elag's definitions
Popular usage has transformed the word "surreal" into litle more than a synonym for "weird", and so rendered it useless. I'll use "surrealistic" if a film (or any work of art) exhibits mannered mimicking of superficial aspects of the visual style of the original Surrealists between the wars (commonly, cribs from Dali, Magritte, Chirico, Bunuel or Cocteau). In all other cases I prefer more specific terms, like "dreamlike", "Nightmarish" or "Bunuelesque". I'd reserve "surrealist" for the output of members of recognized Surrealist groups.
Everything is so surreal.
by elag March 5, 2004
Get the surrealmug.