Dreams That Money Can Buy (1947)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Hans Richter

Writers:

Joseph Freeman (screenplay)
Hans Rehfisch (screenplay)

Release Date:

November 1956 (West Germany)

Genre:

Fantasy

Plot Keywords:

Surrealism | Nihilism | Dream Sequence | Dream Analysis | Bizarre

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jack Bittner	...	Joe / Narcissus
Libby Holman
Josh White
Norman Cazanjian
Doris Okerson
John La Touche	...	The Gangster (as John Latouche)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Trivia:

An experimental film shot for $25,000 in a Manhattan loft. It opened in New York in March, 1947 and went on to win the Venice Film Festival Award for the best original contribution to the progress of cinematography.

Quotes:

(singing on soundtrack): Oh Venus was born out of sea-foam / oh Venus was born out of brine / but a girl of today / if she is grade A / is assembled upon the assembly line

Soundtrack:

The Girl with the Pre-Fabricated Heart

Anyone interested in surrealism needs to see this film immediately

Anyone interested in surrealism needs to see this film immediately. It is difficult to find, but those interested in this fascinating area of art will not be disappointed. "Dreams That Money Can Buy" is easily the greatest experimental feature film made. If ever there was a film that could be described as dreamlike, this is it. I'd go so far as to saying its better than "Un chien andalou", which is often acclaimed to be the ultimate surrealist film. Its certainly different though. While "Un chien andalou" was shocking and nihilistic, this is more lighthearted but even stranger. Its also a film that is very easy on the eyes, as the colors look gorgeous. Its a shame this isn't wider known or has a commercial DVD release. It is actually a considerably accessible work that could get novices interested in surrealism beyond Dali. And unlike many other experimental films, it is never boring.

The reason why the film works so well as it operates on its own inner logic and makes it seem credible. Don't kid yourself, there isn't any deeper meaning to the images. But you are convinced all these random segments tie in together and mean something. Few films have so effectively weirded me out as this one and even fewer managed to keep me in awe. This is a true work of beauty, and nothing else in the art world even remotely resembles it. My favorite segment? The one towards the end about the blue-faced man discovering himself. Entirely worth tracking down. (10/10)