The correlation between cinema and architecture has always inspired each other in various ways. The opportunities that both present each other are magnificent and that helps in engaging the audience in different ways. There have been instances where architecture has inspired the creation of visuals for films and vice versa. A lot of the unbuilt architectural projects have been interpreted and visualized for adapting to the narrative of cinema.
The link between architecture and cinema was first expressed through the interior set designs of the German expressionist directors like Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and Robert Weine. Using set designers such as Alfred Kubin, they used the tension between black and white, the dualistic colors of cinema representing mind and matter, to create tension represented often through resulting triangular forms. The inspiration that architecture brings to cinema, I believe that cinema can not bring back t o architecture. We often find that a lot of architectural buildings and structures are made to be put to use. As architects, the spaces we see in movies becomes a chance to bring them to life through spaces in one’s own homes.
- Incredibles 2:The Falling Water is the house of the Incredibles family in the awaited sequel of the movie that has been much anticipated to be a very good movie. The house has been found to have similarities with the Falling waters by Frank Lloyd Wright. The house is known to be similar to even the house of Tony stark from the famous Iron Man series. Although the connection between the two may not be direct, the artist’s interpretation of taking the idea of The Falling water and Tony Stark’s home is something that makes the Incredible’s house unique and artistic.
- Blade Runner:The film is a dystopian movie that uses various architectural elements and spaces to show a futuristic Los Angeles The movie takes references from a lot of LA’s architecture such as the Bradbury Building. The building has been known to be an iconic building even to have been featured in the earlier versions of Blade Runner. The film also shows a revival of ChinaTown. The film has also shown an interpretation of Barozzi Veiga’s unbuilt museum. The reasons of the museum to have been unbuilt is due to perhaps structural implications and due to issues with construction however, these challenges can be overcome while using the same architectural context in movies as they do not have to be structurally worked out to a large extent. Blade Runner in this case is a great example for setting such dynamic architectural context.
- The Shining: The hotel in Shining is an amazing example of making spaces that help exaggerate suspense and chaos as per the narrative. The large open spaces make the uncertainty of the events unfolding even more intense and engaging. The hotel is known to be a real location where it was shot making the entire movie nerve-wracking and interesting. The interiors of the hotel have also played a huge role in setting the mood for the movie. The idea of using this one structure that is physically isolated from the world is an amazing thing to see in this movie.
- Rear Window:Like most of Alfred Hitchcock’s works, the movie is made entirely in a set that replicates the streets of New York City. The perfection of adapting what is real to the set is something Hitchcock has perfected over the years. The Rear Window is a very well-executed film as the details of all the events in the movie play out very well. The streets in this movie are not seen too extensively but through this movie, we are able to map the neighbourhood of the character and relate to his curiosity as the events unfold. The landscape of the movie is very typical of what a street in New York would look like and hence this is a great example of how architecture inspires cinema.
- Pulp Fiction:Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction represents the scenarios of urban spaces in the USA. The movie shows the dirty mirror of the realism of living in urban spaces that are in bad shape. The scenes from this movie show the banalest events happening in this space and escalates to a whole new level of thriller and chaos towards the end of the story. The scenes take place in urban areas which are in the context of the USA and reflect the issue of housing in this part of the world also.
