THE REEL LESS TRAVELED

We’re so accustomed to the experience of entering a dark room to watch the flicker of light on a wall, it’s easy to forget how inherently surreal it is. And when the images themselves are surreal, the effect can be mind-blowing. (No, that’s not an endorsement of controlled substances.)

This weekend, LACMA wraps the cinema component of its Dali-inspired series with a trio of “Surrealist Favorites From Hollywood” that work some strangely inspired elements into classical mid-20th century style. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1948 “The Red Shoes” is distinguished by its remarkable 17-minute ballet adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. The tragic melodrama of a ballerina (Moira Shearer) whose love for a young composer (Marius Goring) draws the wrath of the company’s severe impresario, is handsomely wrapped around the climactic dance, a masterpiece of movement and color.

“Portrait of Jennie,” also from 1948, stars Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones as a struggling artist and the muse who inspires him across time. The David O. Selznick production won a special-effects Oscar for transforming Jones from enigmatic child to beguiling woman. And Albert Lewin’s 1951 “Pandora and the Flying Dutchman” is notable for Jack Cardiff’s cinematography and paintings by Man Ray. Surreal, indeed.

-- Kevin.Crust@latimes.com