Roll Up, Roll Up for an unforgettable experience! Benedikt Erlingsson’s latest feature is the captivating story of itinerant circus performers, cabaret acts and vaudeville and fairground attractions. The Show of Shows uncovers rare and never-before seen footage of fairgrounds, circus entertainment, freak shows, variety performances, music hall and seaside entertainment from the 19th and 20th century and sets this invaluable archive to a hypnotic soundtrack by cult Icelandic band Sigur Ros.
This lush archival film was created with exclusive access to The University of Sheffield’s National Fairground Archive and is accompanied by a score by Georg Holm and Orri Páll Dýrason of Sigur Rós, in collaboration with Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson and Kjartan Dagur Holm. Additional archive material from Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center and North West Film Archive at Manchester Metropolitan University. Erlingsson takes the audience on a carnival ride back to the days when the most outlandish, skillful and breathtaking acts traveled the world and entertained the masses.