Think of Salvador Dali and it’s likely that some weird images come to mind, maybe of melting clocks, long-legged elephants and perhaps a moustache curled to the point of preposterousness. That’s all well and iconic, but what do you actually know about the man? Artists occupy a peculiar space in culture, and are perhaps expected to be like their work – somehow ‘great’, or at least different to us normies. Films about artists therefore need to strike a balance between meeting these expectations while making the artistic figures human and relatable.
Daliland is not likely to give the viewer any great insights into Salvador Dali, played here by Sir Ben Kingsley, partly because it’s a drama and is therefore both an invention and inherently distanced from the events it portrays, but also because the figure of Dali remains somewhat impenetrable. While this could seem frustrating, it’s a wise move by director Mary Harron who, rather than attempting to give a warts-and-all portrait of Dali, focuses on the fictional figure of James Linton (Christopher Briney) – a gallery assistant tasked with assisting Dali during his annual visit to New York in 1974. Through James’ eyes we see Dali’s tempestuous relationship with his wife Gala (Barbara Sukowa), as well as the different aspects of the art world.
This is a film that shrugs at the eccentricity of artists without rolling its eyes, James’ investment in Dali and his work one of devotion without hagiography.
Using James as an anchor is the strongest element of Harron’s film as his sustained wonder over the art created and shock at the hedonism, and indeed the absurdity, of the artists’ world is balanced with the practicalities of the business. This wonder includes Dali’s (very specific), methods as well as flashbacks to a young Dali (Ezra Miller), and Gala (Avital Lvova) – which sometimes shift from day to night or vice versa. Notably, these flashbacks keep the present-day figures in the frame, such as when Dali and James observe the young Dali gaining inspiration for his most famous painting, The Persistence of Memory, in a suitably surreal sequence that features melting cheese and a clock projected on a wall.
While we don’t actually see the painting itself, we can instead look upon the life and practices of the young Dali in much the same way that others might look upon his works, and this is part of a conceit that runs throughout the film. It doesn’t in any way treats its audience as art connoisseurs, but instead focuses on the people around the art, so if one is concerned about Daliland being a bit snooty and highbrow then fear not. The scenes in the the artist’s New York hotel suite are often amusing, with Dali referring to himself in the third person, having nude models sit in paint so that their buttocks can be imprinted on to paper, and James making something (literally), out of Dali’s multiple signatures. Through James’ eyes we also see the extravagant parties that take up much of the Dali’s time, with models, musicians, drugs and plenty of sex filling out the space.
Through the inclusion of Dali’s secretary Captain Moore (Rupert Graves), as well as gallery owner Christoffe (Alexander Beyer), James and the viewer are introduced to the financial aspects of the art world. Looming deadlines and exhibitions being funded before any artworks are ready create an unequal balance of demand and supply, while James is tasked with collecting a very specific type of paper from a specialist supplier in Paris, and must even pre-sign for the paper that will later carry prints of Dali’s work. Despite this less-than-glamorous approach the film is far from cynical, and seeing the genius of Dali’s weird and wonderful paintings, James is able to communicate this to others – especially in a key scene where he convinces a dubious buyer to make a purchase purely on the basis of his own genuine enthusiasm.
The film allows us to understand the significance of the art while being kept at a distance from Dali himself – who seems narcissistic and self-indulgent. His insistence on paint being mixed in a certain way, treatment of those around him as little more than dolls and overreaction to a minor cut could make him insufferable, but these qualities are balanced with a childlike charm. This, combined with the understanding and acceptance of those around him, ensures that the viewer maintains sympathy with this strange little man.
Kingsley has a riot with the role, his faux Spanish accent being more consistent than his amusing moustache. As Gala, Sukowa is both powerful and pitiful – her ferocity towards others juxtaposing well against her desperate need for validation from young musician Jeff Fenholt (Zachary Nachbar-Seckel). The relationship between Dali and Gala is both creepy and endearing, and is as weird as everything else that James encounters. Their respective sexual preferences are also observed but not judged, and even when James finds it discomforting the scene is erotic but not gratuitous. This is a film that shrugs at the eccentricity of artists without rolling its eyes, and James’ investment in Dali and his work is one of devotion without hagiography. As a result, despite its surreal touches and depiction of rather absurd people, Daliland is never less than human, and ultimately rather touching.
Daliland is on the Icon Film Channel now and in Cinemas from Wednesday
