'Surreal' About Surrealism?
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What is ‘Surreal’ about Surrealism? An Investigation of Surrealism as Seen Through the ‘Looking-Glass’ of Jan Švankmajer. by Rachel Mary Winefride Cohen CHNRAC003 A dissertation presented for the degree of Research Master’s of Arts in Film Studies UniversityCentre for Film of and Cape Media Studies Town Faculty of the Humanities University of Cape Town 2015 Supervisor: Associate Professor of Film Studies Dr Martin Botha The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town DECLARATION This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced. I have used the Harvard author-date convention, in accordance with the 2014 University of Cape Town’s reference guide. Signature: Date: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr Martin Botha who first introduced me to the world of Jan Švankmajer. Thank you for your confidence in my abilities to decipher Švankmajer’s intricate films and the endless complexities of surrealism. I would also like to thank the staff at the Centre for Film and Media Studies, especially my previous lecturers who first tempted me to the ‘dark side’ of film and whose love for film inspired my academic endeavours. To Ncumisa Mdingi, we meet once a year when my registration ‘curse’ dictates nothing will ever go smoothly. Every time we laugh at the new inexplainable glitch and I want to thank you for your kindness and humour. You prevented annual panic attacks and I am eternally grateful. To Laetitia Bedeker who came to my grammatical rescue at the eleventh hour, thank you for all your patience and support. I would like to use this opportunity to give special thanks to my family who have supported me throughout this endeavour. One never realises the reality of the long term investment a master’s by dissertation is until — week after week, month after month and then year after year — you are still researching and writing. Thank you for your short term ‘rewards and incentives’, especially my father who understood a cultural visit to Prague was a necessary means of research. Our trip to Prague will always be a fond memory filled with laughter, getting lost, exploring exhibitions, ‘spending a Czech koruna’, dinner at George’s and endless cobbles. To my mother and sister, thank you all for your patience and support, especially during the more tense occasions. Your strength and confidence encouraged me to persevere even when the goal posts seemed completely consumed by the fog. Your blind faith in me is both encouraging and extremely frightening. Thank you for always believing in me. As I somewhat bizarrely, strangely and fantastically (dare I say ‘surreally’) complete this dissertation, I finally give you permission to say ‘I told you so…’. To Ella: ‘woof’. ABSTRACT This dissertation investigates the filmic representation of surrealism in the films of Jan Švankmajer between 1964 and 2010. These films were analysed in light of two key areas expressed in recent literature regarding the representation of surrealism in film. The first key area is the complicated relationship between surrealism and film and fantasy film, which has resulted in misconceptions about surrealism and its relationship with reality. This was examined with regard to the misconception of surrealism equating to fantasy and escapism. The second key area is how the filmic representation of surreality by the surrealist filmmaker Švankmajer supports the relationship of the movement with reality. This is analysed in terms of Švankmajer’s filmic engagement with the socio-political context at the time of production and his beliefs regarding a civilisation in crisis. Contingent to Švankmajer’s filmic representation of surreality is an examination of his style, aesthetics and techniques used to convey surreality or the notions of surrealism in his films to depict the affinity of the movement with reality. The main issue addressed in relation to all his films is the narrative on repression. This dissertation examines his narrative on repression, its dimensions and its role in reaffirming the affinity of surrealism with reality. The examination in this study of the subject matter included a diverse field of relevant sources, which was necessitated by the status of the surrealist movement as a belief rather than a formal theoretical framework. This includes, but is not limited to, surrealism and its main considerations and the relationship between surrealism and film compared to fantasy and film with regard to their relationship with reality. This was extended to include significant theoretical considerations with regard to Švankmajer’s filmic representation of