Dali In New York (1965) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language

1965 · 57 mins · English

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Directed by

Jack Bond

Starring

Salvador Dalí, Jane Arden

Filmmaker Jack Bond and Salvador Dalí teamed up at Christmas 1965 to create the playful short Dali in New York. Over two weeks Dalí staged bizarre “manifestations,” from a plaster‑cast performance to a scene swarming with a thousand ants and a pile of one‑million‑dollar cash. He clashes with feminist writer Jane Arden, proclaiming “You are my slave! I am not your slave.” Dalí reminiscences about Freud, his tumultuous marriage to Gala, and his surreal vision, all captured by Jim Desmond’s vivid cinematography as flamenco virtuoso Manitas de Plata plays. The film is a vivid glimpse into Dalí’s living, theatrical surrealism.