Roy Andersson
Encyclopedia
Roy Andersson is a Swedish film director
, best known for his films A Swedish Love Story
and Songs from the Second Floor
. More than any other, Songs from the Second Floor succeeded in cementing his personal style — a style characterized by long takes, absurdist
comedy, stiff caricaturing of Swedish culture and Fellini
esque grotesque. He has spent much of his professional life working on advertisement spots, directing over 400 commercials and two short films, but only directing four feature-length films
in three decades. His latest film is You, the Living
from 2007.
”, Roy Andersson was born in Gothenburg
, Sweden in 1943. A year after graduating from the Swedish Film Institute
in 1969, he directed his first feature-length film, A Swedish Love Story
. The film, awarded four prizes the same year at the 20th Berlin International Film Festival
, looked at the nature and nuance of young love and turned out to be a major critical and popular success for Andersson. Following this success, Andersson fell into a depression. As he didn't want to get stuck with the same style and expectations he cancelled what was going to be his next project, with the script half-way finished, and skipped a couple of other ideas for plots he had previously planned to realize. Eventually he directed the film Giliap
which was released in 1975. The film was a financial and critical disaster, went wildly over budget, and suffered lengthy delays in post-production. Giliap went in a decidedly different direction than A Swedish Love Story -- replacing crowd-pleasing joy and soft humour with dark comedy and unforgiving deadpan. After Giliap, Andersson took a 25-year break from film directing, focusing his efforts mainly on his commercial work.
. Later, he directed a short-film commissioned by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare
entitled Something Happened. Made in 1987, the short was meant to be played at schools all over Sweden as an educational film
about AIDS
, but was canceled when it was three-fourths complete because of its overly dark nature and controversial use of sources. The official explanation was that it was "too dark in its message," and it wasn't officially shown until 1993. His next short film, 1991's World of Glory
, developed this style even further and was a critical success, winning both the Canal Plus Award and the prestigious Press Prize at the 1992 Clermont-Ferrand
Short Film Festival. The film is on a top ten list of all time best short films, set by the Clermont-Ferrand festival.
In March 1996, Andersson began filming Songs from the Second Floor
, a film that was completed four years later in May 2000. After its premiere at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival
the film also became an international critical success. It won the Jury Prize in Cannes and five Guldbagge Award
s in Sweden for best film, direction, cinematography, screenplay and sound. The film was made up of forty-six long tableaux shots, marrying tough, bleak social criticism with his characteristic absurdist dead-pan and surrealism.
Roy Andersson continues his commercial work at Studio 24 and his latest film You, the Living
premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
as part of the Un Certain Regard
selection. The film won The Nordic Council Film Prize
in 2008.
He has expressed his desire to make a new film that could be considered the third part in a trilogy together with his two latest films. The status of the project is unknown, but Andersson has publicly stated that he is planning "a third enormous, deep and fantastic, humorous and tragic, philosophical, Dostoyevsky film." In an interview with Ignatiy Vishnevetsky for The Auteurs' Notebook, Andersson revealed that he would be shooting his next film in High-definition video
, possibly using the Red One camera, and that it would represent a departure in style from his previous two films. The film's preliminary title is "A Dove Sitting on a Branch Reflecting on Existence".
The Museum of Modern Art
in New York City presented a retrospective of Andersson's work in September 2009.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, best known for his films A Swedish Love Story
A Swedish Love Story
A Swedish Love Story is a 1970 Swedish romantic drama directed by Roy Andersson, starring Ann-Sofie Kylin and Rolf Sohlman as two teenagers falling in love. Inspired by the Czechoslovak New Wave, the film was Andersson's feature film debut and was successful in Sweden and abroad. It was entered...
and Songs from the Second Floor
Songs from the Second Floor
Songs from the Second Floor is a 2000 Swedish film written and directed by Roy Andersson. It presents a series of disconnected vignettes that together interrogate aspects of modern life. The film uses many quotations from the work of the Peruvian poet César Vallejo as a recurring motif...
. More than any other, Songs from the Second Floor succeeded in cementing his personal style — a style characterized by long takes, absurdist
Theatre of the Absurd
The Theatre of the Absurd is a designation for particular plays of absurdist fiction, written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as to the style of theatre which has evolved from their work...
comedy, stiff caricaturing of Swedish culture and Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
esque grotesque. He has spent much of his professional life working on advertisement spots, directing over 400 commercials and two short films, but only directing four feature-length films
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
in three decades. His latest film is You, the Living
You, the Living
You, the Living is a 2007 Swedish film written and directed by Roy Andersson. The film is an exploration on the "grandeur of existence," centered around the lives of an overweight woman, a disgruntled psychiatrist, a heartbroken groupie, a carpenter, a business consultant, an elementary school...
from 2007.
