Movies: Architecture

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the worldÕs greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream.

Renowned architectural filmmaker Murray Grigor explores John Lautner's dramatic spaces with choreographed camera moves, as Lautner himself provides the commentary, speaking with insight and wit in recordings culled from archival sources.

This documentary explores the work of John Lautner, one of America's most visionary architects.

A biography of the life and work of the American architect.

A look at the work of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture.

E. Stewart Williams was a prolic modernist architect based in Palm Springs, California. Follow Williams' history and professional career, from the early days designing a home for Frank Sinatra, to the later years, producing iconic public buildings. With access to never-before-seen material, this compelling documentary provides an intimate portrait of a desert modernist master.

In the mid-1930's a wealthy and idealistic patron of architecture sets out to change society by embracing modernism and commissioning Richard Neutra's first building on the East Coast.

A renewed interest is emerging in mid-20th century architects and artists who exploded the comfortable constraints of the past to create a robust and daring modernist America. Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future examines the life of an architectural giant who envisioned the future. His sudden untimely death at age 51 cut short what continues to be one of the most influential legacies in American architecture, a body of timeless work that stands apart from the clutter of contemporary design and continues to inspire architects today.

Neon is the "fire of the night" according to author Tom Wolfe and it "lit the way west" according to historian/author Alan Hess. This film explores the death of this American roadside art and the artists that created it.

A family fights to keep their neon sign business alive as the light of the industry fades away.

This film celebrates the architecture of Hugh M. Kaptur who has been designing homes, hotels, commercial buildings and apartment complexes in Southern California for more than 50 years. From Mid-Century Modern to Desert Contemporary, Kaptur has developed a style that is unique and rooted in the desert.

When father-son team George and Bob Alexander started building affordable architect-designed homes in Palm Springs in 1955, they had no idea they would be the catalyst of what is today a city filled with modern design. This documentary film goes beyond the walls and hedges of Mid-Century homes that were built in neighborhoods like Twin Palms, Vista Las Palmas, and Racquet Club Estates. The film features interviews with noted architects James Harlan, author of The Alexanders: A Desert Legacy, and Hugh M. Kaptur, a contemporary of Palmer and Krisel, as they articulate their knowledge of the innovations made in construction these mid-century marvels of design. Also well-known preservationists including Gary Johns, Vice President of the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation and Robert Imber, owner and operator of Palm Springs Modern Tours and Chairman of the PS ModCom Education Committee, discuss the impact of the Alexander Construction Company on California Living and the "built environment". Joe Contreras, a journeyman carpenter employed by the Alexander Construction Company, gives a first hand account of what working for Bob Alexander was like while building these unique structures. Palm Springs ModCom Founder and President Chris Menrad discusses his Twin Palms home and the impact the Alexanders had on Palm Springs society, and homeowner Brian Maguire gives a tour of his Don Wexler-designed steel home, now on the National Registry of Historic Places. Watch as homeowners in various Palm Springs neighborhoods speak directly to the pride that goes beyond home ownership as they present their homes. They gladly accept that they are the stewards of these mid-Century monuments that they live with every day.

This documentary explores the legacy of Joseph Eichler, a pioneer in mid-century modern design. Combining historical information with testimonies from Eichler owners and enthusiasts, this film creates a window into the wonderful world of Eichler's design.

Throughout his extensive career in architecture, William Krisel has designed tens of thousands of homes. His visionary style virtually defined the geometric and spatial sensibility of modernist design in Southern California.

Documentary exploring the work of the region's best postwar architects and designers, including Albert Frey, Wallace Harrison, Herbert Beckhard, Frank Lloyd Wright, Horace Gifford, Edward Durrell Stone, Marcel Breuer, Andrew Geller and Philip Johnson.

Robin and Lucienne Day transformed British design after World War II with striking furniture and textiles that signaled a new era of modernist sensibilities for everyday living. Robin's revolutionary furniture designs introduced materials such as plastic, steel and plywood to homes, offices and schools. Lucienne's abstract textile designs brought accessible elegance into the homes of postwar British consumers. The Days' fresh design approaches, including their contributions to the Royal Festival Hall in 1951, helped fuel the artistic and commercial awakening that led Britain out of the devastation of World War II. Director Murray Grigor's film traces the Days' careers over more than eighty years from their long heyday as Britains leading designing couple to their recent rediscovery by new generations of design aficionados.

The New York State Pavilion, once the shining symbol of the 1964/65 New York World's Fair, now sits in the middle of New York City as a haunting reminder of what became of the age of optimism that was the early 1960's. This film tells the story of Philip Johnson's New York State Pavilion during the glory days of the fair, and chronicles its demise over the past 50 years. The film details its post-fair use as a 60's concert venue and 70's roller rink, including the years of neglect and recent growing advocacy efforts.

The work of Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí, as seen by Japanese New Wave director Hiroshi Teshigahara.

2011 "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" explores the rise & fall of titular housing complex in St. Louis, examining racism & gov. Policies through interviews with former residents & historical footage. Ft racism, urban poverty & inequality in America.

The relationship between Charles Eames and his wife Ray ignited a burst of design ingenuity whose impact on the world can still be felt over half a century later.