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Dada, Surrealism, and Early Sound Cinema 2017

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Dada, Surrealism, and Early Sound Cinema 2017 Marvellous Noise and Modest Recording Instruments: Dada, Surrealism, and Early Sound Cinema A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities 2017 Suzanne Mangion School of Arts, Languages and Cultures Contents Abstract p. 3 Declaration p. 4 Copyright Statement p. 5 Acknowledgements p. 6 Introduction p. 8 1. Concepts and Contexts of Dada/Surrealism-related Audio-Visuality p. 23 2. Readymade Soundtracks p. 65 3. Cut and Paste Cinema p. 110 4. Spoken Words, Silent Mouths p. 156 Concluding Notes and Future Directions p. 193 Bibliography p. 199 Filmography p. 226 word count 74, 991 2 Abstract This thesis assesses the ways in which films related to Dada and Surrealism used sound techniques during the 1920s and 1930s. It argues that their audio-visual approaches were distinctive, and related to important concepts and strategies within the movements such as collage, juxtaposition, and the Surrealist ‘marvellous.’ Historical research is combined with close analysis and theoretical interpretation to examine the early sound film context in detail, while also bringing a new aural perspective to Dada and Surrealist cinema studies. The project addresses an important, yet neglected, part of film sound history, while also pushing art historical interpretation of these works beyond a long-held visual bias. Dada and Surrealist cinema's heyday coincided with the period of transition from silent to sound film, and several filmmakers associated with these movements, including Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, Jean Cocteau, and Hans Richter, were at the forefront of this change, producing some of the earliest sound films in their countries of work. Audio-visual experimentation flourished during this period, providing opportunities for these and other filmmakers to try a range of provocative, idiosyncratic methods that prioritised irrationality and sensation. Dada and Surrealist practices were inherently heterogeneous, and their soundtrack approaches were too, mixing silent and sound film methods: from using pre-existing gramophone accompaniments to creating composite sound and image collages, from remixing dance music to silencing the leading lady. Informed by the contemporary debates around asynchrony and counterpoint, I investigate these experiments to establish what Dada or Surrealism audio-visuality actually was. This thesis is essentially a historical corrective, which questions assumptions about this film period, and reinterprets how Dada and Surrealist works fit into it. Case studies of works by Buñuel and Dalí, Cocteau, Richter, Man Ray, Len Lye, and Joseph Cornell illustrate discussions of pre-existing music use, audio collage techniques, and the role of voices. Sound is demonstrated to have been fundamental in creating the irrational, disorientating, or immersive experiences most valued in Dada and Surrealism film. 3 Declaration No portion of the work referred to in this thesis has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification of this or any other university or other institute of learning. 4 Copyright Statement i. The author of this thesis (including any appendices and/or schedules to this thesis) owns certain copyright or related rights in it (the “Copyright”) and s/he has given The University of Manchester certain rights to use such Copyright, including for administrative purposes. ii. Copies of this thesis, either in full or in extracts and whether in hard or electronic copy, may be made only in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (as amended) and regulations issued under it or, where appropriate, in accordance with licensing agreements which the University has from time to time. This page must form part of any such copies made. iii. The ownership of certain Copyright, patents, designs, trademarks and other intellectual property (the “Intellectual Property”) and any reproductions of copyright works in the thesis, for example graphs and tables (“Reproductions”) , which may be described in this thesis, may not be owned by the author and may be owned by third parties. Such Intellectual Property and/or Reproductions cannot and must not be made available for use without the prior written permission of the owner(s) of the relevant Intellectual Property and/or Reproductions. iv. Further information on the conditions under which disclosure, publication and commercialisation of this thesis, the Copyright and any Intellectual Property and/or Reproductions described in it may take place is available in the University IP Policy (see http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo. aspx?DocID=2442 0), in any relevant Thesis restriction declarations deposited in the University Library, The University Library's regulations (see http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/about/regulations/) and in the University's policy on Presentation of Theses. 