Early years
Later described by the Village Voice as a "slapstick Ingmar BergmanIngmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
”, Roy Andersson was born in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden in 1943. A year after graduating from the Swedish Film Institute
Swedish Film Institute
The Swedish Film Institute was founded in 1963 to support and develop the Swedish film industry. The institute is housed in the Filmhuset building located in Gärdet, Östermalm in Stockholm...
in 1969, he directed his first feature-length film, A Swedish Love Story
A Swedish Love Story
A Swedish Love Story is a 1970 Swedish romantic drama directed by Roy Andersson, starring Ann-Sofie Kylin and Rolf Sohlman as two teenagers falling in love. Inspired by the Czechoslovak New Wave, the film was Andersson's feature film debut and was successful in Sweden and abroad. It was entered...
. The film, awarded four prizes the same year at the 20th Berlin International Film Festival
20th Berlin International Film Festival
The 20th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 26 to July 7, 1970. However, the competition was cancelled and no prizes were awarded, over controversy surrounding Michael Verhoeven's film o.k.-Jury:* George Stevens...
, looked at the nature and nuance of young love and turned out to be a major critical and popular success for Andersson. Following this success, Andersson fell into a depression. As he didn't want to get stuck with the same style and expectations he cancelled what was going to be his next project, with the script half-way finished, and skipped a couple of other ideas for plots he had previously planned to realize. Eventually he directed the film Giliap
Giliap
Giliap is a 1975 Swedish drama film directed by Roy Andersson, starring Thommy Berggren as a man who takes a job as a waiter at a run-down hotel. It was a financial and critical failure, and it led to Andersson's not making another feature film for 25 years...
which was released in 1975. The film was a financial and critical disaster, went wildly over budget, and suffered lengthy delays in post-production. Giliap went in a decidedly different direction than A Swedish Love Story -- replacing crowd-pleasing joy and soft humour with dark comedy and unforgiving deadpan. After Giliap, Andersson took a 25-year break from film directing, focusing his efforts mainly on his commercial work.
Later years
In 1981 he established Studio 24, an independent film company and studio located in central StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Later, he directed a short-film commissioned by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare
Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare
The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare is a Swedish government agency. The agency was the result of a merge between the Swedish Royal Medical Board and the Swedish Royal Board of Social Affairs in 1968....
entitled Something Happened. Made in 1987, the short was meant to be played at schools all over Sweden as an educational film
Educational film
An educational film is a film or movie whose primary purpose is to educate. Educational films have been used in classrooms as an alternative to other teaching methods.-Cultural significance:...
about AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, but was canceled when it was three-fourths complete because of its overly dark nature and controversial use of sources. The official explanation was that it was "too dark in its message," and it wasn't officially shown until 1993. His next short film, 1991's World of Glory
World of Glory
World of Glory is a 1991 Swedish short film written and directed by Roy Andersson. Its original Swedish title is Härlig är jorden, which means "Lovely is the Earth", and is the Swedish title of the hymn "Fairest Lord Jesus". The narrative portrays a man in white make-up who guides the viewer...
, developed this style even further and was a critical success, winning both the Canal Plus Award and the prestigious Press Prize at the 1992 Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
Short Film Festival. The film is on a top ten list of all time best short films, set by the Clermont-Ferrand festival.
In March 1996, Andersson began filming Songs from the Second Floor
Songs from the Second Floor
Songs from the Second Floor is a 2000 Swedish film written and directed by Roy Andersson. It presents a series of disconnected vignettes that together interrogate aspects of modern life. The film uses many quotations from the work of the Peruvian poet César Vallejo as a recurring motif...
, a film that was completed four years later in May 2000. After its premiere at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival
2000 Cannes Film Festival
The 2000 Cannes Film Festival started on May 14 and ran until May 25. The Palme d'Or went to the Danish film Dancer in the Dark by Lars von Trier.-Jury:* Luc Besson, President * Jonathan Demme * Nicole Garcia...
the film also became an international critical success. It won the Jury Prize in Cannes and five Guldbagge Award
Guldbagge Award
The Guldbagge Award is an official Swedish film award awarded annually since 1964 by the Swedish Film Institute.-Etymology:Guldbagge is the Swedish name for Cetonia aurata, a beetle also known as rose chafer. The name of the award could also be interpreted as a play on the Swedish word skalbagge,...
s in Sweden for best film, direction, cinematography, screenplay and sound. The film was made up of forty-six long tableaux shots, marrying tough, bleak social criticism with his characteristic absurdist dead-pan and surrealism.
