Reframing Reality

This title looks at a broad range of films (French and Czech, ten different directors, 1930s, 60s and contemporary). The films are both artistic and popular. It uses surrealism in a new way, as a tool to analyse film. It does not only look at French surrealism, but also highlights the importance of Czech surrealism, less familiar to English-language readers. It analyses films rigorously and in detail, but maintains readability with an engaging tone, aiming to convey the playful spirit of the films in question. The surrealist object is an everyday item that takes on multiple associations by provoking the viewer’s imagination. It also poses a specific challenge for filmmakers who seek to apply surrealist ideas and approaches when making feature-length narrative films. In “Reframing Reality”, Alison Frank looks specifically at French and Czech films, including works by Luis Bunuel and Jan Svankmajer, as well as the contemporary hit “Amelie” by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, in order to offer a new take on surrealist film.

Author Biography

Alison Frank earned a PhD in medieval and modern languages at the University of Oxford. She is associate editor of the journal Wide Screen.