I am compiling a list of the most important films which touch on the subject of architecture, directly or indirectly. These are in no particular order and are mostly fictions in which architecture plays a major role. Documentaries are included as well. Netflix is calling...
Please feel free to add to the list and/or comment on the films:
"My Architect: A Son's Journey" (Louis Kahn)
"Metropolis" Fritz Lang
"The Power of Ten" Charles and Ray Eames
Philip Johnson: Diary of an Eccentric Architect
"Brazil" Jim Broadbent
"Bladerunner"
"The Fountainhead"
"Frank Lloyd Wright" Ken Burns
"The Passenger" Antonioni (features Gaudi...)
"North by Northwest"
"Playtime" Jacques Tati
"Il Posto" Ermano Olmi
"The International"
"Louis Sullivan: The Struggle for American Architecture"
"Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision"
Architecture and Cinema
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Wrightgeek
- Posts: 1548
- Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2005 5:21 pm
- Location: Westerville, Ohio
peterm-
How about these:
A Summer Place-Scenes shot in the Walker Residence
Lethal Weapon-Not sure which edition, but the villain's house was pulled down the hillside (I think it was the Garcia Residence by Lautner, but it could have been Chemoshere?)
The James Bond flick with scenes shot at the Elrod Residence by Lautner(was it Diamonds Are Forever?)
LA Confidential-The villian lived in the Lovell Health House
King Kong & Sleepless In Seattle-Empire State Building
The Shining-The Stanley Hotel in Colorado was the inspiration, but I think the Timberline Lodge in Oregon was actually used for shooting locations?
The Lake House-With the faux modernist house constructed just for the movie, and then destroyed
The Glass House-The modern house is one of the stars of the movie; not sure if it was real or a set
He Knows You're Alone-Recent remake of a classic thriller, and the modern house is the setting for the majority of the film and steals the show
Mother's Boys-Thriller with a very interesting house as a prominent setting(Hitchcock style)
Shattered-Tom Berringer plays an architect who lives in a spectacular house (Hitchcockian)
Murder By Numbers-Hitchcock like film with Sandra Bullock that has several scenes, including the climax, shot in a cliffside ruin
Disturbia-Modern take on Rear Window, cool house
Dream Lover-James Spader stars as an architect, but I have not seen this one in a long time, don't remember the details
I'm going to stop now to ask if these are the types of references you are looking for?
How about these:
A Summer Place-Scenes shot in the Walker Residence
Lethal Weapon-Not sure which edition, but the villain's house was pulled down the hillside (I think it was the Garcia Residence by Lautner, but it could have been Chemoshere?)
The James Bond flick with scenes shot at the Elrod Residence by Lautner(was it Diamonds Are Forever?)
LA Confidential-The villian lived in the Lovell Health House
King Kong & Sleepless In Seattle-Empire State Building
The Shining-The Stanley Hotel in Colorado was the inspiration, but I think the Timberline Lodge in Oregon was actually used for shooting locations?
The Lake House-With the faux modernist house constructed just for the movie, and then destroyed
The Glass House-The modern house is one of the stars of the movie; not sure if it was real or a set
He Knows You're Alone-Recent remake of a classic thriller, and the modern house is the setting for the majority of the film and steals the show
Mother's Boys-Thriller with a very interesting house as a prominent setting(Hitchcock style)
Shattered-Tom Berringer plays an architect who lives in a spectacular house (Hitchcockian)
Murder By Numbers-Hitchcock like film with Sandra Bullock that has several scenes, including the climax, shot in a cliffside ruin
Disturbia-Modern take on Rear Window, cool house
Dream Lover-James Spader stars as an architect, but I have not seen this one in a long time, don't remember the details
I'm going to stop now to ask if these are the types of references you are looking for?
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Wrightgeek
- Posts: 1548
- Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2005 5:21 pm
- Location: Westerville, Ohio
Oops-
I guess I should have stopped my previous post much sooner, as I just reread your post, and obviously I missed the part about "the most important films". Sorry, but you still might want to catch some of these movies anyway, as a few of them were actually pretty good, but I'll leave it to you to figure out which ones on your own.
Anyway, a few which do actually fit your description are:
Sketches Of Frank Gehry by Sidney Pollack
Life As A House starring Kevin Kline
Julius Shulman:Visual Acoustics-FYI, I saw the film here in Columbus on Friday evening at the Wexner Center. After the screening, I spoke with Eric Bricker, the director of the film, and he told me that the DVD release of the film should be availbale for pre-order on Amazon.com any day now.
I guess I should have stopped my previous post much sooner, as I just reread your post, and obviously I missed the part about "the most important films". Sorry, but you still might want to catch some of these movies anyway, as a few of them were actually pretty good, but I'll leave it to you to figure out which ones on your own.
Anyway, a few which do actually fit your description are:
Sketches Of Frank Gehry by Sidney Pollack
Life As A House starring Kevin Kline
Julius Shulman:Visual Acoustics-FYI, I saw the film here in Columbus on Friday evening at the Wexner Center. After the screening, I spoke with Eric Bricker, the director of the film, and he told me that the DVD release of the film should be availbale for pre-order on Amazon.com any day now.
Just as an irrelevant side note, I played guitar on the score to Life as a House. Kevin Kline's character builds/restores a craftsman cottage on the beach...
Wrightgeek- I suppose that "important" is very subjective. In some films, there are amazing locations, and other films deal more with the subject of architecture itself. Both are interesting to note...
How could I have forgotten Visual Acoustics?
How's the Gehry movie?
