Directed By Mary Harron
Where & When: Nuart Theatre, West Los Angeles, CA June 15, 2023 7:30 PM
Salvador Dalí was an artist from Spain who became renowned beginning in the 1920's by shocking the world with his surrealist vision with work that provoked and challenged, filled with dreamlike landscapes, disturbing themes and sexual imagery. And the gifted Dalí's personal life, with his equally eccentric wife, Gala, was just as unorthodox and chaotic as his art.
"Daliland", the latest from director Mary Harron, explores the artist years after success, fame and living life wildly and weirdly on his terms. Much like Warhol, Dalí had parlayed his accomplishments as an artist into becoming a celebrated pop-culture figure. But times and tastes change and now in the mid 1970's, Dalí is struggling to stay relevant and keep the money rolling in with his wife cracking the whip for him to continue painting. And while the film does capture some of the craziness that Dalí generates and surrounds himself with, "Daliland" remains oddly a conventional bio-drama, never generating a sense of vivid artistry and otherworldly visuals that would have been expected in a story involving this singular artist.
"Daliland" opens with Dalí's appearance on the game show, "What's My Line?" with Ben Kingsley inserted in the actual vintage footage with a blindfolded Arlene Francis trying to guess who he is by asking questions. When asked if he plays sports, Dalí states that he does, assuming they mean in general, before the host steers them back on to his actual occupation. After several more inquiries, Francis guesses his identity, revealing that Dalí has become just as well-known as his art.
Salvador Dalí was an artist from Spain who became renowned beginning in the 1920's by shocking the world with his surrealist vision with work that provoked and challenged, filled with dreamlike landscapes, disturbing themes and sexual imagery. And the gifted Dalí's personal life, with his equally eccentric wife, Gala, was just as unorthodox and chaotic as his art.
"Daliland", the latest from director Mary Harron, explores the artist years after success, fame and living life wildly and weirdly on his terms. Much like Warhol, Dalí had parlayed his accomplishments as an artist into becoming a celebrated pop-culture figure. But times and tastes change and now in the mid 1970's, Dalí is struggling to stay relevant and keep the money rolling in with his wife cracking the whip for him to continue painting. And while the film does capture some of the craziness that Dalí generates and surrounds himself with, "Daliland" remains oddly a conventional bio-drama, never generating a sense of vivid artistry and otherworldly visuals that would have been expected in a story involving this singular artist.
"Daliland" opens with Dalí's appearance on the game show, "What's My Line?" with Ben Kingsley inserted in the actual vintage footage with a blindfolded Arlene Francis trying to guess who he is by asking questions. When asked if he plays sports, Dalí states that he does, assuming they mean in general, before the host steers them back on to his actual occupation. After several more inquiries, Francis guesses his identity, revealing that Dalí has become just as well-known as his art.
We move on years later with Dalí, living momentarily at the St. Regis in New York, needing to paint not only for an upcoming show but to maintain the lavish lifestyle he has acquired. James Linton (Christopher Briney), a young man who had artistic ambitions but dropped out of school, has just gotten a job at an art gallery as an assistant. This gallery represents Dalí and the new hire has been given the task of making a special delivery. With an envelope that must be given directly to Mrs. Dalí (Barbara Sukowa), James arrives to a boisterous party scene in a room filled with famous faces and exotic hangers-on. The handsome man attracts the attention of the Dalís with James quickly swept up into their orbit, being temporarily borrowed from the gallery to assist the painter.
The gallery is more than happy to lend their employee, with him being able to report back on the artist's progress with his paintings, but James has his work cut out for him. Dalí is easily distracted, observing the beautiful people gathered in his home, using them as canvases, and finding great fascination with the ordinary mechanisms of the world (like a paper coffee cup).
Flaunting an ostentatious style that included a waxed upturned mustache, madcap behavior and referring to himself in the third person, Dalí was certainly a character. And Kingsley certainly brings it all to life, gleefully going wild-eyed and outrageously excessive as the artist. But strangely the focus of "Daliland" is not really on Salvador Dalí. That would be on James, with him serving as our guide as he enters the strange world of Dalí wide-eyed and completely baffled. There is also some romance, with James falling for the aloof beauty, Ginesta (Suki Waterhouse), one of Dalí's art groupies, but it's all predictable and uninteresting.
