One (of several) reasons for acquiring Little Ashes is a fascination I have with Surrealist artist Salvatore Dali -- I use the word "fascination" not because I like his work -- Viewing his work often leaves me feeling physically queasy -- But in spite of that, I find that when I visit a gallery that has Dali paintings, I seek them out -- One of the more memorable events in my life was when Richard and I visited the Dali Museum in St Petersburg, FL -- We spent the better part of a day there, and recall it often as one of the significant shared experiences in our life together -- Richard is able to recall in detail Dali's huge work, "The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus," which is in the museum's permanent collection --
But the movie is not just about Salvador Dali, but about writer/poet Federico García Lorca, filmmaker Luis Buñue, and Dali as students and young men during the time of the Spanish Civil War -- Little Ashes focuses on an unconsummated attraction between Dali and Garcia Lorca -- Apparently, little is known about their romance, such as it was, but it seems to have been passionate but more-or-less platonic --
I found the film absorbing, the acting and production top-notch -- It was difficult for me to imagine Dali as a young man, his later years' persona was so powerful -- Black and white film cuts were confusing until I discovered that they were from a famous Buñue/Dali film collaboration Un Chien Andalar (see Links).