Posted by Solomon
on 11/6/2009, 11:00 am
71.251.172.126
The just-released dvd of The Lineup is a real treat.
I was struck by how surreal (fantastic, unbelievable) some of the real images are, including certain close-ups. Some dialogue and characterization is also surreal. The face of the man in the wheelchair; the 50s automobile; the anti-woman speech of Robert Keith; the look on the face of "The Man" in the wheelchair; the incongruity of his being in a wheelchair and being pushed to the ice rink; the entire maze of freeways, and especially driving at top speed up a portion that comes to an abrupt end and another portion that NARROWS down to nothing; tearing apart the doll. There are surreal images in Lady in Shanghai, Suspense, Testament of Dr. Mabuse, in fact, in many noir films, such as Elisha Cook drumming away in Phantom Lady.
Has this been observed before? I suppose it has. I suppose it qualifies as the "grotesque" characteristic.
It sure spices up these movies. Maybe they ALL have it, as in The Furies, Ministry of Fear, Murder My Sweet, and others.
What are your favorite fantastical and surreal images?
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