French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Joubert, The Cinema of the Surrealists
Art and Visual Culture
The Cinema of the Surrealists
Alain Joubert
Michel Ciment (Preface), Pierre-André Sauvageot (Illustrator)
Publication date: 18/05/2018
Publisher: Nadeau (Maurice)
ISBN: 978-2-86231-272-9
EAN: 9782862312729
No. of pages: 300 p.
Buñuel, Ferreri, Fields, Forman, Greenaway, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Polanski, Prévert, Renoir, Sternberg, to name but a few... While there is, strictly speaking, no Surrealist cinema as such, these directors nevertheless reflected the Surrealist state of mind. Alain Joubert has chosen to present in this work one hundred and sixty-two films, from the 1920s to 2015, both famous and lesser-known, in which the desire to revolutionize human understanding shines through.
The 29 black-and-white photocollages by Pierre-André Sauvageot interpret and illustrate the themes of revolt, subversion, mad love, passion, the marvelous, oneirism, the power of myth, the exaltation of the sacred, Eros and Thanatos, black humor, and nonsense—everything on which psychic forces (automatism, dreams, the unconscious) are based, liberated from the control of reason and in conflict with accepted values.
Alain Joubert joined André Breton and the Surrealist Group as early as 1955; from then on, he participated in all of the group's activities until its self-dissolution in 1969, decided at his initiative. He is the author of some fifteen books—short stories, poems, essays, and chronicles—including Le Mouvement des surréalistes ou le fin mot de l'histoire (2001), Une Goutte d'éternité (2007), and La Clé est sur la porte, pour le Grand Surréalisme (2016), published by Maurice Nadeau.
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An article about this book can be read on en-attendant-nadeau.fr:
"The Surrealists Go to the Cinema", by Guillaume Basquin.
Here is a beautiful book that at first glance resembles a scholarly, encyclopedic catalogue on the "cinema of the surrealists", the kind regularly published for film "exhibitions"; but no, it is rather a film in itself, made of twelve photogram-collages by Pierre-André Sauvageot, accompanied by a soundtrack by Alain Joubert serving as a spoken "commentary".
While orthodox cinematic history often hesitates to define a strictly Surrealist film movement, this study traces a profound lineage of subversion, oneirism, and black humor across generations of filmmaking. Alain Joubert examines works by renowned directors such as Luis Buñuel and Stanley Kubrick alongside lesser-known cinematic creations, arguing that their artistic output captures the revolutionary impulses first championed by the avant-garde. By exploring themes like mad love, the marvelous, and the liberation of the unconscious from rational control, the volume offers a fresh perspective on how celluloid can embody the psychic forces of dreams and desire.
As a former member of the Parisian Surrealist group who worked closely with André Breton, Joubert brings firsthand historical authority and deep theoretical insight to his subject. This volume serves as an invaluable resource for scholars of film history, avant-garde art, and twentieth-century intellectual movements who wish to understand the enduring legacy of Surrealism on the silver screen. Accompanied by striking photocollages by Pierre-André Sauvageot, the book bridges literary history and visual culture, making it essential reading for anyone interested in the intersections of cinema, philosophy, and artistic revolt.