Roy Andersson’s “Songs from the Second Floor”

Contemplating the Art of Existence

Nonfiction, History, Scandinavia, Entertainment, Film, Direction & Production, Performing Arts
Cover of the book Roy Andersson’s “Songs from the Second Floor” by Ursula Lindqvist, University of Washington Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ursula Lindqvist ISBN: 9780295806648
Publisher: University of Washington Press Publication: August 25, 2016
Imprint: University of Washington Press Language: English
Author: Ursula Lindqvist
ISBN: 9780295806648
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Publication: August 25, 2016
Imprint: University of Washington Press
Language: English

Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson�s celebrated and enigmatic film Songs from the Second Floor, his first feature film in twenty-five years, won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000. The �songs� of the film�s title refer to Andersson�s artistic ruminations on the state of mankind from his office on the second floor of Studio 24 in Stockholm. The film presents a series of forty-six tableaux�long, deep-focus shots with a still camera, mostly in studio settings, using older visual tricks such as trompe l�oeil. The tableaux showcase seemingly trivial tragicomic situations designed to provoke thoughts about existential guilt, broken relationships, and the failure of social institutions to treat people as human beings.

Lindqvist draws from interviews with Andersson and his team that provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the film was made and investigates its philosophical and artistic influences, providing a nuanced reading of a film that has both befuddled and entranced its viewers. This first book-length study in English of Andersson�s work considers his aesthetic agenda and the unique methods that have become hallmarks of his filmmaking, as well as his firm belief in film�s revolutionary function as social critique.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson�s celebrated and enigmatic film Songs from the Second Floor, his first feature film in twenty-five years, won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000. The �songs� of the film�s title refer to Andersson�s artistic ruminations on the state of mankind from his office on the second floor of Studio 24 in Stockholm. The film presents a series of forty-six tableaux�long, deep-focus shots with a still camera, mostly in studio settings, using older visual tricks such as trompe l�oeil. The tableaux showcase seemingly trivial tragicomic situations designed to provoke thoughts about existential guilt, broken relationships, and the failure of social institutions to treat people as human beings.

Lindqvist draws from interviews with Andersson and his team that provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the film was made and investigates its philosophical and artistic influences, providing a nuanced reading of a film that has both befuddled and entranced its viewers. This first book-length study in English of Andersson�s work considers his aesthetic agenda and the unique methods that have become hallmarks of his filmmaking, as well as his firm belief in film�s revolutionary function as social critique.

More books from University of Washington Press

Cover of the book China Watcher by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book The Tooth That Nibbles at the Soul by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Paper Bullets by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Shaping the Shoreline by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Hazel Wolf by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Cottonwood and the River of Time by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Qing Governors and Their Provinces by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Living Sharia by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Yellowfish by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Cultural Nationalism in Colonial Korea, 1920-1925 by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Colonial Rule and Social Change in Korea, 1910-1945 by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Life as Surplus by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Urbanization in Early and Medieval China by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Mapping Chinese Rangoon by Ursula Lindqvist
Cover of the book Making Mountains by Ursula Lindqvist
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy