Top 5 Documentaries | NoCA Shelter In Place Recommendations
Like us, maybe you have already binge-watched the latest season of your favorite TV show and are looking for some new activities while sheltering in place! Here is a list of our Top 5 documentaries on Northern California Modernism.
Masters Of Modern Design: The Art of the Japanese American Experience
From KCET:
From the iconic typeface of The Godfather book cover to Herman Miller’s Noguchi table, the influence of Japanese American artists and designers in postwar American art and design is unparalleled. While this second generation of Japanese American artists have been celebrated in various publications and exhibitions with their iconic work, less-discussed is how the World War II incarceration—a period of intense discrimination and hardship—has also had a powerful effect on the lives of artists such as Ruth Asawa, George Nakashima, Isamu Noguchi, S. Neil Fujita and Gyo Obata.
We had the pleasure of screening this documentary by filmmaker and director Akira Boch in January at the San Francisco Public Library, and had a stimulating conversation with those who attended.
Heath Ceramics: The Making of a California Classic
From KCET:
Artbound looks at the dinnerware of Heath Ceramics and a design that has stood the test of time since the company began in the late 1940’s. Through the writings of Edith Heath, the founder and designer of Heath Ceramics and voiced by renowned chef Nancy Silverton, this episode explores the groundbreaking work of a woman who created a classic of American design.
From Coast Modern’s website:
Coast Modern is an independent documentary by directors Mike Bernard and Gavin Froome. Traveling along the Pacific North West coastline from LA to Vancouver, the film showcases the pioneers of West Coast Modernist Architecture, and the homes that have become their legacies. Stepping inside the most inspired dwellings on the west coast, we feel how the light and space of a classic Modernist home can work in collaboration with the natural environment. Dion Neutra tells us that the way to live is to have “the comfort of being inside, yet you have the feeling of being outside,” and it is this established principle that contemporary Modernist architects are emulating and evolving.
People in Glass Houses: The Legacy of Joseph Eichler
From Vimeo:
People in Glass Houses: The Legacy of Joseph Eichler is the first ever documentary film to explore the unique phenomenon that Mid-Century Modern developer, Joseph Eichler created in the late 50's and 60's. With over 11,000 homes built in California, Joseph Eichler stands as one of the true revolutionary post war builders to change the counterculture of what we now know and embrace today as “modern living.” The film features never before seen footage of Joseph Eichler and his architects. Noted architects Paul Adamson, Author of Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds the American Dream, and Mark Marcink articulate their knowledge of Eichler's influences on modern architecture. Ned Eichler, the son of Joseph, also gives his first hand account of working with his father. Watch as seven home owners in various Bay Area Eichler neighborhoods speak directly to the pride of ownership that they live with everyday. History, legacy and passion are all part of this great film.
Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman
Although this film doesn’t focus on Northern California specifically, we had to include it because it is one of our favorites. For many, this documentary can be credited with providing a new understanding and appreciation of (or even obsession with) Modern architecture. From the film’s website:
Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, acclaimed by many as “the world’s most influential architectural photographer.” Shulman’s images embody the energy and optimism of Southern California in the second half of the 20th century and brought its iconic architecture to the attention of an international audience. His photographs immortalize the work of the most prominent American modern architects from the 1930s until Shulman’s death in 2009, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner, and Frank Gehry. This award-winning film is both a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of the magnetic visionary who chronicled it with his unforgettable images.
Shortlist
Many of our other favorite architecture and design documentaries don’t focus on Northern California but are nonetheless fascinating, inspiring, and informative so here are just a few more.
RAMS: A documentary by Gary Hustwit, who is responsible for other great documentaries such as Helvetica and Objectified. Hustwit is making one of his documentaries available to screen for free each week during the COVID-19 Shelter In Place order, so check them out at his website.
Eames: The Architect and the Painter : A documentary about the iconic duo Ray and Charles Eames.
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City: A look at the life and work of urbanist Jane Jacobs.
The Oyler House: Richard Neutra’s Desert Retreat: A look at Neutra’s design for Richard Oyler in Lone Pine, California.
BONUS: Feature Films
Northern California Modernist icons are featured in a number of feature length Hollywood films. Here are a just few that are worth checking out.
Gattaca (1997): A great science fiction film staring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law, which features a number of office scenes filmed in the Marin Civic Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Conversation (1974): A classic by San Francisco local Francis Ford Coppola featuring Gene Hackman (and a young Harrison Ford). Best known for scenes around Union Square, but watch for incredible shots of the newly completed Embarcadero Center, designed by John Portman.
Dirty Harry (1971): A neo-noir set in San Francisco featuring Clint Eastwood as a San Francisco Police Department inspector. Drawing on the real life Zodiac Killer case, the first scene takes place on the roof of the Brutalist Hilton Hotel (750 Kearny St), designed by Clement Chen.
THX 1138 (1971): Pay attention for the Montgomery BART station and BART tunnels in this science fiction film.
