American Masters (TV Series) Sketches of Frank Gehry (2005) User Reviews

Pollack on Gehry: An Intimate Dialogue Between Friends Yields True Insight Into the Architecture Icon

[EUyeshima · 7/10 · 28 August 2006]

Even though I have since seen the Experience Music Project in Seattle and the Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago, I was first taken by Frank Gehry's work when I accidentally came upon the eye-catching "Fred and Ginger" building in Prague in 1999, an eccentric juxtaposition of a cylindrical concrete building and a free-flowing glass tower that does indeed look like the classic dancing pair. Director Sydney Pollack has taken time out of his commercial film-making to make a mostly winning documentary about his close friend, the world-renowned architect. It's a warm and low-key look at Gehry's creative process which obviously parallels Pollack's own. In fact, the film is structured as an intimate conversation between the two and the joy of the film comes from the unexpected revelations that only happen between friends, in particular, how Gehry broke with tradition at an early age to design wildly original buildings that people either abhor or revere.

With a relative minimum of his own narcissism, Pollack is able to convey Gehry as a curious mix of self-effacing outsider and proud non-conformist and uses not only Gehry's own musings but the perspectives of others to provide evidence of both sides of the man. Not too surprisingly, Gehry's long-time therapist Milton Wexler provides the most perceptive comments about his patient's internal creative struggles, but there are also insightful remarks from Gehry's colleague, the late Philip Johnson; Herbert Muschamp of the New York Times; and architecture critic Hal Foster, the only one to offer a dissenting view of Gehry's work.

Unfortunately, in an attempt to broaden the audience for his film, Pollack has also included several celebrities, whose opinions about Gehry border on the banal, for example, film industry heavyweights Michael Ovitz, Michael Eisner and Barry Diller; Dennis Hopper who lives in a Gehry-designed house; and Bob Geldof who just happened upon Gehry's to pass by the Vitra Design Museum while on tour. Director Julian Schnabel provides some funny moments as he shows up in a bathrobe, sunglasses and with a brandy snifter, especially as he talks about the audacity of Gehry's work and makes a classic analogy with Robert Duvall's performance in "Apocalypse Now".

However, the best moments are Gehry at work with his design partners Craig Webb and Edwin Chan, as they innocently start designs with construction paper and a pair of scissors. Pollack's cinematic skills come into play when he showcases the designs of Gehry's most famous buildings, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA and the DG Bank Building in Berlin. With long takes and compositions set against adjacent buildings, we can appreciate what Gehry was trying to achieve in making his designs compatible with the environs. Instead of the montage provided in the film, a more comprehensive and annotated image catalogue of his work would have been more helpful in order to understand the changes in Gehry's designs as his career progressed. Other than previews for several recent documentaries, the only extra on the 2006 DVD is an illuminating half-hour Q&A session with Pollack moderated by director Alexander Payne.

My architect

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 25 May 2006]

There is an awkward moment in Sydney Pollack's documentary "Sketches of Frank Gehry", when the subject of the film confesses about his name change from Goldberg to Gehry. Nothing is made out of it, but perhaps that defines a key to understand the man whose monumental work is examined by his distinguished friend, the director, Sydney Pollack. This is an intimate portrait of the man whose grandiose vision separates him from other luminaries of that field.

Frank Gehry is shown working in different projects. It's curious how this man doesn't even know how to use the computer in order to create his intricate designs. It helps he is now a celebrity and wealthy, as he can afford assistants that will execute his thoughts in that new medium he has yet to master.

The documentary gives us an idea of the evolution of Mr. Gehry as an innovator and the way he arrived at his present position. It surprising to realize that one of the greatest influences for him was Alvar Aalto, the great architect from Finland. One can see how he can relate to this man, more so than to others that were at the top of his profession during his formative years.

We get to hear from a lot of people and his peers. Milton Wexler, his personal analysts confesses how he has worked with Gehry for so many years. Philip Johnson also gives his assessment about the man. Ed Ruscha, the artist, talks about other aspects of Mr. Gehry's life and he even gives credit to the architect's wife, Berta in being a great influence in his life, yet, no one sees her; only a picture is shown of her.

On the other hand, Julian Schnabel, a pretentious artist himself, and dilettante movie director, is interviewed wearing a white bath robe as he pompously describes Gehry to the camera. We feel he is putting us on all the time, that he couldn't care less. He is an admirer of the spaces Gehry creates because they go well together with his art, and the way it's shown. Michael Ovitz, another shady figure, shows up to tell us how he compares Gehry's approach as a form of cubism. Well, who knew the movie mogul was an expert in this matter too! One of the most obvious omissions in the film is not interviewing Dennis Hopper in the home that Gehry designed for him in Venice, California.

Some of the best examples of Gehry's creations appear in the film. The magnificent Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain is presented in all its splendor. The same goes for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The other works are also shown, although, maybe because of the length of the documentary didn't allow to show more.

At the end, when all is said and done, we see a man that like all artists is never satisfied by his own work.

Interesting, friendly documentary seems a little light

[oneloveall · 6/10 · 16 August 2006]

Director Sydney Pollack follows around his old buddy Frank with a hand-held (and an extra cameraman) on a short, shallow, but productive and friendly discussion on Mr. Gehry's architectural prowess. In short, this man is singlehandedly credited by some as helping modernize and accentuate structural design in ways that tower over any other modern architect, making him somewhat of a mythic figure in the field. Despite my, and most viewers, complete lack of knowledge on the subject, one look at almost any of Gehry's many houses or buildings will confirm that his decisions to completely fly against the visual conventions of the past does land him in an utterly unique group from a design standpoint. However, the fact that many opponents feel the need to invalidate Gehry's domination of the field, credited, many believe, simply because of his overwhelming desire to be different, do bring up interesting, and thankfully covered points. I feel that despite the kinship and lavish praise heaped onto this fascinating builder throughout, this sketch neither confirms nor denies Gehry's relevance and true merit, but instead inspires with the simple majesties of various materials erected in all of their uncompromising, asymmetrical grandeur. To appreciate this type of architecture is besides the point; to appreciate the symbol behind the unique structures though, is invaluable.

Strong points, weak points

[manuel-pestalozzi · 6/10 · 4 January 2007]

Somehow I expected an exploration of architecture with a movie camera by a real pro, but I was disappointed. Basically this is a fairly conventional documentary with talking heads and static views of buildings – sometimes, it has to be acknowledged, beautifully enlivened by water or reflections of it as well as by the occasional drifting cloud.

The title is not bad. Basically, Sydney Pollack sketches famed architect Frank O. Gehry with his camera (mostly hand-held videocam). It is a bit corny that the movie starts with an extreme close up of a Gehry sketch - or rather a print of a Gehry sketch - which is misleading as the sketches the title refers to are the ones the director makes of his subject. Gehry is Pollack's friend and comes through as a demure, well behaved man I am sure everybody likes to have as a granddad.

The best scenes show Gehry in his studio, brooding over working models, or at the wheel of his car, completely relaxed. We observe a man who has strong memories about his childhood and his youth, who never forgot poverty and the fear of failure and bankruptcy but also fondly remembers people who showed him kindness or gave him insights. His art must somehow come out of these memories and his specific biography. Unfortunately the movie does not make inquiries to go deeper, but maybe that would be asking too much of a documentary.

What I really regret is, that the choice of buildings centers on the later work of the architect. I studied architecture circa 15 years ago. In my memory Gehry is principally honored by schools of architecture for his artistry when finding new formal expressions using cheap everyday materials in new and unexpected ways, for example his studies concerning an artistic use of chain-link fences. I think this „research" work inspired younger architects in Switzerland, e.g. world famous Herzog & de Meuron. Later his buildings became somewhat „slicker" and the materials more exclusive and expensive – the aid of computer design programs probably seduced this architect into creating twisted sculptures and then just blowing them up and out of proportion. At least the movie includes the O'Neill Hay Barn, at San Juan Capistrano, CA, from 1968, a true masterwork in simplicity and possibly a turning point in Gehry's career.

The choice of the people who Pollack interviewed for this movie other than Gehry is not very good and seems a little arbitrary. They don't deliver much additional information about the man and his work – the Europeans (Felix Fehlbaum, Bob Geldof) come off best. The others seem mainly to try to improve their own image. The presence of Gehry's longtime shrink in this movie is somewhat mysterious and inconclusive, as a viewer I had the impression that I was lacking some inside information.

The main problem of the sketches probably consists in the fact that it is not clear what they want to show and explain the viewers (the who, the what or the why) and it proves my suspicion that the exploration of the built world with the medium film or video still has a long way to go.

A Nutshell Review: Sketches of Frank Gehry

[DICK STEEL · 8/10 · 30 November 2006]

Frank Gehry is the world renowned architect who designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. This documentary, directed by his friend Sydney Pollack, takes a quick look into the man himself, as well as to showcase some of the designs of the past 20 years or so, including the Guggenheim, which is given plenty of airtime.

Nearer to home, the Kerzner-CapitaLand's Sentosa Integrated Resort bid boasts of having its architecture designed by Gehry. Response has been mixed that it resembles one of his earlier pieces, but hey, it's Frank Gehry, and having one of his designs here, if it gets awarded, will be one heck of an attraction in itself.

Gehry mentioned during the interview that Pollack was given the nod to do the documentary was because of his lack of knowledge in the field. Perhaps it's because coming from the outside, he would be able to provide a fresh perspective into how architecture is viewed, from a layman. There's nothing much to shout about in this film, except to drool at the various eclectic designs and buildings Gehry built, and to go behind the scenes to try and pick his brain about the processes and idiosyncrasies he lives by.

And watching the master at work is amazing. From his squiggly sketches, they evolve into grand monuments, often undergoing countless of changes on the fly. There are plenty of hacks on models, and the amount of material spent making these models is simply staggering. It's no wonder he has a dedicated team of professionals working under him, and together they create art. I'm also impressed by Gehry's vast knowledge on materials, as they are equally important in bringing to life the designs from paper to the actual building.

Watch this documentary if you want to have a glimpse of how Frank Gehry goes about his work combining art with architectural design, and of the little nuggets of information he shares about his work and design philosophy, as well as a rare glimpse into this life from interviews and dialogues with colleagues and friends.

Now I'm rooting for the Kerzner-CapitaLand bid, just to have a Gehry designed building on our shores :-)

The Philosophy of an Iconoclast

[swagner2001 · 7/10 · 7 November 2005]

At a New York screening of this film, Sydney Pollack claimed, "The last thing I wanted to do is make some puff piece about Frank Gehry...about how great Frank Gehry is...how everybody loves Frank. That's why I cut back to the critic three different times." Oddly enough, it's not the critic who has the harshest words: it's Frank Gehry himself. "When a building's finished. I don't like it. I want to change it," he says.

We see him inspecting a model of one of his planned buildings. "I hate it." Gehry grabs hold of an extended roof from the model, rips it off, and places it somewhere else against the building. An assistant secures it in place.

The most candid moments of this film are shot in digital video. Pollack explained: "Gehry is a very shy guy. He doesn't like to talk a lot. So, rather than waste a lot of expensive film, we used a DV Cam." Interspliced between the interviews is Super 16mm footage of Gehry's completed work. Pollack intentionally used this hybrid media approach in an attempt to emulate Gehry's thinking. Use 50% Classical elements, and 50% free-form creativity.

As a result, a number of unexpected elements come into play. Such as an interview with Frank's 94-year-old therapist. Who would think to interview the man's therapist?! Another intriguing character is a yuppie artist who lounges about in a fluffy white bathrobe and sunglasses. He lazily spins poetic wisdom. "Seeing Frank's work," he purrs, while nursing a glass of red wine, "is like watching Apocalypse Now, and after the movie someone comes up to you and says 'Robert Duvall was over-acting.'" Bizarre, off-the-cuff material! Far from the land where Pollack normally treads. This is the land of the iconoclast. The land of Gehry. A trip into Gehry's mind.

Pollack explained the genesis of the film: "Frank kept on talking to me, trying to get me to do this documentary. And I said, Frank, look, I know nothing about architecture. I know nothing about documentaries. He said, 'that's why you're perfect.'" The fact that Pollack 'didn't know what he was doing' becomes apparent mid-way through the film. After exploring Gehry's basic philosophies, and covering how he became an architect, the film begins to lose inertia. I mean, candid interviews with the man are great. (Pollack and Gehry have been friends for years, and it shows.) But, basic things, like structural engineering are glossed over. How do you deal with zoning? That's barely mentioned. How does he go from this wild 3D model in his workspace to a completed building?

Pollack concentrates merely on the creation of Gehry's sketches, and his initial designs. He focuses on Gehry's ever-evolving philosophies on art - and never explores what happens beyond the model stage. As if all Gehry makes is cubist sculpture!? How Gehry and his 45 assistants turn those plans into a solid building that can withstand the laws of physics, budget restraints, zoning codes, and other construction headaches, remains a mystery.

Let's Get Crankier

[ferguson-6 · 8/10 · 17 June 2006]

Greetings again from the darkness. "Where did that come from?". That is the question Frank Gehry admits to asking himself after some projects are complete. His art should be considered along with the great painters, sculptors and musicians of our time. Gehry's friendship with director Sydney Pollack adds a different dimension to this documentary. Normally the focus should be on the subject, but Pollack actually helps us crawl inside this unique, brilliant man.

Watching the Princeton art "expert" provide the alternative take on Mr. Gehry's creation is actually quite humorous. The art world can't possibly take architecture seriously - especially when they are concerned that the building may be more impressive than the art work inside! One of the highlights is the exploration from design to completion of the magnificent Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. This is unlike anything I have ever seen and may just motivate me to someday make the trip. Some of his other structures are viewed, but the disappointing aspect of the film is that we don't see enough. What we do see is nothing short of fascinating. His house around his home is mind-boggling. However, what makes this special is the conversation and opening up with Mr. Gehry. He attempts to provide credit to his "team", but we are left with no doubt that the man is a genius.

Some celebs get their chance to spew forth with glowing comments. These include Bob Geldof, Michael Ovitz, Barry Diller and Dennis Hopper. Hopper's interview is disappointing in that we never get a glimpse of the Gehry design. Another interesting aspect is the curious inclusion of Mr. Gehry's long time psychiatrist, the colorful Milton Wexler. Wexler has a twinkle in his eye when discussing Gehry and how the two have been very good to and for each other.

Overall, a very insightful look into the creative process of a giant in the world of architecture. Nice work by first time documentarian Pollack and thanks to Mr. Gehry for opening up.

Review from the 2005 TIFF

[riid · 7/10 · 10 September 2005]

I saw this film at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival.

This was the world premier of Sydney Pollack's documentary about architect Frank Gehry. Both Pollack and Gehry attended the screening and made some comments before the start of the movie, but did not do a Q&A afterwards.

Pollack and Gehry have a friendship that dates back a number of years, and this played a role in getting the film made. The film follows the usual documentary convention of talking to friends, associates, and critics, but Pollack also interjects himself into the film, engaging Gehry in conversations about his life and influences. Pollack can also be seen in the film shooting Gehry with a hand-held camera.

The film shows some of the process that Gehry goes through when designing a building, and it is quite interesting, and even funny at times, to see him and his partners cutting out strips of paper and folding and bending them to make interesting shapes to attach to the sides of their scale models. In fact, the process at times is not all that different from what was shown in the episode of The Simpsons where Gehry designs Springfield's concert hall.

The documentary also makes an attempt at examining how Gehry got involved in architecture and how his style evolved, even by talking to his long-time psychotherapist. Gehry and others talk about some of the events in his life that have shaped him and directed him into his chosen profession.

While the film really celebrates Gehry, it does at least make an effort to talk to some of the criticisms of Gehry's style and personality. Mention is even made of the criticisms of Gehry's redesign of the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.

Comparisons could be made to another recent documentary, My Architect, about Louis Kahn, but the two films are very different. My Architect was more about a son's attempt to know and understand his father, while Sketches is more of a straightforward look at the work of a man who is very much in the public consciousness of architecture.

There was no Q&A, but both Pollack and Gehry did make a few comments before the screening:

• Festival director Piers Handling described the film as a meeting of minds between two masters of film and architecture.

• Pollack said that his fictional films stand on whether he can find the truth in the characters, and he felt the same about this film, his first documentary.

• Pollack said that if the film works, it is due to Gehry's openness and honesty.

• Gehry joked that Pollack had promised him that he'd be co-starring with Nicole Kidman.

• Gehry said that he was glad the film was premiering in his home town.

How Sketches Become Structures In Frank Gehry's World

[roland-104 · 8/10 · 30 May 2006]

Our current superstar on the world's architectural stage is profiled in this excellent documentary, the first by veteran narrative filmmaker Sydney Pollack, who is an old friend of Gehry's. The film has a relaxed, confident pace. And through it we learn about as much as one could ever hope to know about one man's process of transforming an initial sketch - some call it doodling: typically minimal, erratically penned lines and squiggles, a sloppy geometry if there ever was one - into a monumental structure.

This is no small task in Gehry's case, since he flaunts all of the staid rules of architecture. Rather than being constrained by conventional wisdom, he emulates the freedom of a painter or sculptor: folks in whose company he is far more comfortable than he is with other architects. In fact he'd rather have been a painter. Thanks to computer technology and rich clients seeking unusual structures, Gehry has the luxury these days of placing his doodles in the hands of a phalanx of model makers, software wizards and engineers who translate them into plans that work.

But it doesn't happen fast. Pollack brings forth from Gehry a demonstration of what is perhaps the central element in his success: a characteristic tendency to look honestly at his early efforts on a project, permit himself to experience displeasure, and reject the initial attempt in part or wholly, starting over again with an increased sense of confidence that his next draft will be better because of what he learned the first time around. (He worked for 12 years with one client to get a project right. It cost $6 million!)

The many scenes in which Gehry is engaged in dialogue with Pollack are excellent, illuminating his approach to his work and recalling early influences (his grandmother built structures of wood scraps with him on the floor as a young child; his father drew with him). Brief interviews with architects Philip Johnson and Edward Ruscha are also useful. Far less interesting are media/entertainment luminaries like Bob Geldof, Michael Eisner, Barry Diller and Michael Ovitz, who merely chatter at us as a way of introducing buildings Gehry has designed. (Who knows, maybe Pollack got money to finance the film by giving these people airtime, sort of like product placement.)

If the process of Gehry's architectural creation is well mapped here, the demonstration of his creative productions suffers some. Yes, we do get to see most of his public structures, and several private dwellings as well. And the uses of light and camera angles yield some quite exquisite views. But it all tends to go by too fast: the tracking shots are too speedy; the cuts too brief. It would have been better to linger more, to give viewers of these magical structures, many of whom might, after all, never have a chance to visit most of them, the sort of long gaze one would stop to take in if visiting the premises.

Movement is central to narrative film-making, as Pollack knows. Yet moments of repose are incredibly valuable in the documentary form, if art is the subject. Yes, I meant to say art, for what is most clear from this film is that Frank Gehry is - first and foremost - an artist.

