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Written by Tori Schlautman
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Monday, 20 October 2008 |
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We’ve seen thus far, via these puzzle pieces that contribute to the Dali Saga, that Salvador Dali was quite a unique individual whose perspectives were quite extraordinary. Unfortunately his unorthodox philosophies got him into trouble, defying authority. Here, again, this next chapter illustrates that point during the year 1926.
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Salvador Dali has always been acclaimed as a genius. But, what makes a genius? Is it what they do? How they think? The product they produce? Does it come naturally or is it taught? For Dali, it could be surmised that he didn’t really learn anything from his schooling, that all he did was natural talent. Why would one make that assumption? Perhaps we could look at his consistent striking pieces of art, made well before he was admitted into the School of Fine Arts of Madrid.
In his autobiography, Dali repeatedly fumed about the lack of education given, demanding direction from teachers but receiving nothing:
I would ask anxious, desperate questions of my professor of painting, how to mix my oil and with what, how to obtain a continuous and compact matter, what method to follow to obtain a given effect. My professor would look at me, stupefied by my questions, and answer me with evasive phrases, empty of all meaning.
He speaks of how in his first year his initial enthusiasm fled quickly. How, with each passing month, year and event, he seemed to be more and more disappointed and even disillusioned by his educators and school. It is in his boredom and frustration he nearly seeks a sort of anarchy, pressing boundaries and rules, making messes of plaster. But it is only after his short jailing and short expulsion from school that there seemed to be a final straw.
Shortly before Dali’s final examination he declared that no teacher was qualified to examine him. Many might think that this dealt with his enlarged ego, but in all truth, Dali just wanted an escape. It was simple enough to understand, he just wanted to wash his hands clean and move forward. He was not surprised by his expulsion since he brought it upon himself, and with it, came relief. He was allowed to break away to bigger, better things and to woo not only the likes of Picasso, but us all. |
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Written by Jenny Bragdon
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Friday, 17 October 2008 |
 In any society, the artist has a responsibility. His effectiveness is certainly limited and a painter or writer cannot change the world. But they can keep an essential margin of non-conformity alive. Thanks to them the powerful can never affirm that everyone agrees with their acts. That small difference is important.
- Luis Buñuel [ Pictured on the right ]
The Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid, one of the original Spanish cultural centers, was a hub for liberal thinking in an otherwise conservative Spain during the early 20th century. It was there that the “Generation of 27,” a group of Spanish poets and artists including painter Salvador Dali, poet Federico Garcia Lorca and filmmaker Luis Bunuel lived during the mid-1920s and early 1930s, forming the Spanish Surrealist avant-garde. The group established itself as the Generation of 27 at a commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the death of Spanish poet Luis de Gongora. Gerardo Diego, who published the Anthology of Spanish Poetry 1915-31, and the Anthology of Contemporary Spanish Poetry –both of which defined the poets of the Generation of 27- organized the tribute, where many poets gathered to pay homage to Gongora, who had been trivialized by critics of his time.
Influenced by Picasso’s experimentation with Cubism and Sigmund Freud’s writing on the significance of subconscious imagery, this band, together with such poets as Rafael Alberti, Pedro Salinas, Damaso Alonso and Luis Cernuda became known for revitalizing the arts in ways not seen since the 16th century. Jose ‘Pepin’ Bello, regarded by Bunuel as “Neither painter nor poet…simply our inseparable friend” is remembered as the “glue” that held the group together. Though he produced few artistic works himself, Bello, who once shared his room at the Residencia with Lorca when the poet forgot to submit his registration papers, inspired many in the group to some of their wildest Surrealist works, including the haunting image of a dead donkey draped on a grand piano in the pioneering film Un Chien Andalou, made jointly by Dali and Buñuel. |
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Written by Kelly Wise
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Wednesday, 15 October 2008 |
Sur-re-al-ism (n.) – A style of art and literature developed in the early 20th century, stressing the subconscious or non-rational significance of imagery arrived at by automatism of the exploitation of chance effects, unexpected juxtapositions, etc.
I’m sorry, what?
