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Songs From the Second Floor
 
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Songs From the Second Floor (2000)

Starring: Lars Nordh, Stefan Larsson (III) Director: Roy Andersson Rating: NR (Not Rated) Format: DVD
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)


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Product Details

  • Actors: Lars Nordh, Stefan Larsson (III), Bengt C.W. Carlsson, Torbjörn Fahlström, Sten Andersson
  • Directors: Roy Andersson
  • Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: Swedish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rating: NR (Not Rated)
  • Studio: New Yorker Video
  • DVD Release Date: March 23, 2004
  • Run Time: 98 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0001AP0PE
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,833 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #16 in  Movies & TV > Art House & International > By Original Language > Swedish
    #20 in  Movies & TV > Art House & International > European Cinema > Sweden

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
While it falls squarely into the precious category of love-it-or-leave-it art-house oddities, the hypnotically absurd Swedish comedy Songs from the Second Floor is certainly unlike any other movie you've ever seen. That alone is reason to check it out, and many pleasures await those who are receptive to director Roy Andersson's conspicuously offbeat worldview, presented here as a series of marginally connected vignettes illustrating a bleak world that has literally ground to a halt. A perpetual traffic jam lurches through an urban landscape imbued with post-apocalyptic atmosphere, a ghost town populated by pale, shell-shocked citizens bereft of hope and teetering on the edge of collective madness. Characters and plot are nonexistent in any conventional sense; it's as if Andersson has cast himself as a detached God, gazing upon these lost souls from a distant remove, as if they were fish in a tank, lumbering through their oppressive city like zombies at the dead-end of civilization. Described by critic J. Hoberman as "slapstick Ingmar Bergman," this highly unusual film is certainly not for everyone, but if you're on its wavelength it's sure to prove unforgettably amusing. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description
One evening somewhere in our hemisphere, a strange series of illogical events take place: a clerk is made redundant in a degrading manner; a lost immigrant is violently attacked in a busy street; a magician makes a terrible error in his act…sleep on this night does not come easily to the citizens of this town.

The following day, the signs of chaos are taking hold as the madness grips a board of directors and the city itself is strangled by a horrendous traffic jam. In the midst of this mayhem, one person stands out: Karl - covered in soot from the fire he had set to burn down his furniture store in order to get the insurance money.

While the new millennium is casting its web and creating a vast mental breakdown, Karl gradually becomes conscious of the absurdity of the world and realizes just how difficult it is to be human.


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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews
5 star:
 (16)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Its hard to be human these days......, August 21, 2004
By Felix Matathias (Manhattan, NY, USA) - See all my reviews
  
What is this film about ? It is about strange things happening in a strange city ? What is this absurd traffic that cars are stuck in for days, without moving even for a few feet ? Where is everybody going ? What went wront with the magicians act and almost killed the volunteer from the audience ?

In short what is Anderson trying to say ? A lot. And it is all an alegory about the human life. Trapped in convention, in relations, like being stuck in the traffic, working hard and as the hero says "try to put some food on the table, and enjoy oneself". It is also a criticism of the establishment and power. When people trust their lives in authority that is supposed to take care of them, like trusting that the magician will not cut you in half but will make the trick work, but things go wrong. Like when a mental patient is wearing the doctor's robe and nobody understands the difference.

The imagery of the film is stunning to say the least, the photography, the colors, the camera that never moves, the ever lasting deep focus that captures foreground and background and does not miss anything. Oh, this is a masterpiece. It reminded me of Tarkofski, although lighter and more approachable, and also Angelopoulos, although not so slow.

I would recomend this film to everyone. And if you are puzzled at the end about what it all means you will get a lot of answers on the special features section where you can see the entire film from the beginning with the director explaining his concept and answering questins about the technical aspects of the film and about its message.

One of the best films of the past 10 years I would say.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute gem, April 12, 2004
I first saw this film IIRC in 2001 at the Roger Ebert Overlooked Film Festival ("Ebertfest") in Champaign-Urbana. I instantly fell in love with the film -- it was clearly the best film at the festival. And then I waited for DVD release... and waited... and waited. Finally I received my copy, some 4+ years after the film was released.

Upon watching it again, I felt it lost something compared to the presentation on the massive screen and enthusiastic 800+ audience at the Virginia Theatre. The visuals are intentionally drab, but incredibly rich and detailed; hence, the small screen is not kind. Also, like much absurdist art, it is difficult to recapture the emotional shock and wonderment of the first viewing. But yet the movie is still compelling on DVD.

