Architecture

in Film A-K

All film listed on this page are available or will soon be available for check out in the University Library by Cal Poly, Pomona students. The VHS Videos and some DVD's are located on the periodicals floor (2nd floor of the University Library, Building 15) and are arranged by Call # (Click on Call # for more information and circulation status). If you have suggestions or comments for this list please EMail me at: BLEMERTON@CSUPomona.edu

Salient comments or suggestions may be incorporated into this Website!

	Aelita- Queene of Mars [1924] Stars: Director: Yakov Protazano MPAA: N/A Runtime: 113 VHS: PN1997.85 .A344 1991     Description: A Moscow engineer designs a spaceship and travels to Mars to meet a woman who haunts his dreams. He succeeds, but finds himself embroiled in a Martian proletarian uprising. Based on a novel by Tolstoy. Sets and Costumes designed by Alexandra Extre.
	The Age of Innocence - [1993] Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer, Daniel Day-Lewis Director: Martin Scorsese MPAA: PG Genre: Romance, Drama, Classic Runtime: 133 minutes VHS PS3545.H16 A54 1993   Description: Deliberately paced, bittersweet romance set among 19th century New York City gentry. With its polished production values and controlled performances, this is liked by fans of intellectual, heady relationship studies. Reel.Com Architecture: If you are interested in the design principles of Wharton and Ogden Codman Jr, principles that help codify the gilded age style. you might enjoy her most famous design book, available in the Cal Poly, Pomona Library: The Decoration of Houses, NK2110 W5 1997 Comments: ""The Age of Innocence" is a study of decorative arts, interiors, architecture and paintings of the gilded age in America. It is most fun to determine which paintings would not have been painted yet, but placed Hollywood-style in the homes of the characters." Contributed by: Stephanie Perell, Cricket Hill Contemporary British Art
	Algoa [1920] ON ORDER
	Asphalt- [1929] ON ORDER
	Back to the Future - [1985]   Stars:Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson Director: Robert Zemeckis MPAA: PG Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action Runtime: 116 minutes  VHS ON ORDER   Description: Widely appealing sci-fi/comedy hit about a teen's time travels. With its intriguing plot, vivid characterizations, breakneck pace, this is a great popcorn muncher for families, fans of mainstream, effects-studded Hollywood blockbusters. Reel.Com Comments: "For more recent architecture there is the Gamble House in 'Back to the Future'." Contributed by: Ian Lochhead, ,U. of Canterbury
	Barbarella Stars:Jane Fonda, Milo O'Shea Director: Roger Vadim MPAA: PG Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Cult Runtime: 98 minutes VHS PN1997 .B2543 1997 Description: Sumptuously designed, innuendo-packed sci-fi spoof about a sultry 40th century astronaut strutting her stuff in space. This cult classic is loved by fans of campy trash and raunchy farces alike.
	Batman- [1989]   Stars:Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton Director: Tim Burton MPAA: PG-13 Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense, Action, Runtime: 126 minutes VHS PN1997 B37 1989 DVDFull screen and wide screen formats (widescreen theatrical aspect ratio 2.35:1) Languages: English (5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and 2-channel), French and Spanish Subtitles in English, French and Spanish Scene Selections and other Special Features ON ORDER Other Tim Burton Movies: Batman Returns [1992], Edward Scissorhands [1990], Bettlejuice [1988], Pee-Wee's Big Adventure [1985] Description: Popular, atmospherically dark, lavishly designed action/fantasy/adventure about the capped comic book hero. With its moody approach, visual delights, action scene barrages, and mega-stars, this pleases action, special effects, neo-noir fans. Reel.Com
	Belly of an Architect, The [1991] Stars: Brian Dennehy, Chloe Webb Director: Peter Greenaway MPAA: R Genre: Drama Runtime: 119 minutes VHS ON ORDER   Description: Symbol-rich, heady drama about an architect and his wife in Rome has otherworldly, surreal feel. Art-house devotees love its sumptuous visuals, strange character studies; a good introduction to Greenaway's style. Reel.Com. Architecturre: The Architect with the belly is obsessed with Boullee, but then who isn't. The Library has several books on Boullee: Boullée & visionary architecture / [by] Helen Rosenau / Book Shelves : NA1053.B69 R67 1976 Étienne-Louis Boullée (1728-1799); theoretician of revolutio / Book Shelves : NA1053.B69. P413 1974 Visionary architects: Boullée, Ledoux, Lequeu / Book Shelves : NA1052 .L4