To put it in layman’s terms, Surrealism is an artistic movement that disregards technique and focuses more on the subject. Surrealism can be considered “anti-art” in that it depends more on the unconscious inspiration in art than on the conscious production of the art, according to Andre Breton, the initial founder of the Surrealist movement. Surrealist’s work can be regarded as absurd even ridiculous, until the motive behind the work comes out. Surrealists believe that this representation showed the “real functioning of thought.”
During World War I, Breton counselled soldiers using Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytical methods. Around the same time, many writers became a part of the Dada movement which was anti-war. They began meeting in Paris after the war, along with Breton. Breton believed that the Surrealist movement was to be first and foremost, revolutionary; a reaction against the “rationalism” they believed to be the cause of the war. The Dadaists believed this as well; however they tended to focus on the negative while the Surrealists focused on the positive. |
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Written by The LA Team
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Wednesday, 15 October 2008 |
Set across a timeframe that spans the roots of fascism to the beginning of General Franco's dictatorship, Little Ashes depicts love in a time where homosexuality was deemed immoral- a point particularly reinforced by Matthew McNulty's portrayal of surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel, a man notorious for his contempt regarding the matter.
While it is a far cry from his role in the Harry Potter franchise, Robert Pattinson brings Dalí to the screen with precisely the irreverent and eccentric personality you would expect from one of the creators of Spain’s avant-garde movement. It is however newcomer Javier Beltran who steals the show as García Lorca whose pain and longing is thoroughly portrayed and always felt, but never overplayed. " says Chris Presswell in his review of Little Ashes at the forthcoming Raindance Film Festival.
What a fantastic way to start the week! As I hinted in my post at the Movie-Fanatic, Paul Morrison's latest feature will not disappoint. From the earliest feedback we received from a couple of people, there were only praises for Little Ashes.
What surprises me the most is how reviewers and film distributors considered Robert Pattinson as a 'revelation'. Apparently, they could only compare the Harry Potter role with this one. If they would take the time to discover more of Rob, then I'm sure the term 'revelation' would become 'consistent' or some other superlatives for that matter.
It's also great to hear how Matthew McNulty, and yes, the nicest man from Spain - Javier Beltran, were praised for their performances.
Back to Rob, I'm sure many of you have something to say about this 'acting ability' issue too. So, let's hear it folks!
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Written by Cilla Benjamin and Elaine Turner
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Tuesday, 14 October 2008 |
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Our series of exclusive reviews from Raindance comes to a close with two final reviews by two of our correspondents who saw Little Ashes last week. The first review was enthusiastically written by Elaine as the second review was written by Cilla, whom had such zeal to see Little Ashes that she traveled all the way to London from Australia to see it! Despite our conclusion of reviews, we have more Raindance coverage to reveal. Stay tuned!
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[ From left: Philippa Goslett, Matthew McNulty, Marina Gattel and Paul Morrison with Raindance director, Elliot Grove, during Q and A. Photo by: Xavier Rashid ]
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This is where Paul Morrison's adaptation of Philippa Goslett's screenplay begins. Garcia Lorca and Buñuel are already friends in this version of events, when the young and flamboyantly dressed Dali joins them at University. His tendency to get himself noticed is targeted at these friends and the attraction from Garcia Lorca towards him [Dali] is almost immediate.
Little Ashes is beautifully shot against an amazing soundtrack, not least the scene when Garcia Lorca and Dali are together in Cadaques. The underwater scene was shot like a beautifully choreographed dance and it's hard to believe that the whole movie was shot in 6 weeks. Philippa Goslett admits that the events portrayed in the movie happened over several years in reality and she took a degree of artistic license in making it appear that they happened over a matter of months.
I found the whole movie totally absorbing and the inclusion of segments of Garcia Lorca's poems being read throughout the movie adds a depth and poignancy to it.
I believed the actors in their roles. Robert Pattinson played the part of the exhibitionist Dali fantastically convincingly, Matthew McNulty played a brilliantly homophobic Buñuel, but the show was stolen completely by the leading man, Javier Beltran as Frederico Garcia Lorca. The passion he felt oozed from the screen.
