Hans Richter's Dadaist Film 'Dreams That Money Can Buy' Revisited

The 1947 experimental film 'Dreams That Money Can Buy,' directed by Hans Richter and produced by Peggy Guggenheim, is a landmark of Dadaist and Surrealist cinema. The portmanteau movie features seven dream sequences created by artists Max Ernst, Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, Alexander Calder, and Fernand Léger, with music by John Cage and Darius Milhaud. The narrative follows Joe, an ordinary man who discovers he can see into people's minds by looking into their eyes, and sells tailor-made dreams to clients. Each sequence showcases the distinct style of its artist: Ernst's 'Desire' includes surreal imagery like a woman swallowing a golden ball; Léger's 'The Girl with the Prefabricated Heart' features dancing mannequins; Man Ray's 'Ruth, Roses and Revolvers' involves a film screening and audience mimicry; Duchamp's 'Discs' presents his Rotoreliefs and references his 'Nude Descending a Staircase'; Calder's 'Circus' and 'Ballet' display his mobiles and wire circus figures; and Richter's 'Narcissus' follows Joe's surreal journey through a poker game and a mysterious blue cord. The film was made on a low budget but achieved high production values through the collaboration of these avant-garde artists. It was created during a period when Surrealism was waning in Europe but experiencing a resurgence in the United States.