Successful Operation

Performance artist ORLAN undergoes one in a series of surgeries that would give her “the chin of Sandro Botticelli’s Venus in The Birth of Venus, the nose of Francois Pascal Simon Gerard’s Psyche in Le premier baisser de l’amour a Psyche, the eyes of Diana in the sculpture Diane chasseresse, the lips of Gustave Moreau’s Europa in L’enlevement d’Europe and the brow of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa to draw attention to received Western notions of beauty and femininity.

Directed by Orlan, Successful Operation leans on a strong ensemble — Orlan — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 1992.