destino Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Even the weirder artists of the twentieth century have been attracted to the allure of Hollywood filmmaking, and Salvador Dali was no exception. In the fall of 1941, the surrealist painter hosted a masquerade party at Pebble Beach during one of his regular visits to the town. Called "Surrealism Night in An Enchanted Forest," the fundraising event, intended to assist European refugee artists, brought out a number of stars, including Bob Hope and Ginger Rogers. It was here, the story goes, that Dali became attached to a major studio production called Moontide. The great German emigre Fritz Lang was hired to direct the movie, and asked Dali to create a three-minute nightmare sequence for the film. Unfortunately, after the incident at Pearl Harbor later that year, Twentieth Century Fox deemed the project too bleak. Lang was replaced, and Dali's nightmare sequence went with him.

Although inspired by the movies, Dali didn't always have the easiest time making them. He would get another chance to inject his hallucinatory vision into American cinema with the hypnosis scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound, but it's his unrealized projects that truly indicate the scope of the painter's ambition. So many ideas, such little time. Dali: Painting and Film, a breathtakingly unique exhibit currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, surveys Dali's completed cinematic works in addition to tidbits from the ones that never came to fruition. Marvelously structured to show how his paintings were intentionally cinematic, the exhibit contains all the obvious highlights from Dali's movie career alongside lesser-known productions. The importance in film history of his collaborations with Luis Bunuel remain uncontested; two large screens in separate rooms showing Un Chien Andalou (where the opening eye splicing retains its original gross-out impact) and L'Age D'Or attest to that. Fewer visitors, however, might know about Dali's collaboration with the Marx Brothers on a deliriously strange movie that sounded too good to be true.

One of the most amazing things I've ever seen was Destino, the short, unfinished animated film collaboration between Salvador Dali and Walt Disney. Financial concerns during World War II had brought an end to the project, letting it lie forgotten for many decades. In 2003, nephew Roy rediscovered the project, finished it, and released it to a number of festivals like Toronto's Worldwide Short Film Fest, which is where I saw it. Just imagine the old-school, artistic touch of Disney merged with Dali's surrealist eye.

Over a year ago, the film was on its way to DVD as part of the Legacy Collection, but the release date came and went. Now the Disney Blog has posted the disc's new release date, which was part of a recent announcement. It seems that now the film will be part of Disney's Treasures collection. Each release -- Destino, Chronological Donald, Volume 4, and Dr Syn, Alias the Scarecrow -- are hosted by Leonard Maltin and will get a 2-Disc DVD on November 11. Of course, this is Disney we're talking about, so the release will be limited.

Some news for the weekend:

• I don't see the connection, but the latest heist flick to hit the pike is inspired by Ralph Ellison's racial classic, Invisible Man. Invisible, written by The Watcher and Four Brothers scribe David Elliot, is about a masterful bank heist and the obsession that a female cop has with catching a mysterious con man, who I presume is responsible for the heist. Was the mere word "invisible" the inspiration? Will the crime flick also deal with racial issues? I have no idea. Infinity Media has grabbed the project, and Lance Larson will direct it.
• While Destino is getting closer to its DVD release, it will be part of a Disney art exhibit in Montreal, which runs from March 8 - June 24. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will have, on-loan, about 300 pieces of art from the Disney archives, and most have never been publically displayed. The exhibit is called Once Upon a Time, and it focuses on the many sources that inspired the world of Disney. This includes original work by Disney studio artists, paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, film clips and other items. Basically, it's a must-see for old-school Disney fans.
  
• The U.K. Film Council Development Fund has been busy. Just over a week after releasing the latest round of films to receive money from the Fund, Jenny Borgars has stepped down as head. Harry Potter producer Tanya Seghatchian has been named as her replacement. Seghatchian is known as the executive who first brought Rowling's work to the attention of David Heyman, and has worked closely on the development of the franchise. In 2005, she was one of Variety's 10 Producers to Watch, and they seem to have been right! It'll be interesting to see what she does with the Fund.
  

I've never seen any animated short as charming or epically beautiful as Destino. Granted, the short film wasn't simply an animation feat but the collaboration of two historic names -- Salvador Dali and Walt Disney. It makes sense, really. Dali was a man known for creating fluidity on canvas with his surrealist paintings. Disney was a man known for his animated vision. Obviously, bringing the pair together would result in an epic moving picture, and it did -- although it took sixty years to come together.

Before the father of Mickey ever concocted the idea to animate my personal favorite, Sleeping Beauty, with the use of real artists, Disney had teamed with Dali to create Destino. It was the pairing of two visionaries, one that soon became a financial burden and scrapped during World War II. In 2000, the dormant project was revived by Walt's nephew, Roy, and finished by French animator Dominique Monfrey. It was nominated for an Oscar that it should've won, and aired at a number of short film festivals in 2003 and 2004.

I have no idea what has taken so long, but the film is now getting its British premiere at the Tate Modern in London, as part of the Dali & Film exhibition -- running from June 1 to September 9. If you've entertained the possibility of travelling to the British Isles this year, that will be the time to do it. Even after multiple screenings and Oscar nods, the film still hasn't been widely released.* So, unless you're patient enough to keep waiting -- maybe another 60 years -- now's the time to go and see it.

*Thank you, Mike, for the heads up on the DVD. There won't be a 60-year wait, but feel free to ignore this if you want an excuse to travel to London. And thanks to Lisa, who rightly pointed out that Roy's a nephew, and not a son. -MB