Roy Andersson continues his commercial work at Studio 24 and his latest film You, the Living
You, the Living
You, the Living is a 2007 Swedish film written and directed by Roy Andersson. The film is an exploration on the "grandeur of existence," centered around the lives of an overweight woman, a disgruntled psychiatrist, a heartbroken groupie, a carpenter, a business consultant, an elementary school...
premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
2007 Cannes Film Festival
The 2007 Cannes Film Festival, the sixtieth, ran from 16 to 27 May 2007. Wong Kar-wai's My Blueberry Nights opened the festival, and Denys Arcand's The Age of Ignorance closed...
as part of the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
selection. The film won The Nordic Council Film Prize
The Nordic Council Film Prize
The Nordic Council Film Prize is an annual film prize administered by the Nordic Council. The first award was handed outin 2002 to celebrate the Nordic Council's 50th anniversary. Since 2005 the prize has been annual. One winner is chosen from submissions from the five Nordic countries. In 2008,...
in 2008.
He has expressed his desire to make a new film that could be considered the third part in a trilogy together with his two latest films. The status of the project is unknown, but Andersson has publicly stated that he is planning "a third enormous, deep and fantastic, humorous and tragic, philosophical, Dostoyevsky film." In an interview with Ignatiy Vishnevetsky for The Auteurs' Notebook, Andersson revealed that he would be shooting his next film in High-definition video
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
, possibly using the Red One camera, and that it would represent a departure in style from his previous two films. The film's preliminary title is "A Dove Sitting on a Branch Reflecting on Existence".
The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York City presented a retrospective of Andersson's work in September 2009.
Works
| Filmography | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Year | Title | Images | Clips (QuickTime QuickTime QuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and... required) |
| Feature films | 1970 | En kärlekshistoria (A Swedish Love Story A Swedish Love Story A Swedish Love Story is a 1970 Swedish romantic drama directed by Roy Andersson, starring Ann-Sofie Kylin and Rolf Sohlman as two teenagers falling in love. Inspired by the Czechoslovak New Wave, the film was Andersson's feature film debut and was successful in Sweden and abroad. It was entered... ) |
1 2 | Film clip 1 Film clip 2 |
| 1975 | Giliap Giliap Giliap is a 1975 Swedish drama film directed by Roy Andersson, starring Thommy Berggren as a man who takes a job as a waiter at a run-down hotel. It was a financial and critical failure, and it led to Andersson's not making another feature film for 25 years... |
1 2 | -- | |
| 2000 | Sånger från andra våningen (Songs from the Second Floor Songs from the Second Floor Songs from the Second Floor is a 2000 Swedish film written and directed by Roy Andersson. It presents a series of disconnected vignettes that together interrogate aspects of modern life. The film uses many quotations from the work of the Peruvian poet César Vallejo as a recurring motif... ) |
1 2 3 | Film clip 1 Film clip 2 | |
| 2007 | Du levande (You, the Living You, the Living You, the Living is a 2007 Swedish film written and directed by Roy Andersson. The film is an exploration on the "grandeur of existence," centered around the lives of an overweight woman, a disgruntled psychiatrist, a heartbroken groupie, a carpenter, a business consultant, an elementary school... ) |
-- | Teaser trailer | |
| Short films | 1967 | Besöka sin son | -- | -- |
| 1968 | Den vita sporten | -- | -- | |
| 1968 | Hämta en cykel | -- | -- | |
| 1969 | Lördagen den 5.10 | -- | -- | |
| 1987 | Någonting har hänt (Something Happened) | 1 2 | Film clip 1 Film clip 2 | |
| 1991 | Härlig är jorden (World of Glory World of Glory World of Glory is a 1991 Swedish short film written and directed by Roy Andersson. Its original Swedish title is Härlig är jorden, which means "Lovely is the Earth", and is the Swedish title of the hymn "Fairest Lord Jesus". The narrative portrays a man in white make-up who guides the viewer... ) |
1 23 | Film clip 1 Film clip 2 | |
| IMDb link | ||||
| Commercials | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years | List | |||
| 1967–1972 | List of commercials | |||
| 1973–1980 | List of commercials | |||
| 1981–1990 | List of commercials | |||
| 1991- | List of commercials | |||
| Source: royandersson.com via Internet Archive Internet Archive The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive... |
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