The untold story of the 1966 Andy Warhol movie about Salvador Dalí
To be an Andy Warhol movie star must have been an experience like no other. In the mid-1960s, Warhol collected a series of actor “screen tests”, which later became a special compilation screening in New York and London in 2015 and 2020, respectively. However, the footage was not “screen tests” in the way that you would expect; instead, they were short clips, or “stillies”, as Warhol would call them.
These early films were designed to be shown at a rate of 24 frames per second but screened at 16 frames per second – much slower than the usual pace – and were used for a range of purposes, including compilation reels based on different themes, or as the background to various events, like within music performances or features.
They all followed a series of rules that required the subject to remain still, avoid speaking, and not blink. What was supposed to be a generic piece of filming actually became an interesting sociological experiment that tested the subject’s stamina when it came to staying still for prolonged periods of time. Unsurprisingly, many of them eventually started uncomfortably touching their face or playing with their hair after a certain amount of time due to the intense focus placed on them.
Eventually, the tests showed the ways a person’s personality came through on screen in spite of the restrictions of the format. Warhol conducted the tests in his factory in New York and beckoned many famous faces who came to visit to participate; many of them were willing, as it was actually considered flattering to be asked. Some notable figures who took part included Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Nico, and the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí.
Dalí’s effort, in particular, was an overwhelming experience for Warhol, who, by this time, should have been well-acquainted with the different types of responses that took place during such intense set-ups. However, Dalí instead took complete control of the whole process, defying many of the rules set for previous subjects, including recording with the camera upside down or vanishing from the frame entirely midway through the test.
For Warhol, his fascination with Dalí was initiated from day one. After the tests, he remained a person of extraordinary fascination for Warhol, who later made a short about Dalí visiting the factory in 1966. In the film, the pair reunite to tell the story of Dalí’s experience visiting the factory and meeting The Velvet Underground. The two worlds that collided resulted in something incredibly endearing: Dalí, whose constructed surrealist worlds often willingly ventured out of the familiar, along with Warhol’s restricted, controlled worlds, ultimately became an interesting amalgamation of dreamlike realism.
Dalí openly disliked the constriction of some of Warhol’s artistic approaches, but the glamour of his directing crafted something rare and unique. Nevertheless, Warhol and Dalí had a mutual fascination with one another and formed a strong relationship outside of their art, regularly dining together in New York amid a bustling city of rock stars.