We never really get a proper understanding of what made Dalí become the flamboyant, quirky artist, "Dalí". There is a brief moment where we flashback to see how a young Dalí (played by Ezra Miller, an actor who has become problematic of late) first met the Russian-born Gala (Avital Lvova). While she was ten years his senior and already married, there was a deep connection between them that went beyond emotional or sexual that created a bond they couldn't shake. Over time, their relationship has grown volatile and toxic, with Gala engaging in several affairs which Dalí didn't mind since he was phobic regarding sex, preferring to just watch, yet the couple still remained deeply devoted to each other.
Harron first made an impression in the mid 1990's, during the days when African-Americans, the LGBTQ+ communities and female filmmakers were emerging with indie film movements to create stories that reflected their lives, with her debut, "I Shot Andy Warhol" that features a mesmerizing performance from Lili Taylor as Valerie Solanas and her failed assassination attempt on the pop artist. Harron's follow-up was "American Psycho", her 2000 adaptation of the controversial book by Bret Easton Ellis, a dark and disturbing comedy set in the '80's about a New York banker who is also a serial killer. While the film wasn't considered much of a box-office success at the time, "American Psycho" was well-received by critics and went on to develop a large cult following.
The gallery is more than happy to lend their employee, with him being able to report back on the artist's progress with his paintings, but James has his work cut out for him. Dalí is easily distracted, observing the beautiful people gathered in his home, using them as canvases, and finding great fascination with the ordinary mechanisms of the world (like a paper coffee cup).
Flaunting an ostentatious style that included a waxed upturned mustache, madcap behavior and referring to himself in the third person, Dalí was certainly a character. And Kingsley certainly brings it all to life, gleefully going wild-eyed and outrageously excessive as the artist. But strangely the focus of "Daliland" is not really on Salvador Dalí. That would be on James, with him serving as our guide as he enters the strange world of Dalí wide-eyed and completely baffled. There is also some romance, with James falling for the aloof beauty, Ginesta (Suki Waterhouse), one of Dalí's art groupies, but it's all predictable and uninteresting.
We never really get a proper understanding of what made Dalí become the flamboyant, quirky artist, "Dalí". There is a brief moment where we flashback to see how a young Dalí (played by Ezra Miller, an actor who has become problematic of late) first met the Russian-born Gala (Avital Lvova). While she was ten years his senior and already married, there was a deep connection between them that went beyond emotional or sexual that created a bond they couldn't shake. Over time, their relationship has grown volatile and toxic, with Gala engaging in several affairs which Dalí didn't mind since he was phobic regarding sex, preferring to just watch, yet the couple still remained deeply devoted to each other.
Harron first made an impression in the mid 1990's, during the days when African-Americans, the LGBTQ+ communities and female filmmakers were emerging with indie film movements to create stories that reflected their lives, with her debut, "I Shot Andy Warhol" that features a mesmerizing performance from Lili Taylor as Valerie Solanas and her failed assassination attempt on the pop artist. Harron's follow-up was "American Psycho", her 2000 adaptation of the controversial book by Bret Easton Ellis, a dark and disturbing comedy set in the '80's about a New York banker who is also a serial killer. While the film wasn't considered much of a box-office success at the time, "American Psycho" was well-received by critics and went on to develop a large cult following.
With her stellar, early accomplishments, Harron should have had an extensive film career, like many of her male peers would achieve during this time. But due to having difficulty being able to get projects off the ground (meaning studios refusing to back them), she would only be able to make three little-seen, indie features following these two impressive movies, spending much of her time over the years directing episodes for various television series.
Harron does manage to achieve moments of visual flair and influence some fine performances in "Daliland". Yet overall the film feels far too safe, lacking in solid storytelling or creative inspiration. Perhaps the years as a director-for-hire has sadly caused her to resist taking considerable artistic risks with this recent return to the big screen.
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