The futurist and surrealist manifesto came about in the early 20th century and took place in Italy. The futurist manifesto was written in 1909 by F.T. Marinetti and was based on the philosophy of rejecting the past and moving on to violence, hatred, and speed. It rejects all forms of knowledge and declares that we must use violence and aggression. It states that the only cure for the world is to glorify war. The surrealist manifesto was written in 1925 and was a declaration of the importance of thoughts and dreams. It is a total liberation of the mind by letting out one’s expressions in the unconscious state. He focuses on the importance of dreams since they are suppressed human emotions.
Both the futurist and surrealist manifestos are designed to create a revolution. Does the futurist manifesto believe that violence is the only answer? Is there not another cure for the world? Is surrealism the only total liberation of the mind?
The movie “Le Chien Andalou” was produced in 1929 and is a silent surrealist short film. The film was created off of the two director’s dreams of the moon being cut in half by a blade and the other of ants coming out of a human hand. Did this movie create a movement in Italy? Did people become more in touch with their suppressed emotions?
I feel that the Futurist Manifesto uses violent imagery to add to the efficacy of its message, but I do not believe that its authors were explicitly advocating a policy of literal violence as a means of revolution. As in the Surrealist Manifesto, the revolution of the mind is one that can only be brought about by doing away with the styles and traditions of old, even if this means discarding the reverence with which we regard the “classics,” thereby doing them “violence.” “Le Chien Andalou” is iconic in the sense that it provides a visual embodiment of the surrealist movement; regardless of its influence on the audiences of its day, its persistence in the canon of surrealist art is evidence of its merit.
This post provides a great summary and insightful questions, however it could have used more of an analysis of the two manifestos. While Futurism promotes a revolution in the traditional sense, Surrealism idealizes a revolution of the mind, encouraging one to free it from conventional thought. The ways in which the Surrealist Manifesto suggests to do this are not the only ones though. Any deviance from the confines of convention could be considered freeing oneself.