Solo embarks on a journey in the company of Bogusław Schaeffer, one of Poland's most important 20th-century artists. Born in Ukraine in 1929, Schaeffer is the author of a truly extraordinary body of work.
There are 13 tramway stops between Schaeffer's home and downtown Kraków. Telling himself that he should work on 13 ideas throughout the commute, the composer sits in the tram with his notebook.
A true "Renaissance man," Schaeffer is an original and highly productive composer, as well as a musicologist, electroacoustic pioneer, playwright and the author of some 30 works that are among the most important and innovative of the post-war period. He has even delved into filmmaking and graphic design. Yet Schaeffer opted to remain out of the limelight at an early age. Practically unknown to the general public, his lack of recognition has made publication of his works nearly impossible.
Solo operates on two distinct planes: on the one hand, painting a unique biographical portrait of an extraordinary human being, while on the other, paying tribute to the artist's creative process and lonely quest for an 'absolute' form of artistic expression as he moves from project to project. After meeting Schaeffer, director Maciej Pisarek spent five years seeking funding for the film, and devoted a further 15 months to making it.
Maciej Pisarek (born in Kraków, in 1966) studied at the film school in Łódź and has worked with many distinguished Polish directors. He has directed documentaries and comercials.
Source: www.artfifa.com
- Solo. Poland, 2008. Director: Maciej Pisarek; screenplay: Maciej Pisarek; cinematography: Tomasz Michałowski; music: Bogusław Schaeffer; sound: Maciej Kaliński; editing: Marcin "Kot" Bastkowski. Participation: Bogusław Schaeffer, Jan Peszek, Marek Frąckowiak. Producer: Paweł Mantorski; co-producer: Marek Frąckowiak, Krystyna Gierłowska, Rafał Wołujczyk; production: Quartet; co-production: Telewizja Polska (TV Polonia, TVP Kultura), Fundacja Przyjaciół Sztuk "Aurea Porta", Media-City. Color, 55 min.
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