By Jonathan Monovich.
Dupieux’s Daaaaaalí! understands that to make a faithful film about Dalí it should lack convention.”
Though Salvador Dalí’s paintings are far more famous than his contributions to cinema, Dalí’s peculiar signature left an indelible mark on film history as well. Dalí and Luis Buñuel’s collaboration, Un chien andalou (1929), offered a shocking collection of dream-inspired images bound together by irrationality. The imagery of Un Chien andalou remains some of the most brutal to ever hit the screen, yet there is an undeniable hypnotic quality that draws the eye to the surreal. Following Un Chien andalou’s revolutionary release, Dalí served as a creative consultant in helping filmmakers capture the otherworldly look and feel of dreams on screen. Such films include Moontide (1942), Spellbound (1945), and Father of the Bride (1950). Sadly, many of the films Dalí aspired to make never saw the light of day. Too ambitious and irregular for their time, projects like Giraffes on Horseback Salad, a Marx Brothers collaboration, remain lost dreams of Dalí. Rather than dwelling on what could have been, French filmmaker/musician Quentin Dupieux’s Daaaaaalí! (2023) explores the man, the myth, and the legend of “la personage du Salvador Dalí.” Whereas Daliland (2022) was overly concerned with Dalí’s social circle, much like Factory Girl (2006), writer/director/cinematographer/editor Dupieux’s understands that to make a faithful film about Dalí it should lack convention. Just as Jean-Luc Godard knew that for films about the revolutionary to be effective they should also be made in a revolutionary fashion, Dupieux similarly comprehends the task at hand and therefore excels with Daaaaaalí!.
Daaaaaalí! foregoes logic and relies on absurdity. This is a practice familiar to Dupieux [Rubber (2010), Reality (2014), Yannick (2023)] yet indebted to both Dalí and Buñuel. Like Buñuel, Dupieux is primarily concerned with comedic absurdism. It is Dupieux’s combination of a willingness to let anything fly and a knack for beautifully offbeat compositions that makes Daaaaaalí! a real treat. Dupieux’s imagery at times mimics the paintings of Dalí with pianos that drain water and men whose abnormally deformed heads require crutches to hold them up. The recreation of Dalí’s easily recognizable work adds to the legitimacy of Daaaaaalí!, though Dupieux’s primary focus is in capturing the essence of Dalí. Dupieux playfully suggests that Dalí’s larger than life persona surpasses his art. This is a concept that is central to the film and one that was shared by Dalí, considering his persona to be his “masterpiece.” The film’s setup allows for Dalí’s persona to literally flourish in different shapes and sizes. Dalí is portrayed by five different actors (Gilles Lellouche, Édouard Baer, Jonathan Cohen, Pio Marmaï, and Didier Flamand) who randomly rotate throughout the film, furthering Dupieux’s surrealist expertise. Of the many Dalís, he is revealed to be a self-proclaimed “anarchist,” “monarchist,” “the greatest genius,” “mediocre,” and a “bad” painter. A walking contradiction, the many faces of Dalí approach their roles enthusiastically, acting with traces of the physical humor of Johnny Depp, Mike Myers, Charlie Chaplin, and Jean-Pierre Léaud. The caricature of Dalí is one that thrives on physicality, expression, and unpredictability. Like the film’s title suggests, these Dalís appropriately exeeeeeentuate their words in delivering their eccentric dialogue. Their humorous overconfidence in delivery allows for the intelligent contrast with the shy journalist, Judith (Anaïs Demoustier). The task of interviewing Dalí amasses to being a quixotic one for Judith due to its seeming impossibility.
Dupieux serves as a magician of sorts, keeping viewers’ attention while never fully explaining what’s going on.”
At first site, Dalí makes a grandiose entrance proclaiming “Here I am! Here I am! Here I am!” while approaching Judith. The interaction continues longer than it should, defying the logic of time, and the hotel’s hallway comically appears never-ending. Because the narrative is crafted in this way, Dupieux serves as a magician of sorts, keeping viewers’ attention while never fully explaining what’s going on. When Dalí and Judith finally come face to face, he storms out professing “how can you interview Dalí without a camera?” From here, Judith struggles immensely to appease Dalí. After some sweet talk and embellishment, Judith eventually lands a seaside interview on the beach. Again, it wouldn’t be a Dalí entrance if it weren’t lavish. This time, he insists on driving his Rolls Royce as close to the camera as possible. Even though Dalí is responsible for breaking the camera, he refuses to continue without one. The interview’s extravagant setup, inclusive of a Gaetano Pesce UP chair in the sand, becomes obsolete. This game of cat and mouse between Dalí and Judith amusingly strings along throughout Daaaaaalí!.
The chaos is set to the Spanish guitar score of Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter. The catchy, repetitive rhythm of Bangalter’s guitar adds to the film’s mesmerizing qualities, and its combination with Dupieux’s imagery makes for an excellent blend. As Daaaaaalí! progresses, it is noted by Judith’s cantankerous manager, Jérôme (Romain Duris), that “stars love having their asses wiped.” Judith tolerates the difficulty of Dalí, knowing of the impact it could have on her career, though Jérôme’s patience dwindles by the minute. Though Daaaaaalí! is largely defined by its absurdism, the film also very clearly satirizes the lengths people go for fame and the power that is abused by those that have it. Dupieux also pokes fun at the art market, its inability to decipher reality from fakery, and the obscene prices that are paid for a name rather than the quality of a painting.
With dogs falling from the sky, eggs disappearing on the stove, skeet shooting with real pigeons, eating in reverse, and tales of a priest’s outlandish dreams that repeatedly reemerge at unexpected moments, Daaaaaalí! is a film that rewards attentive viewers. Dupieux’s gag-heavy style becomes at times reminiscent of the Monty Python films and the early works of the Abrahams/Zuckers’ partnership [Airplane! (1980), Police Squad! (1982), Top Secret! (1984)]. Just as the subjects of Dalí’s paintings were stretched, melted, and elongated, Dupieux applies the same technique to the film’s rather simplistic plot and quick seventy-seven minute runtime. Because of Dupieux’s clever artistry, Daaaaaalí! is irrefutably inventive. It is a film that I will certainly be watching again.
Daaaaaalí! is now available for streaming via Music Box Films.
Jonathan Monovich is a Chicago-based writer and a regular contributor for Film International. His writing has also been featured in Film Matters, Bright Lights Film Journal, and PopMatters.