	Blade Runner - [1982]   Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer Director: Ridley Scott MPAA: R Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Noir, Suspense,Action, Classic, Cult Runtime: 121 minutes VHS PN1997.B534 B8 1997 Description: Moody futuristic thriller about hard-boiled detective hunting near-human "replicants." With its stunning effects, rich characterizations, and brooding atmosphere, this is a cult classic with fans of noir, sci-fi, offbeat drama. Comments: "Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" makes rather interesting use of the Bradbury Building (George Wyman, 1893) indowntown Los Angeles, and of the Ennis Brown House by Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright's 1924 Mayan-inspired concrete block house serves (in a futuristically modified form) as the home of Rick Deckard, the hunter of out-of-control humanoid robots ("replicants"), who in the end has to discover that he himself is a replicant, (previously unaware of his artificiality). Wright's Mayan ornaments are one of the clues here, since they link Deckard's home to the Mayan-style pyramids downtown, headquarters of the company producing the replicants. The set cleverly evokes notions of precolumbian art as being timelessly powerful, dark, magical and mysterious." Contributed by: Dietrich Neumann, Brown University
	Blowup   Stars: David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave Director: Michelangelo Antonioni MPAA: NR Genre: Drama, Classic, Cult Runtime: 102 minutes VHS PN1997 .B468 1991   Description: Episodic, surreal, voyeuristic slice-of-lifer about mod British fashion photographer in 60s-era London who witnesses mysterious murder. Much-acclaimed film still interests fans of New Wavecinema and those who appreciate existential philosophizing.
	Brazil - [1985] Stars: Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro Director: Terry Gilliam MPAA: R Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Drama, Classic, Cult Runtime: 131 minutes VHS PN1997 .B73 1992 DVD/Production Notes, Bios, Highlights, trailer, English,Spanish,Frence, Dolby, Ratio-1.85:1 ON ORDER   Description: Super-offbeat glimpse of future from civil servant's perspective is a nightmarish, fantastical roller coaster ride through outlandishly demented terrain. Acclaimed ultra-black comedy/social satire is an art-house cult favorite. Reel.Com Architecture: All of Terry Gilliam's films are about the visual, he was trained as a graphic artist and cut his teeth doing the cartoons in Monty Python's Flying Circus, he is obviously a frustrated architect. BE Comments: "occasionally, the way in which a particular piece of (modern) architecture, for instance, is used and presented in a motion picture endows it with meaning and thus interprets it. It is telling, for example, that Terry Gilliam chose Ricardo Bofill's wildly 'postmodern' 'Palace of Abraxas' near Paris as the quite unpleasant home of the protagonist in his dark dystopian fable "Brazil" (1985). This kind of reception outside of the academic discourse should indeed be of interest to art & architectural historians, especially since reception studies are grossly underdeveloped in our field."
	Caravaggio   Stars: Nigel Terry, Sean Bean Director: Derek Jarman MPAA: NR Genre: Drama, Gay/Lesbian, Cult Runtime: 97 minutes VHS PN1997 .C343 1987 Description: Critically acclaimed but controversial revisionist biopic about the post-Renaissance Italian painter. A slow-paced, sumptuous visual feast for open-minded art lovers, foreign film devotees, and those who enjoy the offbeat. Amazon.Com
	The Conformist   Stars: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli Director:Bernardo Bertolucci MPAA: R Genre: Foreign, Drama, Suspense, Gay/Lesbian, Classic Runtime: 115 minutes VHS ON ORDER Description: Tense historical thriller about Italian who joins Mussolini's secret police remains a critical favorite. Intricate plot and strong character studies please drama/history buffs who enjoy European cinema, disturbing fare.