Thanks to his talent and good fortune Gehry has found a way to yoke his artist's vision to contemporary technology to make structures that are aesthetically sublime, buildings that seem to defy and at times even escape the laws of physics that architecture demands to be fulfilled. My Grade: B+ 8/10

Most art is "getting away with it"

[onepotato2 · 6/10 · 7 May 2008]

This is an interesting series of interviews with, and about, Frank Gehry. Frank is not especially deep or articulate, but that's the joy of his movie: You get to watch someone getting away with it. 99 percent of capitalism is designed to avoid risk, and produce bland consensus. But Gehry is the odd fish.

There certainly are stinky moments here, but not with Gehry. Listen to Barry Diller inarticulately try to persuade you that his lousy building based on boat sails is something exceptional. It's like listening to the football coach reading poetry. And there isn't enough landscaping in the universe to make the heinous Experience Music Project look good.

Anyone spreading sour grapes about Gehry should overtly deal with their own envy. There aren't many of Gehry's media creations that make me want to visit them, because there isn't much left to learn about them, after all their publicity. I'm not a huge fan of Gehry, and I appreciate that at least one detractor was included, but the movie is good. And Gehry is frequently amusing in his remarks and conflictedness. Pollacks lazy camera work detracts from the movie.

New ways of seeing, light on buildings

[conannz · 8/10 · 16 July 2006]

Getting two old friends together to make a documentary feels like a great way to make sense of the life process.

You get the sense that both Sydney Pollack and Frank have found a vast range to connections that celebrate life through architecture and film.

There is an oft quoted line - "dancing about architecture" I say why not.

There are some very funny "cameo's in this doco such as Julian "bathrobe" Schnabel.

Would have been good to hear more from the con side of why other architects don't like the Gehry style but otherwise a very warm and concise way to get perspective on the man and his work.

Seattle International Film Festival - David Jeffers for SIFFblog.com

[rdjeffers · 7/10 · 20 May 2006]

Friday May 26, 6:30pm The Harvard Exit

Monday May 29, 4:15pm The Harvard Exit

"If you meet an architect at a party, the best thing you can do is hit them" - Bob Geldof

He woke up one morning, went to shave, and realized there wasn't enough light. So Frank Gehry took a hammer and tore a hole in his bathroom ceiling. Sketches of Frank Gehry is a considerate look into the creative process of an aesthetic genius, described as "The leading architect in the world" by no less than Philip Johnson. From a childhood bag of wooden blocks to the spiritual magnificence of the Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, Sydney Pollack renders this personal study of his friend with an ever-present hand-held camera, soaring aerial photography and fluent drawings by the master himself. Criticism is begrudgingly offered up, and Gehry himself admits, "This is so stupid looking it's great!" From a bombastic Julian Schnabel declaring, "I wanna stick my stuff in there!" to Dennis Hopper's soulful observation of Gehry's "Egyptian" scale, Sketches of Frank Gehry is the affirming portrait of a bona fide living legend.

An Amazing Architect, But So-So Documentary

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 22 May 2007]

I don't pretend to know anything about architecture, but I know what I like....and Frank Gehrey's structures are fascinating. My only regret is not seeing them in person, such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. I can only imagine how awesome that looks in person.

Every structure that Frank Gehry has put together and was shown here had me shaking my head in wonder. Then again, I'm a big of modern art, so it's no surprise I would like his off- beat ("contemporary") edifices.

This documentary, put together by Frank's good friend Sydney Pollack, however, is only so- so. The main problem is that it is dry in a number of spots. Only those in the field of architecture or students of it will appreciate all the talk in here, I would guess. For me, I wanted to see more of Gehry's work, from all angles - not a lot of people, including his therapist and all his co-workers, droning on and on at times about him.

Still, for people who love art - in whatever form - this might be worth a look, but expect a number of dry areas among the 84 minutes.

