Intro on Architecture & Film

Jean Nouvel

Throughout their respective histories, the link between architecture and film has always beena tight and intimate one. In his work, '"Vers une architecture" ( Towards an Architecture - 1923), Le Corbusier defines architecture as " the masterly, correct and magnificent play of form in light" . The description stands accurate for both architecture and cinematography.

In their most condensed form, both these arts use the human sensibility to form and light to relay their message to the masses, writing their messages in the collective mind and through imagery.Moreover, asmovies and sets have also inspired the architectural community and cast their influence on how we perceive certain movements In this respect, architecture becomes a co-star i many films, setting the stage and atmosphere of a place, community or world, as well as making a vast social commentary on its influence on the inhabitants of said space.

In the quote above, Jean Nouvel describes his own work in term of its connections to film. Architecture and film overlap on the aspect of movement. Furthermore, Nouvel states that ' The notion of the journey is a new of composing architecture" . With referrence to the movement experienced by the viewer in films, Walter Benjamin, a german philosopher, proposes that even though the viewer is turned into an observer without physical movement, the cinematic space gives physicality back to the user while it triggers kinesthetic experiences with the help of the haptic and motor and space experiences.

The paper at hand will concentrate on how the selected movie problematizes the idea of modern architecture. As a narrative, we shall take a look at how Architecture in movies speaks, evolved and produced movement to the viewers.