Filmmaker Jack Bond and Salvador Dali got together Christmas in 1965 to make the film, DALI INNEWYORK. Dali spent two weeks creating scenes for the film which is in black and white. It’s almost a documentary. In all, 57 minutes of Dali putting us on. Maybe I should call it a mockumentary. While the film is entertaining to say the least, it often doesn’t appear to be quality film making. It’s choppy, sometimes fuzzy, close-ups are too close, cameras seem shaky, audio isn’t clear. Is it all intentional? Who knows!
A truck unloads some of Dali’s works while a crowd gathers laughing and making comments. At one point, the feminist writer, Jane Arden questions Dali about his sex life. Dali responds, “Only one woman.” Then, he supervises the unloading of a large, nude male statue. In the rain, while holding an umbrella, Dali bends down and kisses the statue on the lips. Dali, is a showman. He takes advantage of every opportunity to shock and confuse. This is evident throughout the film.
Arden suggests that Dali is on drugs when he creates his works. One of Dali’s entourage defends him. It’s all for naught. Dali says, “I’m drunk all the time!”
Dali gives someone instructions as to what he wants on film. He stages everything: the young woman, their position on the steps, the art pieces he is going to send crashing to the sidewalk. Then, we see him throw the pieces smashing them to smithereens. He steps on one piece that hadn’t crumbled.
On another day, Dali is at what appears to be his book signing. People gathered are laughing, amused. One of his entourage wears a live Ocelot around his neck. In prior scenes, this Ocelot is biting the owner on the face. This isn’t a friendly animal and could do some serious damage with it’s claws not to mention it’s teeth!
Dali explains one of his paintings where the subject matter is fried eggs. He tells Arden that if he presses on his closed eyeballs, he sees concentric circles. This is somehow connected to the fried eggs? Arden isn’t paying attention and instead asks him a question about sex. He responds with an explanation that Sigmund Freud told him. (He actually did meet Freud.)
At a photo shoot Dali says, “I am crazy……about money.” He is being photographed at Philippe Halsmann’s photographic studio in a box buried under hundred dollar bills and coins. The Ocelot walks around the box and doesn’t know what to make of it. Vaseline had been smeared on Dali’s face for what was to come. The Ocelot sniffs at Dali’s eyes. Someone drills a small hole in a raw swan’s egg and places it on Dali’s mouth. Then we see the egg being gently smashed on Dali’s face. As it opens large ants crawl out and crawl all over his face while Halsmann captures the moment with his Hasselblad. Dali tries to get up from his money coffin but has a difficult time of it because the coins are heavy. He stumbles.
In another scene Arden says to Dali something about playing the role of the valet but he cuts her off. He says she is his slave. Arden, being a feminist insists she is not his slave. Dali loses his patience with her and storms off. As he walks down the street he says, “Everybody is my slave!” She feels remorse for what happened and wonders now if she will be allowed to attend the upcoming party.
In the next scene a man is interviewing Dali instead of Arden. They’re discussing politics. “You say that poor people are happiest when they have no freedom and they are repressed,” he says. Dali says he was very happy when he was in jail. This conversation, like the ones Dali had with Arden seem to be going nowhere too.
There are only a few seconds in the film of Gala (his muse) at a party held for Dali. The next day, Arden and a female companion discuss the newspaper coverage of the party over breakfast in bed. Here they get pretty intellectual.
The film closes with Dali sketching a large horse in front of a small audience which applauds when he’s done.
If you are familiar with Dali and his work, nothing in this film will surprise you. If your only experience with Dali is his paintings then you’re in for a surprise. It’s entertaining, funny, and definitely Dali.