Click READ MORE to see Cilla's review! |
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Written by Brittany Stevens
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Tuesday, 14 October 2008 |
Today both the Little Ashes and the How To Be Promotional Blitz sites are proud to welcome Jenny and Cate from RPattz Daily as a new partner! Here is what they have to say:
RPattz Daily was started in June 2008 on Livejournal hoping to provide up-to-date and active community for Robert fans. The community is now the most active Robert Pattinson community on Livejournal and has nearly 1300 members and thousands of visitors.
The community thrives on the participation of its members and the interactive nature of the site sets it apart. Like minded fans can come together and share information, discuss Rob's film role, and share fan made art. Livejournal offers a unique forum to connect with other fans and appreciate Robert's work in an interactive manner.
Again, welcome ladies!! |
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Written by Victor Marzowicz-Velasquez
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Monday, 13 October 2008 |
Recently, the site’s publisher felt it was necessary to address the matter of censorship in regards to our writers and our content. Therefore, Victor, our expert blogger, decided to tie this very serious and controversial issue into this week’s editorial by exemplifying the concept of censorship pertaining to Lorca and his craft.
As usual, you can investigate and read more on Lorca by viewing more of Victor's blog here.
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The grossest form of censorship is to kill an artist to prevent them from raising their voice on controversial topics, and this is precisely what happened to Lorca.
Ever since the Spanish Inquisition, Spain has been by far the most socially conservative country in Europe; an absolute theocracy run by the Roman Catholic church until the advent of the democratic Second Republic in 1931, which instituted the separation of church and state. Unfortunately, this freedom would be overturned a short six years later when fascist forces under the command of Generalisimo Francisco Franco seized control of the country to restore “traditional values.”
Traditional Spanish culture was so rigidly patriarchal and pervaded by the cult of machismo that homosexuality was routinely punishable by death. In the reactionary fervor before and during the war, limpias de maricones (“faggot purges”) were common, and thousands were “disappeared” just as Lorca had been. |
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Written by Tori Schlautman
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Saturday, 11 October 2008 |
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After such a busy yet thrilling week, we return to divulge the fifth chapter of Dali’s chronicles. Last week, we caught a glimpse of a rebellious Salvador. As we will soon discover, that was only the tip of the iceberg. In this next stage of Dali’s life, we observe irony and perhaps a little lunacy.
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When I arrived I found a group of students gesticulating and shouting, and I was seized with a feeling of impending disaster. If I could have remembered the scene of the burning of the flag in Figueras I should have been suspicious of the turn matters took, for I was once more to be the victim of the myth that spread its halo around me.
A lot can be said for Dali; he might have been egotistical, eccentric and perhaps even a little bit mad but he wasn’t exactly a political genius. His friends were revolutionaries and his father was a well respected figure but politics wasn’t Dali’s arena. The only thing Salvador Dali could really claim is that he seemed to suffer from a continual case of Wrong Place, Wrong Time syndrome.
Dali had been jailed very shortly; first following a small riot at the academy- which he had supposedly led by standing and leaving an auditorium in objection to a new teacher being assigned. He was caught in the ensuing mob and subsequently identified as a participant, no matter his refusal that he had acted as such. He was suspended from school and returned home. |
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Written by Jed Medina
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Friday, 10 October 2008 |
When I took it upon myself to initiate this Promotional Blitz project, I was completely aware of the delicate issue surrounding the story of the movie. I'm not worried about our European audiences, they have been exposed to many controversial scenes, dialogue and themes, and they know the difference between art and trash. But I am a bit 'weary' of some of the moviegoers in America who might feel too strongly connected with their conservative values. I know that just a hint of gay sex might turn them off. I'm sure we'll have that sooner or later here.
What surprised me just now is how people who have read the review find it worthy to concentrate on accents. I thought it amusing at first, but then again, when I got to read more of what has been said, I became alarmed. There is a danger signal lurking somewhere. Its not hard to identify what it is - its called nuisance. Its rather annoying and usually involved the over-analyzation of issues. In this case, creating a big issue when it's not even there.
It's also a pre-cursor to another issue - censorship.
We don't censor our writers and reviewers. We respect their opinions and we are proud of what they have written so far. To send me even a hint of editing or deleting a certain portion of what my reviewer wrote is like slapping my face. That's not how we do things here.