Stafford- "Strangers When We Meet" looks interesting. Thumbs up or down?
Wrightgeek- I suppose that "important" is very subjective. In some films, there are amazing locations, and other films deal more with the subject of architecture itself. Both are interesting to note...
How could I have forgotten Visual Acoustics?
How's the Gehry movie?
Stafford- "Strangers When We Meet" looks interesting. Thumbs up or down?
“Mon Oncle,� starring Jaques Tati, in which his character confronts an example of modern architecture.
If you can watch THIS SAMPLE without chuckling, I would want to hear about it. Yes, this means you, Roderick Grant.
WJS
If you can watch THIS SAMPLE without chuckling, I would want to hear about it. Yes, this means you, Roderick Grant.
WJS
Last edited by wjsaia on Sun Feb 28, 2010 9:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Wrightgeek
- Posts: 1548
- Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2005 5:21 pm
- Location: Westerville, Ohio
There's also "Bottle Rocket", which is a very good film, and has quite a few interior and exterior scenes shot at FLW's Gillen Residence in Dallas. And of course "Gattica", filmed at the Marin County Civic Center.
"The International", was only a so-so movie, not really bad or good, but the cinematography of the contemporary buildings around Europe was outstanding, and was the highlight of the movie IMHO. But then again, Naomi Watts is not too bad to look at either.
And as usual in this movie, as in many that have been already mentioned, the villains and the evil forces at work in the film, ALWAYS live and/or work in the modern or ultra-contemporary structures, as Hollywood would have it. And ironically enough, modernism flourished in the very shadow of the Hollywood sign; so go figure. Maybe this is at least partly responsible for the lack of appreciation amongst the general population for these styles of architechture.
"The International", was only a so-so movie, not really bad or good, but the cinematography of the contemporary buildings around Europe was outstanding, and was the highlight of the movie IMHO. But then again, Naomi Watts is not too bad to look at either.
And as usual in this movie, as in many that have been already mentioned, the villains and the evil forces at work in the film, ALWAYS live and/or work in the modern or ultra-contemporary structures, as Hollywood would have it. And ironically enough, modernism flourished in the very shadow of the Hollywood sign; so go figure. Maybe this is at least partly responsible for the lack of appreciation amongst the general population for these styles of architechture.
Last edited by Wrightgeek on Sun Feb 28, 2010 6:05 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Good point. We must remember that this is a post modern viewing of modernism. The reality was much different. Progressive adventurous families were often the clients, not egomaniacal bachelor bad guys.
That's what is nice about the Tati films. Modernism being used by a wide variety of social classes, and yes, even children make appearances.
That's what is nice about the Tati films. Modernism being used by a wide variety of social classes, and yes, even children make appearances.
Thanks for that clip from "Mon Oncle," Bill. As is typical for me, I had completely forgotten that scene. The s e x y if useless conoid chair (yes,
G Nakashima, that's conoid !) must have been made for the film. . .?
I'll nominate the earliest movie (so far) with (modern) architectural content (seems we've been here before -- I recall mentioning this film in a
previous thread, garnering a gratifying echo from Mr Grant, I believe):
"The Black Cat" (1934 -- Universal Studios -- Edgar Ulmer, dir. -- B Karloff, B Lugosi) in which Karloff plays Hjalmar Poelzig (cf. Hans Poelzig
-- see Gross Schauspielhaus, Berlin, 1919, et al), an architect (and Satanist) whose own residence is the principle setting for the film. Seen first in
darkness, at the top of a hill, it is a modernist pastiche with continuous windows on two levels, and (as we approach) is revealed to have a sliding
entrance door (opaque, with combination lock) and a living room with metallic and curved floating stair fronting a curiously-lighted egg-crate wall.
Interior passage doors sport a horizontal brushed-metal band as backing for a lever handle -- all very International-style and/or Moderne. I don't
believe the set design in credited; it may be Ulmer's own work (?).
SDR
G Nakashima, that's conoid !) must have been made for the film. . .?
I'll nominate the earliest movie (so far) with (modern) architectural content (seems we've been here before -- I recall mentioning this film in a
previous thread, garnering a gratifying echo from Mr Grant, I believe):
"The Black Cat" (1934 -- Universal Studios -- Edgar Ulmer, dir. -- B Karloff, B Lugosi) in which Karloff plays Hjalmar Poelzig (cf. Hans Poelzig
-- see Gross Schauspielhaus, Berlin, 1919, et al), an architect (and Satanist) whose own residence is the principle setting for the film. Seen first in
darkness, at the top of a hill, it is a modernist pastiche with continuous windows on two levels, and (as we approach) is revealed to have a sliding
entrance door (opaque, with combination lock) and a living room with metallic and curved floating stair fronting a curiously-lighted egg-crate wall.
Interior passage doors sport a horizontal brushed-metal band as backing for a lever handle -- all very International-style and/or Moderne. I don't
believe the set design in credited; it may be Ulmer's own work (?).
SDR
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Palli Davis Holubar
- Posts: 1036
- Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2006 8:14 am
- Location: Wakeman, Ohio
Mon Oncle! oh, yes...I forgot it too... the laughter is good for what ails you.
We were working toward a film series at the W-J House but got got bogged down with reality. Some other Usonian public space should schedule one for intimate viewing or a summer "sit-in" outdoors on the grounds. A drive-in for a public space with a parking lot.
We were working toward a film series at the W-J House but got got bogged down with reality. Some other Usonian public space should schedule one for intimate viewing or a summer "sit-in" outdoors on the grounds. A drive-in for a public space with a parking lot.