	Contempt - [1963]   Stars:Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance Director: Jean-Luc Godard MPAA: NR Genre: Comedy, International, Drama, Classic Runtime: 103 minutes VHS ON ORDER Description: Acclaimed art-house drama about writer's difficulties with his sulky wife and flamboyantly sleazy movie-producer boss. Ironic, showbiz-tweaking story delights cinephiles; gorgeous location photography, outrageous Jack Palance performance add broader appeal. Reel.Com Comments: "Curzio Malaparte's Villa in Capri by Adalberto Libera (1940) is featured quite extensively in Jean Luc Godards "Contempt" ('Le Mepris') of 1963 (w. Brigitte Bardot and Michel Piccoli, by the way.)" Contributed by: Dietrich Neumann, Brown University
	The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and Lover   Stars: Helen Mirren, Michael Gambon Director:Peter Greenaway MPAA: R/UR Genre: Erotica, Drama, Suspense, Cult Runtime: 123 minutes Note: Not for those easily offended or sickened. VHS ON ORDER Description: Over-the-top, eccentric, opulent exploration of passion, revenge among restaurant regulars. Critics praised expert mix of grotesque and sumptuous imagery. Must-see for director's fans and strong-stomached, shock-proof devotees of the offbeat.
	Dark City- [1998]   Stars:Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland Director: Alex Proyas MPAA: R Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense Runtime: 120 minutes VHS PN1995.9.D4 D28 1998 DVD-Widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Pan & Scan Languages: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround),French (Dolby Surround) Subtitles: English, French Two audio commentaries: #1 with director AlexProyas, writers Lem Dobbs and David Goyer,director of photgraphy Patrick Tatopoulos; #2 with Roger Ebert, Comparisons to Fritz Lang's "Metropolis," including the original H.G. Wellsreview, "Find Shell Beach" interactive game, isolated music score, photos, set designs ON ORDER Description: Eye-popping paranoid thriller about amnesiac pursued through gloomy metropolis by wraith-like "strangers." Gothic sci-fi fans will be in heaven, but abundant plot holes, occasional cliches will darken fussier suspense-seekers' enthusiasm. Reel.Com
	Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari [1920]   Stars: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt Director: Robert Wiene MPAA: NR Genre: International, Horror, Classic, Cult Runtime: 69 minutes VHS ON ORDER   Description: Fantasy about mad doctor inducing somnambulist to do evil bidding. Though very dated, this German Expressionist-style film is still considered a visual masterpiece. Must-see for cinema history buffs. Reel .Com
	Death in Venice    Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Mark Burns Director: Luchino Visconti MPAA: PG Genre: Foreign, Drama, Gay/Lesbian Runtime: 124 minutes VHS PN1995.9.F43 D43 1993   Description: Critically acclaimed, slow-moving, bittersweet Italian drama about aging German composer's visit to Venice. Despite some dating, European-style film still pleases many art-house fans seeking charcter-driven, intellectual, deliberately made melodrama.
	Diamonds Are Forever - [1971]   Stars:Sean Connery, Jill St. John Director: Guy Hamilton MPAA: PG Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense, Action Runtime: 119 minutes VHS PN1995.9.J3 D5 1995 Description: Wildly popular, gadget-filled James Bond espionage thriller takes place mainly in Las Vegas. Action-packed roller coaster ride appeals strongly to hardcore Bond fans, particularly those who love Connery's ever-suave 007. Reel.Com Comments: "John Lautner's suitably space-age Elrod House (1968) in Palm Springs, CA was used in the James Bond Film "Diamonds are Forever" (1971). The house is well represented as James Bond fights off bikini-clad martial arts experts." Contributed by: Mark Brack, Drexel University If you are interested in the Modern Architecture of Palm Springs, please visit my Desert Modernism Website. BE
	Dick Tracy- [1990]   Stars: Warren Beatty, Al Pacino Director: Warren Beatty MPAA: PG Genre: Comedy, Drama, Suspense, Action Runtime: 105 minutes VHS ON ORDER Description: Visually stunning adaptation of popular comic strip, in which detective fights surreal villains in a stylized urban metropolis. Fantastical action/adventure, with its over-the-top performances, pleases fans of Hollywood-style, mainstream entertainment. Reel.Com
	Die Stasse [1923] ON ORDER
	The Draughtsmans Contract   Stars: Anthony Higgins, Janet Suzman Director:Peter Greenaway MPAA: R Genre: Comedy, Drama Runtime: 103 minutes VHS ON ORDER Description: A wealthy woman hires an artist to sketch her house as a surprise for her traveling husband. Sexual intrigue and murder follow.