This Swedish comedy is dark, brooding, irreverent and often times disturbing. From the grey skies to the traffic-jammed streets to the predominantly obese and ashen-faced cast, this movie makes no attempt to be be pretty or cheery. However, certain scenes of despair are so full of beauty, one smiles despite oneself. I am reminded of certain scenes from the work of Terry Gilliam.

The plot is rather simple: things are not going well in this fictional Scandinavian city and the citizens are getting desperate. Don't ask why or where -- it's truly unimportant. Woven into this fabric is Caesar Vallejo's poem "Beloved be the man who sits down," the verses of which form a a type of modern beatitudes extolling the merits of the mundane individual. In the movie, the poem is written by the protaganist's son, who now resides in a mental hospital. Ironically, the people in the patients in the mental hospital appear to be the only sane residents in a city gone loopy as capitalism, government and religion fail its increasingly desperate and selfish citizens.

A great film to see, but really not for everyone.

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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of most impressive films of 2000, July 10, 2002
By A Customer
It's disgraceful that this film took so long to reach America; and still more disgraceful that it will play in only a few major cities. I caught it in NYC, and it's a superb mixture of Luis Bunuel, Jean Marie Straub and Godard. Andersson moves his camera exactly once in the entire film (a slow tracking shot), as he chronicles a series of interconnected episodes documenting corporate greed, the commodification of religion, the hopelessness of faith in "compassionate government," and creates a film (his second in 24 years!) that is resonant, funny as hell, and deeply moving.

After his first feature, Andersson turned to directing commercials for Swedish television (Ingmar Bergman calls them his favorite examples of contemporary filmmaking), and then sank all of his own money into creating Songs From The Second Floor, eventually obtaining outside financing to finish the film. Think of what Terry Gilliam or Monty Python as a whole might have accomplished if they had any real talent or insight, and you'll get some idea of the genius of this film. An absolute must see, currently available only on VHS in PAL format in the UK. Should be released on DVD in the US immediately; this is one of most important and deeply felt films of the new century.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Songs From the Second Floor
Embedded somewhere in Andersson's mind-boggling, deadpan "Songs" is a satire aimed at religion, politics, careerism, and the terrifying emptiness of office life. Read more
Published 24 months ago by John Farr

5.0 out of 5 stars Swedes can be funny, too....
I remember seeing a preview of this film on Ebert and Roeper's show, and the clip they showed was so mesmerzing and unique (it reminded me of Fellini) that I kept an eye out for... Read more
Published on March 10, 2007 by Grigory's Girl

5.0 out of 5 stars somewhere between kafka and monty python
this is a crazy and hilarious piece of work.. wow.. the dialogue the visuals.. this is a nice portrait of our 'modern world'.. I just love this comedy.. Read more
Published on January 28, 2007 by Stalwart Kreinblaster

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Striking
Let me begin by saying this is one of the most striking films I have managed to catch in a while and that, for that reason alone, film buffs will not want to miss it. Read more
Published on November 14, 2006 by Snow Leopard

5.0 out of 5 stars What's all this about a second floor?
This film is about as complex and clinically cut as its creator, the not-easy-to-read Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson. Read more
Published on April 27, 2006 by yorgos dalman

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome but not for everyone
This film is captivating in it's imagery. There are quite a few scenes that will always be burned into my brain. Read more
Published on March 27, 2006 by Duncan Shields

5.0 out of 5 stars Abuse of power, trust, alienation and the collective consciousness
After several years of silence when it comes to cinematic film products Swedish directors Roy Anderson returned with Songs from the second floor the year 2000. Read more
Published on March 3, 2006 by Jesper Erlandsson

4.0 out of 5 stars 21st century Swedish apocalyptic black humor
Roy Andersson's Songs from the Second Floor mixes equal parts George Romero (esp. Night of the Living Dead), Samuel Beckett (esp. Endgame), Jean-Luc Godard (esp. Read more
Published on June 1, 2005 by LGwriter

2.0 out of 5 stars I Didn't Get It
Some interesting dialogue sprinkled about within a mostly nonsensical, dull, and slow plot. Also, the whole thing is in Swedish with hard to read English subtitles. Blah. Read more
Published on April 8, 2005 by B. Lovian

2.0 out of 5 stars different things to different people
A very bizarre, artsy Swedish film. It is more visually driven than plot driven. I could not make it past the 30 minute mark. Read more
Published on March 12, 2005 by EriKa

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