Dreams That Money Can Buy

1947
Approved
1h 39m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

After learning how to look inside himself, a poetic bum sells people vivid dreams.After learning how to look inside himself, a poetic bum sells people vivid dreams.After learning how to look inside himself, a poetic bum sells people vivid dreams.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

971

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination

Photos

Top cast23

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Jack Bittner

Joe…

The Gangster
(as John Latouche)

Herb Campbell

A man - hands

Ethel Beseda

Mrs. A.
(uncredited)

Samuel Cohen

Mr. A
(uncredited)

Max Ernst

Le President
(uncredited)

Jo Fontaine-Maison

The girl
(uncredited)

Bernard Friend

Policeman
(uncredited)

Bernard Graves

The male voice
(uncredited)

Dorothy Griffith

Evelyn Hausman

Julien Lary

The man
(uncredited)

Anthony Laterie

The blind man
(uncredited)

Jo Mitchell

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
An experimental film shot for $25,000 in a Manhattan loft. It opened in New York in March, 1947 and went on to win the Venice Film Festival Award for the best original contribution to the progress of cinematography.

Quotes
(singing on soundtrack): Oh Venus was born out of sea-foam / oh Venus was born out of brine / but a girl of today / if she is grade A / is assembled upon the assembly line

Connections
Featured in Cocteau Marais - Un couple mythique (2013)

Soundtracks
The Girl with the Pre-Fabricated Heart
Lyrics by John La Touche
Sung by Libby Holman and Josh White, accompanied by Norma Cazanjian and Doris Okerson

User reviews13

Review

Featured review

7/10

Not Really my Cup of Tea, but....

The Avant Garde movement is not one that I follow, or know too much about, though I had seen some work by Duchamp at an exhibition in London once. However, I'll try very nearly anything and so when Dreams that Money Can Buy came up on Film 4 very late at night, I had to give it a go.

I could not find a separate listing as to which director did which part on the IMDb, but I have to say that I only really enjoyed two segments - Duchamp's 'Discs' and the last one, 'Narcissus' by Hans Richter. I really liked the geometric patterns and shadows of the masks and things in Duchamp's and the overall operatic, Gothic feel of Richter's, which had some great visual flair.

I persevered with the others and whilst I could see definite skill and talent in many pieces, they weren't really "me". My score is probably nearer the 5.5 mark than 6, but I'm rounding up slightly. Apologies to all who love this work, but with an alternative and rare film such as this, it's always going to divide opinion - and I did give it a go!