What is Surrealism? - Definition, Art & Characteristics - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com. Study.com. Retrieved 29 February 2018, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-surrealism-definition-art-characteristics.html