surreality, including the representation of loss, the significance of childhood, the presence of objects and the role of tactility. The study entailed an analysis of his films within the ideas expressed in Švankmajer’s filmic representation of surreality. The films were then analysed within the context of the socio-political atmosphere at the time of their production, specifically during the former Czechoslovak communist oppression, followed by the emersion of the Czech Republic into the global consumerist market. The findings of the study indicate that the filmic representation of surreality in Švankmajer’s films portrays a heightened awareness of the socio-political reality of the former Czechoslovakia as well as the current Czech Republic, while resonating universal truths on civilisation. The films challenge the misconceptions on surrealism and its filmic representation as equating to fantasy and escapism. The findings further revealed that Švankmajer’s filmic representation of surreality counters such misconceptions, with the films reflecting Švankmajer’s experiences in Czechoslovakia as well his intimate account of the destructive nature of civilisation. TABLE OF CONTENTS GLOSSARY 1 1. Introduction and Methodology 4 2. Content in Context 9 2.1 Cultural context 9 2.2 Cultural and political shifts over the course of two world wars 14 2.3 The rise and impact of communism and socialist realism in Czechoslovakia 21 2.4 The Prague Spring and the Czechoslovak New Wave 27 2.5 Repression, resistance and revolution 33 3. Literature Review 40 3.1 Surrealist beginnings: The avant-garde and the significance of dada 40 3.2 Surrealism: The transition of ideas from a philosophy to an art movement 46 3.3 Czechoslovak surrealism 54 3.4 Surrealism and film 58 3.5 Surrealism versus fantasy 64 4. Švankmajer’s Filmic Representation of Surreality 70 4.1 The filmic representation of loss 70 4.2 The significance of loss and childhood 72 4.3 Evoking reality 78 4.4 Fighting madness with madness: Confronting the irrationality of civilisation 88 5. Reinterpreting and Confronting Daily Reality 93 5.1 Švankmajer’s surrealist films of the Czechoslovak New Wave 93 5.2 Švankmajer’s surrealist films of the normalisation period 102 5.3 Švankmajer’s surrealist films in the wake of revolution, democracy and consumerism 113 6. Conclusion 122 List of Works Cited 127 Books 127 Chapters 128 Films 130 Online Sources 132 Supplementary Readings 133 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Flora 13 Figure 2: Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s Flora 13 Figure 3: Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s Vertumnus 13 Figure 4: The Nightmare Before Christmas 66 Figure 5: Alice 66 Figure 6: The sieve spoon in The Nightmare Before Christmas 66 Figure 7: The sieve spoon in The Flat 66 Figure 8: Darkness-Light-Darkness 77 Figure 9: Et Cetera 77 Figure 10: Tactility in The Pendulum, the Pit and Hope 82 Figure 11: Tactility in The Pendulum, the Pit and Hope 82 Figure 12: A Quiet Week in the House — vision one 98 Figure 13: A Quiet Week in the House — vision two 98 Figure 14: A Quiet Week in the House — vision three 98 Figure 15: A Quiet Week in the House — vision four 98 Figure 16: A Quiet Week in the House — vision five 98 Figure 17: A Quiet Week in the House — vision six 98 Figure 18: The Ossuary 110 Figure 19: The Ossuary 110 Figure 20: The Ossuary 110 Figure 21: Wenceslas Square 114 Figure 22: Shops lining Wenceslas Square 114 Figure 23: Shops lining Wenceslas Square 114 All images by Guiseppe Arcimboldo (figures 2 and 3) copyright of Guiseppe Arcimboldo. Courtesy of Web Gallery of Art. [Online]. All images from Tim Burton’s films (figures 4 and 6) copyright of Tim Burton. Courtesy of SterKinekor Entertainment. [DVD]. All photography by Rachel Mary Winefride Cohen (figures 21, 22 and 23) copyright of Rachel Mary Winefride Cohen. Courtesy of Rachel Mary Winefride Cohen. [Personal Archives]. All images from Jan Švankmajer’s films (figures 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20) copyright of Jan Švankmajer. Courtesy of British Film Institute. [DVD]. GLOSSARY Surrealism is a diverse concept that in practice translates into a shared philosophy rather than any set theory. The movement covers a diverse range, as it borrows alternate ideas to further its objective of surreality. The field of psychology is a significant influence on surrealism, which this dissertation refers to in its discussion of surrealism. For the sake of clarity, a brief discussion of key terms is provided. Ego: The ego is the “decision-making component” (Weiten, 2010:494) of Sigmund Freud’s personality structure that counters the primitive urges of the id.