Lastly, this is a promotional website, we will sing high praises of Rob and the cast and crew because we know they deserve it. Even before the reviews came in, we were already committed to its promotion. Its not called blind loyalty, it's the confidence in our own choices.
We chose a winner and we knew it. |
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Written by Sam Bracknell and Evelyn James
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Friday, 10 October 2008 |
 Continuing our presentation of exclusive Little Ashes reviews, we have recruited two reviewers that were munificent to write and express their two cents. Starting us off is Evelyn James, who wrote a very well detailed assessment of the film. Following Evelyn’s account is a great comprehensive analysis by Lady Bracknell, whom we quoted a preliminary review from on Wednesday. Stay tuned for the third and final portion in our set of exclusive Raindance reviews!
[In photo: Carlo Dusi and Philippa Goslett. Photo by: Xavier Rashid]
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Little Ashes is uncompromising in its explicitness, rawness and full on emotion and has not let its small budget hold it back. Set in 1920’s Madrid, we follow the story of the young lives of poet and dramatist, Federíco García Lorca (Javier Beltran), film maker Luis Buñuel (Matthew McNulty) and artist, Salvador Dali (Robert Pattinson). The film centres on the relationship between Lorca and Dalí, beginning as a friendship formed by common loves and interests and then quickly evolves into so much more. It is during their time in Cadaques that their feelings are truly expressed to one another, in the pivotal water scene. Pattinson and Beltran showed a fascination and what was like a magnetic pull between Dalí and Lorca and making the scene beautifully moving. The accompanying soundtrack and striking scenery enhanced this.
The role of Dalí is a far cry from Pattinson’s previous roles, for example, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which shows his versatility as an actor. He exhumed amazing energy and was successful in presenting Dali’s awkwardness, mostly through humour, and portraying Dalí’s obvious fear of sexual relationships. Like Pattinson, Beltran is also destined for great things, he captivated the wonderful spirit, talent and hope in Lorca. Both Pattinson and Beltran presented stunning performances and the supporting actors underpinned this.
I admire Paul Morrison’s deliberate decision to not make Little Ashes into a biopic. This deliberate decision is what separates the film from being categorised into another mediocre film about Salvador Dalí to an enchanting, inspiring story about an intoxicating love.
Overall, Little Ashes made me laugh, cry and was truly heart wrenching at times. I believe it truly deserves to become a big hit; it would be a pleasure to watch again. “No limits”, were the words uttered by Lorca and Dalí, and this was exactly what was delivered.
Click READ MORE to read Lady Bracknell's review! |
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Written by Sam Kerbey
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Thursday, 09 October 2008 |
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Throughout the day, we have kept you up-to-date on all the reviews we could find coming out of Raindance from your fellow aficionados. Believe it or not, but more reviews are coming! We begin our set of exclusive reviews with one from Sam, one of our correspondents and staff members who was beyond fortunate to see Little Ashes, not once...but twice! Be sure to check back later for the next segment of our exclusive reviews!
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[From left: Matthew McNulty, Philippa Goslett, Marina Gattel, and Paul Morrison. Photo by: Andreas Tovan]
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Ok, wow I don’t know where to start. It was a two hour train journey down to London and I thought I’d kill the time by reading ‘Sebastian’s Arrows: Letters and Mementos of Salvador Dali and Federico Garcia Lorca’. I was marking sections that to me spoke of their feelings - and the relationship I was desperately hoping the film would show. One quote I highlighted was from a letter Federico wrote Salvador:
Remember me when you are at the beach and above all when you paint crackling things and my Little Ashes. Oh my Little Ashes! Paint my name into the picture so that my name will mean something in the world
In the darkened theatre these beautiful heartfelt lines appeared on screen, and the film had begun. From this we cut to an 18 year old Dali getting ready to move to Madrid, with his funny hair and his clothes from another time, it is obvious from the start that he does not fit in – yet he desperately wants to not only be accepted but to achieve greatness.
We are introduced to the social elite of the Resi – the newly published Lorca and the loud, flamboyant and variable Bunuel (actually it’s Luis this term). The charisma of this group is clear from the beginning and the talents of the cast are obvious.
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