Clergyman and the Shellfish

Clergyman and the Shellfish – Germain Dulac – (1926) based on a scenario conceived and written by Antonin Artaud this film is often aligned more with German Expressionism than surrealism. It is, at its core, a tale of repressed sexual desire. The central figure of the clergyman wears a continual expression of perplexed anxiety very similar to the much later Henry Spencer in David Lynch’s Eraserhead. The film features labyrinth-like hallways, empty ballrooms and cavernous rooms-which alongside slow motion and oneiric cross fades - conspire to create a hypnotic and at times hallucinogenic film.