5 Acknowledgements To reach the thank you stage feels incredible. So many have supported me on this long, sometimes difficult, journey. First I'd like to thank the Arts and Humanities Research Council who funded my project, without whose belief and support it would have been impossible. A special thank you goes to Professor Amelia Jones, for exceptional encouragement and mentoring throughout my MA and the early PhD stages. Your teaching and kind words gave me so much direction and confidence. Dr David Butler, my supervisor – thank you for everything. From the moment you stepped in you have never put a foot wrong, always patiently guiding me with wisdom, kindness, dedication, and much-needed humour. You encouraged me to take on challenges, see and hear new things, and become a real researcher in the process. Whether losing my way in the dark forest, or climbing Mount Purgatory, as a true teacher, mentor, and friend, you have always helped me onward. Thanks also to those who have given academic support and input over the years. To Professor David Lomas, who has shared his original ideas and insights in his role as secondary supervisor. To Dr Samantha Lackey, who first introduced the idea of Surrealist sound in her classes on Dada and Surrealist film. To Dr Joanna Pawlik and Professor Carol Mavor for their invaluable input on research panels, and Dr Felicia Chan for kind advice for an inexperienced graduate teaching assistant. I am also indebted to Senior Postgraduate Research Administrator Jo Marsh, who has steered me painlessly through many a maze-like administration procedure, and whose efficiency and tact are so appreciated. I am especially grateful to the eminent strangers who responded kindly to requests for information, unannounced interviews, and appalling French – Jean Michel-Bouhours, Cecile Starr, and Brigitte Berg. Thanks also to Alison Kapor at Alliance Française for her skilled translation help, John Klacsmann at Anthology Film Archives, and staff at Re:Voir and Umbrella DVD distribution. Throughout, the expertise and professional support of librarians has been invaluable. I want to thank staff at the University of Manchester library, in particular the Document Supply team, as well as those at Manchester Metropolitan University Library, and the BFI Reuben Library. I am also grateful to staff at the Bibliothèque nationale de France's Richelieu Library, the Cinémathèque Française, and the Bibliothèque Kandinksy at the Centre Pompidou, and to the University of Manchester for generously funding my research in Paris. Anna Strhan and Martin Block, Peter Philipson, Paul Taberham, Nicky Murdoch – thank you for wit and wisdom, in equal measures. Thanks also to Gabriella Santangelo for valuable help. To my parents-in-law, Pauline and Tony Braithwaite, thank you for always providing a welcome space for Arthur and myself. My brothers Francis and Philip, for our shared love of films, and especially Paul, who will always be the family's top soundtrack expert. Thank you to my parents, Pio and Brigid Mangion, for unfailing, unconditional love and support all the way. For encouraging my strange interests, and providing a wonderful cinema education. For being there for me, even when I could not be with you. Most of all, I thank my husband Anthony Braithwaite, who has patiently endured my PhD from start to finish, helping and advising above and beyond expectations, and our wonderful son Arthur, who has only ever known a Mummy who has to write a book. I could not have managed without you, and my love and gratitude is without bounds. And remember, as Inspector Japp would say – it's dogged as does it. 6 For my husband Anthony and son Arthur, my rock and my sunshine. 7 Introduction It began with a mistake. Years ago, I attended a screening of the Surrealist classic L’Âge d'or (The Golden Age, Buñuel and Dalí, 1930) at a prominent arthouse cinema. During that pre-DVD and streaming era, I was excited about this opportunity to see a seldom shown film. But about fifteen minutes in, I began to feel bored and rather disappointed. The film was entirely silent, and without any musical accompaniment it dragged tiresomely for its sixty-three minute duration. Daydreaming through it, I mentally noted L’Âge d'or as an overrated film, to be avoided unless accompanied by a live soundtrack. Some ten years later, studying Dada and Surrealist film as part of a master’s degree in art history, I stumbled across a reference to L’Âge d'or's sound effects.1 This discovery shocked and excited me. As a result of the earlier screening, I had always assumed L’Âge d'or was a silent film, and that Surrealism hadn't participated
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