Product Description: Frank gehry has been responsible for the design of some of the most stunning buildings in the world including the walt disney concert hall in los angeles the guggenheim bilbao in spain and the experience music project in seattle. As gehry explains he begins each project by sketching the design. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 04/24/2007 Run time: 84 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Sydney Pollack
Amazon.com: Sketches of Frank Gehry by Sydney Pollock chronicles the friendship between director Sydney Pollock and the famed architect every bit as much as it does Gehry and his work, and it makes for a delightful window into the world of creativity and genius. Gehry has made a big imprint (which critics might liken to Bigfoot's) on architecture at the turn of the 21st century; his molten-looking visions have graced buildings small (actor Dennis Hopper's industrial-looking home in Venice, Calif.) to enormous (the sprawling Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain). He's the genius behind Los Angeles's sweeping Walt Disney Concert Hall--which, though formidable in shape and size, manages to nod gracefully to its adjoining, beloved predecessor, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. (He also created the controversial Experience Music Project museum in Seattle, which residents have likened to a giant psychedelic beetle crouched at the foot of the Space Needle.)
For creating such mega-structures, Gehry is remarkably self-effacing; as he and an associate fiddle with a model with bent rooflines and walls, Gehry chuckles, "That is so stupid-looking, it's great!" Yet make no mistake, he possesses a singular vision and strong ego, which we view not only through the wide variety of his works, but also from interviews with friends, architecture critics, and clients, including artist Ed Ruscha, Hopper, L.A. talent manager Mike Ovitz, architect Philip Johnson, and others. Pollock's intimate conversational film allows us to feel as though we're sitting right there on the couch with them, or in Gehry's "factory" of associates and assistants; in its backstage look at the process of creativity, the film feels a little like TV's Project Runway, in the very best sense. As the viewer gets to know Gehry, one finds oneself wishing for more biographical details to be fleshed out--what was Gehry's childhood really like, for instance, and how does he feel about having changed his birth name, Goldberg, at the request of his first wife? Still, for a peek into the world of one of America's most prolific artists, the film is a rare opportunity to get up close and personal. Extras include more conversations between Pollock and Gehry and further examinations of his creations. --A.T. Hurley
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Sydney sketches Frank expertly
Before Sydney Pollack left us I watched Charlie Rose interview him about this documentary. It's not about Pollack's film work but his creative and honest relationship with Gehry-an artist reflecting the ... Read More
Rating: - Gehry Sketches
With all respect to talented --and unfortunately, late-- Sydney Pollack, I did not find this documentary satisfactory. First and foremost, it lacked focus. The conversations were recorded haphazardly, ... Read More
Rating: - Sketching away...
What I really found interesting in this documentary was the fact that Frank Gehry was approached in a very true way by the film maker and the people who loved him and his work...i got this very cosy feeling ... Read More
Rating: - Two Icons, One DVD
I believe Syd Pollack is the premier moviemaker of my generation. I believe Frank Gehry is one of the Top 3 architects of this period. My interest in architecture/film led me to see this documentary more for ... Read More
Rating: - I know one when I see one
Outside Ayn Rands The Fountainhead, I knew nothing of architecture. After watching Sketches of Frank Gehry by Sydney Pollack, I still know nothing of architecture save identifying a Gehry building when I see one. ... Read More
- Sydney sketches Frank expertly
- Gehry Sketches