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Spotlight

film reel graphicSpotlight Date: 3-January-10
 

Architecture in the Movies

Architecture as art is sometimes more than I can take, with its snooty, celebrity-centric attitude and self-referential dialogue about expression and form and integrity. Architecture as life, however, is a full-blown fascination for me. Over the years I have developed both awe and appreciation for how much buildings affect our perception of a place and our enjoyment of being human. A certain arrangement of space, material, light, and ornament can instantly transmit ideas as diverse as home, power, efficiency, reverence, and progress. Architecture is a portal to history, a passport to foreign lands, and one of the most accessible instances of beauty. Like language, societies could not exist without it, and it enriches our lives every day. (Well, it does for those of us fortunate enough to reside outside of suburbia or a shantytown.)

Naturally, something so integral to human existence is often called upon to enhance motion pictures. An interesting building or structure may serve as the backdrop for a pivotal scene, or the collective imprint of a location may be used to define a film's atmosphere. Some architectural elements have become standards: murderers inhabit creepy mansions, and dramatic entrances are made down interior staircases. Period pieces rely on architecture. Action movies, following James Bond's lead, are likely to employ famous or spectacular settings to allow audiences to travel vicariously.

Nothing beats seeing a building in person when you can study its treasures, experience its flow, and receive the full force of the impact it was designed to make. But viewing architecture in a movie, which was also designed to make an impact, may be the next best thing.

- Suggested Examples -

Although tempted, I did not include movies where the architecture is imaginary. Or disaster flicks where landmarks get destroyed.

  • Grand HotelKing Kong (1933, 2005) – New York's Empire State Building (mostly recreated) becomes the iconic spot for a monster's last stand.
  • The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949) – This is not a very good movie, but it does feature a chase atop Paris' most famous attraction.
  • The Third Man (1949) – One of history's greatest films is also a fabulous tour of postwar Vienna. For a more up-to-date view of the city, check out Before Sunrise (1995).
  • Vertigo (1958) – After some classic shots around San Francisco, including the Golden Gate Bridge and Legion of Honor, Alfred Hitchcock wraps his story of obsession at a historic Spanish mission (partially recreated).
  • PetraSomewhere in Time (1980) – The magnificent Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan, supplies a large part of the romance for this time-traveling tale.
  • Witness (1985) – After opening in a gorgeous Philadelphia train station, this thriller depicts a barn-raising as a potent symbol of community.
  • The Last Emperor (1987) – This Oscar-winning epic was the first Western film to be shot inside China's Forbidden Palace.
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) – My favorite Indy adventure begins in Venice and ends at the fabulous archaeological/architectural site of Petra, Jordan.
  • Guggenheim MuseumStrawberry and Chocolate (1995) – Frozen-in-time Havana is always an enchanting location, and this film showcases one of the city's vibrant tenement houses.
  • The Dark Knight (2008) – From nighttime views of Hong Kong to a battle in a half-finished skyscraper, this superhero standout is wonderfully architecturally aware.
  • Man on Wire (2008) – This documentary recounts how an elfin Frenchman performed a high-wire act between the Twin Towers in New York.
  • The International (2009) – The cool centerpiece of this otherwise unspectacular movie is a shoot-out in the Guggenheim Museum, yet another New York landmark.

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