A jolly little Jewish man

[JohnDeSando · 11 August 2006]

"No person who is not a great sculptor or painter can be an architect. If he is not a sculptor or painter, he can only be a builder." John Ruskin

There are times when I can't begin writing until I've tidied up or made phone calls, generally wasting time until it's so running out I must run to write. On a much grander scale, architect Frank Gehry describes similar blocks to his creative process; then he releases his demons and creates buildings such as Guggenheim Balboa, perhaps the most celebrated museum architecture of modern times.

The Sketches of Frank Gehry documentary is filled with the humanity of a jolly little Jewish man who became a premier architect, perhaps out performing Johnson and Pei. The documentary is directed by Sydney Pollack (Tootsie), who knows nothing of architecture and therefore is perfect for the job, according to Gehry. The doc's singular weakness is Pollack's regular intrusions, even having another camera recording him while he is recording Gehry.

I like most about this doc the moments when Gehry lets us into his creative process, for instance by constructing a new building model of flexibly-placed pieces of cardboard that he changes before our eyes with his reasons. When he shows how he took a Hieronymous Bosch painting and created a building out of its composition, I was a happy human listening to a god's creation.

Pollack's eye for the curving shapes and moments of balance as well as clash is unfailing; Gehry's post-modern cubism almost shimmers when you look at it with the sun. Indeed Gehry builds with light foremost in his mind.

Unlike My Architect(2003), which spends too much time as Nathaniel Khan tries to deal with his errant architect father Louis, Sketches is about only the lovable genius, whom we get to know better than Nathaniel does his father.

After all the sons and directors, however, what lasts are the buildings that spring from the mind of a nice little guy with a very big talent. Enjoy!

insight into Gehry's work

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 18 December 2015]

Famed director Sydney Pollack follows Frank Gehry around to try to decipher his method of creating some of the most original buildings in the world. Gehry was born Frank Owen Goldberg in Toronto. His family moved to California changing their names in the process. His unusual ideas about Architecture have not always been supported but he never wavered in doing the non-traditional.

Pollack is able to go right into the design process. I love all the crazy curves he imparts on his designs. He's got a lot of helpers. While it's fascinating to see the process, his concepts are not all self-evident. I don't know if I get his work completely. I guess that's part of his genius. There isn't much of an insight into his personal life but it is an interesting insight into his work.

Excellent exposé documentary on the buildings of a free soul

[noizyme · 8/10 · 30 December 2006]

Frank Gehry may not be a familiar name known to many, but his buildings are known worldwide. From his sketches to his philosophies on working with his pieces of extra-terrestrial architecture, this documentary, directed by actor/director Sydney Pollack, delves into the complete process and history behind one of the world's most ambitious and competent architects and artists.

The film never grows old at any point in its lapse. The expositional shots that Pollack chooses within the structures Gehry built are phenomenal. As much as one wishes they could be in Germany or Spain and look up into the sky under these sheets of twisted metal, this film chooses to show you the best representation of the actual feeling that it can. And the footage from the inside of the cancer center Gehry built (along with the touching story and thought behind the design) really moves you.

I had to give it a high 8 stars. Any documentary lover should see it now, and anyone looking for a step into the life of this genius man will be pleased, if only for 10 minutes if they can.

Goldberg Variations...

[ThurstonHunger · 7/10 · 23 October 2022]

My appreciation for architecture is slightly less pathetic after watching this. For my love of music, film and books, somehow a building to me remains basically fixed at a kindergarten level combination of squares with a triangle or two.

This should change. I admit it.

And if it does, this film launched the process. Gehry comes across as eminently likable, and his buildings stand out with the weird beauty all real Americans aspire to. Plus he's a transplanted Canadian in California, who then joins a hockey team in his 60's.

One might learn more details more quickly about Frank Gehry from his wiki, or better yet actually visiting his buildings. This film I think is deceptive both in Gehry's "aw, shucks" demeanor - something he and Pollack do gently discard somewhat in the film, and perhaps more deceptive in the process behind he and his team creating buildings.

