Daliland

My Review - Daliland My Rating 7/10 Streaming on Foxtel

If I think of Salvador Dali I immediately think of the word bizarre and that's exactly how Oscar winner Ben Kingsley portrays the famous Spanish surrealist artist Dali.

This movie depicting Salvador Dali's final years with flashbacks to his youth when his younger self played by Ezra Miller meets his muse poet Gala who later in 1935 became his wife and greatest source of inspiration.

The movie begins in 1973 New York when a young handsome gallery assistant James Linton meets the famous 70 year old colourful eccentric artist Salvador Dali who refers to him from then on as Angel.

James Linton is played very effectively by Christopher Briney a fashionably charismatic slightly androgynous looking new actor who currently has a featured role as Aaron Samuels in the movie Mean Girls a teen musical.

The Dali's are both well past their prime but delight in giving extravagant parties attended by A list celebrities and the pop stars and models to be found at Studio 54 Gala played by Barbara Sukowa was apparently Salvador Dali's only sexual partner is described as having the "libido of an electric eel" Gala becomes infatuated with Jeff Fenholt played by Zachary Nachbar-Seckel whose fame is his role as Jesus on Broadway in Jesus Christ Superstar .

Dali invites Angel to assist him prepare for an important exhibition and they all return to Figueres in Spain which is Dali's birthplace.

This is the most interesting part of this movie as Dali revisits his youth when he first meets Gala and the relationships between the main characters develop.

I enjoyed seeing Rupert Graves again in Daliland playing Captain Moore who was Salvador Dali's business manager until he falls from grace .

I enjoyed Daliland directed by Mary Harron and written by John Walsh .

I must rewatch Little Ashes the 2008 movie starring Robert Pattinson as Dali which covers the young life of Salvador Dali .

I hope to visit the Salvador Dali museum this year in Figueres, Spain so these 2 movies greatly interested me .

Daliland - to see a genus at work is a real treat. He may have been mad - but who isn't? And he got well paid for it!

Ben Kingsley is one of Britain's finest actors his breadth of work is astonishing and well deserved of the "Sir" title.

This film traces Dali in the height of his career whilst also exposes - perhaps for the first time the intricacies and complications even contradictions of one of the worlds most famous men (of all time)

I never understood his work / but I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone curious about one of the 20th Century's most infamous figures.

I remember being taught about Salvadore Dalí in high school (decades ago!) and was intrigued by his surrealist art. But I have never known much about him as a person. Dalíland is a captivating drama that delves into this man's life and artistic journey. Dalí was an influential and controversial figure of the 20th century. This film explores Dalí's years in Spain, followed by his remarkable ascent to fame in Paris as a key leader of the surrealist movement. Throughout his journey, we witness the complexities of his relationships with family, his muse Gala and fellow artists like Luis Buñuel and Federico García Lorca. The movie delves into Dalí's artistic process, eccentric personality, and unyielding fascination with immortality.

Directed by Mary Harron, known for her work on films like Psycho and The Notorious Bettie Page, Dalí boasts meticulous attention to detail and a delightful touch of humour that perfectly captures the essence of Dalí's whimsical world. Visually striking with its colour palette and imaginative interpretations of Dalí's paintings, this film showcases the impeccable cinematography by Marcel Zyskind, which masterfully juxtaposes realism with surrealism within each scene. Isona Rigau's remarkable production design flawlessly recreates settings and costumes with precision and flair. The special effects employed are also noteworthy in those mesmerising moments where Dalí's paintings spring to life.

The movie showcases a cast led by Ben Kingsley in the role of Dalí. Kingsley delivers a captivating portrayal capturing the complexity and charisma of this genius madman. He skillfully embodies Dalí's mannerisms, accent and expressions with subtlety. He effectively conveys Dalí's emotions, from passion and joy to fear and loneliness. Supporting Kingsley is Barbara Sukowa, as Gala, who delivers a sympathetic performance as Dalí's partner (Dalí would have been almost impossible to live with). Manville portrays Gala's intelligence, charm, and ambition while expressing her frustration and pain at being overshadowed by Dalís fame and eccentricity. There's a large supporting cast, all putting in good performances.

Unfortunately, Dalí sometimes suffers from a lack of focus and coherence; it jumps from one episode to another without a clear narrative thread. It also attempts to cover too much ground within its two-hour runtime resulting in a superficial overview that feels disjointed. The movie also misses the chance to delve into some of Dalí's aspects, like his beliefs, sexual orientation, and exploitation of Gala. These issues are either skimmed over or lightly touched upon in the film missing out on an opportunity to present a critical perspective on Dalí. Despite the events in Dalí's life, the film lacks impact. It fails to make us truly care about Dalí or his relationships, leaving us detached and indifferent.

Dalíland is a film with potential but falls way short of its ambitions. It is visually stunning and entertaining as it showcases Dalís artistry and personality, but it also comes across as shallow and fragmented, unable to capture the essence and significance of Dalí. While it may appeal to fans of Dalí and surrealism, it may disappoint those seeking insights into one of history's captivating artists.

I had no idea what to expect on viewing this movie, but I was not at all disappointed.

It was fantastic and so very well filmed.

We see little of the genius at work, instead what we have is a peek into the mind of Dali, and his followers.

The film reminds me that some people have minds that simply work differently from yours and mine.

The great geniuses see the world differently than we do. In other eras I am sure some of these geniuses would be unrecognized and cast out as insane.

And it has occurred to me that many such persons die early.

There is a price to pay for fame and genius.

Anyway, the acting was terrific, I actually felt like I was back in the 70s again in some of the scenes.

And the filming is most beautiful.

All in all a great movie that should be enjoyed by all.

As noted in some other reviews, the film covers some aspects of Dali's life that are fascinating, in particular his complex relationship with Gala, his muse / lover / mother figure. The film also touches on the massive amounts of fraud occurring with Dali lithographs and prints, though it doesn't do much with this angle. So if you don't know the Dali story, this will be informational, at least about his later years. If you do know the Dali story, you will recognize the truth and have a richer experience.

While enjoyable, this film has a major structural problem. It focuses on a young person being brought into the world of Dali, and serving as our proxy as we learn about Dali, Gala and their struggles. This is a common storytelling tactic (used recently, for example, in both The Exception and Il Cattivo Poeta), but it's unnecessary and diverts attention from what we really came to see. No one will go this film for the young person's story, they will go for the Dali story.