Do you ever get excited when a designer or architect is mentioned in a tv show or film? How about when the background design is so spectacular that it adds to the overall experience? I know I do. Whether it’s a tv show with an architect like Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother or a great background design in a film, it’s a pleasant feeling seeing architectural design used in formats other than our built environment. Now we might not have every movie, but here is a starter list for those movie enthusiasts! These movies use space, environment, and built features as part of their narrative or explore themes relevant to architecture.
The 1927 German dystopian film directed by Fritz Lang formed the basis of science fiction cinema. The dystopian city was quite different and futuristic for its time drawing inspiration from the New York City skyline, Art Deco movement, and other architectural icons. Fun fact, this film has an important place in the history of cinema for the techniques used!
This cinematic feature portrays several themes that were integral in World War I such as industrialization, mass production, American modernity, fascism, and communism.
A must-see for architects, this American film inspired by Ayn Rand's novel follows the protagonist, Howard Roark, a young architect who struggles between integrity and conformity.
Ayn Rand created Roark's character after Frank Lloyd Wright, a famous American architect, known for one of the most iconic projects in architecture, Falling Water.
"redruM, redruM"
A cult-classic of the horror genre starring Jack Nicholson rejects the typical 70s horror film architecture. Director Stanley Kubrick uses rather familiar and domestic spaces with bright lighting to add to the film's continuous tension and unsettling environment. Most of the interior shots were inspired by the Ahwahnee Hotel located in Yosemite National Park.
Although receiving criticism from Stephen King, this movie became a staple of pop culture and is referred to as one of the greatest horror films created!
Main character Truman Burbanks, brought to life by Jim Carrie, lives in a textbook suburban neighborhood, the image of the "American Dream." This movie uses its environment to explore themes of perfection, reality, and agency over our own environments and lives. The majority of the film was taken place in a master-planned neighborhood in Florida again playing off the idea of the "American Dream" and suburbia.
A powerful theme and an on-going question that arises is privacy. Rising concerns of technology and social media usage invading our personal lives makes this movie relevant and powerful.
This beautiful film directed by Christopher Nolan creates a world in which dreams within dreams could be manipulated by "architects." The cast consists of major actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Elliot Page. These "dream architects" are able to create and manipulate an imaginary reality with their minds. Elliot Page plays Ariadne, an architecture student, taken under the wing of Dominic "Dom" Cobb to create a labyrinth of dreamscapes. This film will leave you intrigued and curious about the idea of "architects."
Set in the 1930s in a fictional country called Zubrowska, the Grand Budapest Hotel is a popular European ski resort famed for its concierge services. In this comedy-drama film, the plot follows Monsieur Gustave H. being framed for the murder of a wealthy dowager while embarking on a quest for fortune. The set design was produced by Adam Stockhausen using a print collection of alpine resorts extracting a visual palette. As a result, the film contains a warm, bright visual scheme emphasized with soft pastel tones. In addition, the hotel layout is cleverly used as a tool for comedy and choreography throughout the film making this a light-hearted film to enjoy over the holidays.
A British dystopian film starring Tom Hiddleston set in a luxurious tower during the 1970s takes a unique approach to architecture and society. The 70s is a pivotal point in history filled with economic and social issues which director Ben Wheatley beautifully explores with this movie. Although failing to meet its production cost in their box office release, it gained notable success and was nominated for the Empire Award for Best British Film in 2017.
It's been a while, but I remember the set of the film constantly reinforces class separation of the inhabitants throughout the highrise. Rising tensions in the film and class warfare eventually lead to anarchy in the high-rise.
Any sci-fi lover would enjoy these movies! Both are known for their hazy, dystopian urban landscapes characterized by futuristic architecture and high-tech elements.
Blade Runner
This iconic sci-fi film takes place in 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Directed by Ridley Scott, this film explores a dystopian world filled with synthetic humans called "Replicants" to work in space colonies. The overall landscape of the film was inspired by various themes including the works of futurist Italian architect Antonio Sant'Elia.
Blade Runner 2049
The sequel to Blade Runner starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Dennis Villeneuve depicts a post-apocalyptic future carrying a dystopian narrative riddled with brutalist architecture. Brutalism is one of the most striking architectural trends of the 20th century.
This internationally recognized dark-comedy thriller film directed by Bong-Joon Ho is a masterpiece. Parasite is an insightful and magnificent portrayal of greed and class discrimination in human behavior. I don't want to spoil this film, however, I will discuss the setting of the film. The majority of the film takes place in a home designed by a fictional architect, Namgoong Hyeonja. Bong-Joon Ho makes the most of the home's architecture, each scene is beautifully crafted to set the desired tone and symbolize the running themes of the film. This unique home could have fooled any architect; it was so well-designed that everyone wondered if the home existed in real life!
I strongly urge you all to take the time to watch this award-winning film!
Wherever you may be, these films are perfect for holiday relaxation with your family! This is a shortlist of movies that our team enjoyed and recommend, but we definitely know there are many more films that use architecture to enrich the cinematic experience. Let us know in the comments below or on Instagram about other films that you think would be a great addition to this list. Make sure to check out our Youtube and Instagram!
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