	The Fifth Element- [1997]   Stars:Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman Director: Luc Besson MPAA: PG-13 Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action, Cult Runtime: 122 minutes VHS PN1995.9.S26 F5 1997 DVD-English 2-Channel or 5.1 (Dolby Digital)Languages & Subtitles: English and Spanish Scene Selections Widescreen or Full Screen Formats Side A: Widescreen version preserves the original 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio. Side B: Full Screen version is re-formatted to fit your TV. ON ORDER Description: Effects-packed sci-fi/adventure about commando-turned-cabbie stumbling on ancient prophecy. Uneven plot, poor characterizations will disappoint art-house fans expecting landmark cinema, but wondrous special effects, futuristic gunplay will appease forgiving action fans. Reel.Com
	The Fountainhead- [1949]   Stars: Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal Director: King Vidor MPAA: NR Genre: Drama, Classic Runtime: 114 minutes VHS PN1997 .F613 1990   Description: Headstrong architect clashes with powers-that-be. Critics were lukewarm to this dramatic adaptation of philosophy classic. Fans of Ayn Rand may enjoy; those unacquainted with Rand may find storyline confusing. Reel.Com.
	Gattaca - [1997]   Stars: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman Director: Andrew Niccol MPAA: PG-13 Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Drama, Suspense Runtime: 112 minutes VHS PN1995.9.S26 G3 1997 DVD: Full screen and wide screen formats (widescreen theatrical aspect ratio 2.35:1) Languages: English (5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and 2-channel), French and Spanish Subtitles in English, French and Spanish Scene Selections and other Special Features ON ORDER   Description: In the near future only the best prosper, and the best are all genetically engineered. BE Architecture: Features Frank Lloyd Wrights, Marin County Civic Center, and Cal Poly Pomona's very own CLA (Classroom/Laboratory/Administration) Building designed by Antoine Predock. BE Comments: "Frank Lloyd Wright's Marin Civic Center is used as the main office building in the movie. Both interior and exterior shots of the building are used. It is rumored that Psi Arch., a design school in Los Angeles, worked on the set design for many interior shots." Contributed by: Cory Lilledahl, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
	Genuine:Die Tragodie eines setsamen hauses [1920] ON ORDER
	The House on Haunted Hill - [1958]   Stars: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart Director: William Castle MPAA: NR Genre: Horror, Classic Runtime: 75 minutes VHS PN1997 .H68 1997 Description: Overnight guests at a haunted house are scared... to death! Great cast, gimmicky effects, and lurid style make this a treat for horror freaks; may be too jokey for some. Reel.Com Comments: "Besides being used in Blade Runner, The Ennis House by Frank Lloyd Wright in L.A. was the "House on Haunted Hill" in the movie of the same name (1958, a camp/horror classic staring Vincent Price)" Contributed by: Mark Brack, Drexel University
	Just Imagine- [1930] ON ORDER
	King of Comedy - [1983]   Stars: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis Director: Martin Scorsese MPAA: PG Genre: Comedy, Drama, Classic, Cult Runtime: 101 minutes VHS PN1995.9.C55 K562 1996 Description: Much-acclaimed, little-seen black comedy/satire about talk-show host and his obsessed fan. Critics, cult film fans loved the performances, biting satire. Excellent fare for hardened cynics seeking bleak, ultra-misanthropic tone. Reel.Com Comments: "-Scorsese's King of Comedy interiors were all designed by contemporary artists of note, if I remember correctly" Contributed by: Robert Belton, OUC