That said the process is interesting to see what little we do. Gehry who is still alive today, is surrounded by youthful (exclusively?) males, who crumple and cut and create models from the commands and the sketches of Gehry. Computer design is given a slight nod, but Gehry's work predates your first copy of autocad by decades. There is an espirit du corps in the Gehry headquarters, but again I think what we see is the tip of a very precarious iceberg of work, material consideration and planning.

Pollack's friendship fueled access help here and this is a very friendly documentary (which is fine, there will be other people and places for Gehry to frustrate and give the finger to, results of a quick search turned up the that one time he presented a rigid, simple and straight construction to a journalist in Spain.)

I did not even know that the nearby Menlo Park Facebook building was one from the Gehry school or what-have-you until typing this up. There is also this, his first reported design via the wiki - look for David_Cabin,_Idyllwild_CA._1957

I enjoyed the film quite a bit, the barbed wire beauty from within of his own home, the smart sails and stupid beauty. Dali had his rhinocentric phase, and Gehry offers a tale of fishtails.

The talk of an architect outcast by his own kind taking refuge with artists, it sort of reminded me that almost all basketball players want to be rappers, and vice versa.

Pollack's crowning moment is a montage of shots after Gehry in "aw shucks" mode talks about how he could never achieve what a painting does. Pollack counters with shot after shot, each pooling with color, vital with texture, canvassing across the screen. Quiet. Letting the buildings stand for themselves.

Along those lines, there was a comment early on about how many (all?) of Gehry's buildings are still standing. Perhaps addressing some structural concerns that perhaps people have thrown at him before, he did also mention working with a German structural engineer, that perhaps I should have rewound. Again beneath the iceberg tip of a sketch and model, I can only imagine mental and material stress. Actually I think his lead assistant does have a brief line indicating some structural strategy at one point.

For me square layman's thinking the buildings looked pristine, and seemed to have clever design for letting wind/rain/leaves wick away.

Inspirational...possibly also towards the realms of my day job.

These days the integrated circuit world is fast turning from manhattan shapes past jagged staircasing to embrace curvilinear beauty. Gehry beat them to the designs by a mile and with a crooked smile!

Sketch of a Sketch

[cernachc · 6/10 · 10 April 2007]

The best part about this film is the access to the personal relationship between Pollack and Gehry, but if you're looking for a poetic film about the architect then look somewhere else. Although not visually appealing in it's self the film does give you the feeling that you have just witnessed and walked through a museum of Gehry's work. Gehry's persistence of vision and explanation of the inspirations of his work was very inspiring to hear. I found myself walking out of the theater and for the first time looking at use of the indoor space, noticing how architecture can be an art form. Although, the film seems to be split up into free associating segments that when combined make a strange structure, maybe the filmmaker was trying to be free with the form of the film like a Gehry building. This loose structure made Gehry's philosophies and criticisms sound a little repetitive at times. I would have like to see general people's reaction to his work, instead of solely hearing opinions from other artists and architects. In the end it is a decent film and well worth it to see.

Disappointed

[paulchsieh · 5/10 · 5 January 2007]

Mr. Pollack indeed is an inexperienced documentary producer. He did not manage to bring out the beauty of Gehry's works. For example, he spent so much time talking to Frank's therapist. What's for? In architectural world, people are more interested in seeing the end, not the process. I just wished the beautiful music in the film can be accompanied by beautiful shots of Frank's slippery lines and sketches. Pollack was given an opportunity and he has spoiled it.

It does not matter how the building is designed. What matters is how the building be viewed, enjoyed, and perceived. Just when the music and the architecture start to come together, pollack broke the pairing. He repetitively did that over and over again. It drove you crazy.

Gehry produces not only weired shapes, he produces slippery lines, so slippery that you do not feel that they were constructed of metal. The lines were like silk...so smooth, they flow.

That's what my perception about Gehry's works, too bad, Pollack did not catch it.