Original French-language program for the premiere of Luis Bunuel’s surrealist satirical comedy film L'Age d'Or (The Golden Age or Age of Gold), which debuted at Studio 28 in Paris on November 29, 1930. The program, 48 total pages, 5.25 x 8.5, contains illustrations by Salvador Dali, Arp, Joan Miro, Max Ernst, Man Ray, and Yves Tanguy, dialogue and images from the film, and lists of surrealist works to be viewed at Studio 28 or purchased from the Jose Corti Library. In very good condition, with handling wear, creasing, and soiling throughout, heaviest to the covers. Accompanied by a clothbound clamshell case.
Alongside Bunuel and Dali’s earlier film Un Chien Andalou, L'Age d'Or is widely regarded as one of the key works of surrealist cinema. One of the first sound films made in France, L'Age d'Or proved successful yet highly controversial upon its release, with members of the right-wing Ligue des Patriotes disrupting a screening by throwing ink at the cinema screen and attacking viewers. The Patriots proceeded to the lobby and destroyed artwork by Dalí, Joan Miró, Man Ray, Yves Tanguy, and others. On December 10, 1930, the Prefect of Police of Paris arranged to have the film banned from further public showings after the Board of Censors re-reviewed the film. In response, the producers withdrew L'Age d'Or from commercial distribution and public exhibition for more than 40 years; nonetheless, three years later, in 1933, the film was privately exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
