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Frank O. Gehry, Sydney Pollack, Chuck Arnoldi, Edward Ruscha, Mildred Friedman ... see more see more... , Michael Ovitz , Philip Johnson , Craig Webb , Dennis Hopper , Charles Jencks , Milton Wexler , Jim Glymph , Sven Neumann , Edwin Chan , Michael D. Friedman , Tim Paulson , Bob Geldof , Rolf Fehlbaum , Michael Wexler , Michael Eisner , Norman Rosenthal , Julian Schnabel , Juan Ignacio Vidarte , Nerea Abasolo , Hal Foster , Herbert Muschamp , Barry Diller , Peter Barent Lewis , Esa-Pekka Salonen , Sir Bob Geldof , Frank Gehry

Acclaimed film director Sydney Pollack took a five-year break from the realms of fiction to assemble a lovingly crafted tribute to longtime friend and acclaimed architect Frank Gehry in this documenta... read more read more...ry born from the sketches of its talented subject. A notoriously shy craftsman whose impressive body of work includes the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Ghery is shown working in his studio unobstructed as Pollack attempts to capture the very essence of the artist's bold works through use of film and digital video. Driven by an intimate but informal series of discussions between Ghery and Pollack, Sketches of Frank Gehry uses the subject of architecture as a launching point to discuss the creative process, and paints a fascinating portrait of how one humble man was able to create some of the world's most awe-inspiring structures. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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42% liked it

18,676 ratings

Critics

81% liked it

78 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 23 min.

Directed by: Sydney Pollack

Release Date: May 12, 2006

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DVD Release Date: August 22, 2006

Stats: 338 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (338)

  • 5oclockcoffee
    May 15, 2011
    5oclockcoffee

    How to analyze a documentary? What to take into consideration? When most documentaries follow the same structure and format, and considering that the main objective was reached, the subject ends up being the determinant. At least, for me.

    Frank Gehry is a Canadian architec... read moret who acquired both critical acclaim and popular recognition with unlike buildings that cross the lines between architecture and art, functionality and free creation. If you are not familiar with his work, I would say it reminds me of Franz Kakfa, the German Expressonism and Futurism (google Umberto Boccioni and Carlo Carrà and compare their work to the Gehry´s).

    His expressionist postmodern architecture, I must say, doesn´t really appeal to me, although I realized that more than the shape, what makes big impact on me is the material. Having what I would call a conservative taste, I feel attracted to brick and stonework when steel, glass and metal keep me away. I like the MARTa Herford Museum, in Germany, that was clad in brick and stainless steel, as also the Dancing House, in Prague, but the Novartis Building (Switzerland), the Experience Music Project (Seattle) and the Walt Disney Concert Hall (LA) can call the attention of the eyes, but not of my heart: I don´t feel the impulse to explore such places.
    Bringing it to the cinema, it´s like Monsieur Hulot´s house versus Arpel family´s house. The futuristic house from Jacques Tati´s film Mon Oncle is very formal and static (geometric) to could have been built by Gehry, but we can say it has some similar characteristcs: the fish-shaped fountain, for example, even though Gehry would make it much bigger. In the other hand, even being an ancient building, Monsieur Hulot´s "house" has a sort of chaos and movement that would attract Gehry and which charm and personality definitely attracts me.

    What I most like about Gehry´s work is the whole process of creation, the "giving form" more than the form itself. Instead of the final product, I choose his sketches and mock-ups. The whole process is exciting and Sydney Pollack portraits it quite well what makes me wonder how to rate this documentary. Gehry´s work is interesting, but can this film please those who are not interested in architecture? I am not sure.
  • Stinger839
    February 10, 2008
    Stinger839
    I met Sydney Pollack when he came to New Orleans to introduce and discuss this film. I actually worked at the mall where the cinema was, and I couldn't work up the nerve to say anything at the screening, but the next morning he came into my workplace and I got a tete-a-tete with ... read moresomeone who was very much an academic guide for film theory and history on top of being a brilliant director (with great taste in what colors to wear).

    Anyways, this film. Yes. If you don't know Frank Gehry, just think of the oddest building you've ever seen and chances are it is or is derivative of Frank Gehry. For a reference point, Gehry did Bilbao Guggenheim and Seattle's Experience Music Project. Pollack and Gehry have long been friends, and the documentary was filmed as an independent project of Pollack's over the course of a few years and many meetings with his friend Gehry. The two talk of art, design, inspiration, and everyday stuff. Gehry explains his process as an architect. Pollack captures some stunning shots of Gehry's work for just using a handheld diigital. If you like to see a brilliant (and some will say odd) artist revealing the guts and marrow of his profession, this is the film for you.
  • RossCollinsUK
    July 11, 2007
    RossCollinsUK
    Oh dear. Would could have been a fascinating insight into architectural design turns out to be a load of sentimental hero-worshipping clap-trap! A slide-show would have taught me more about Frank Gehry's work!
  • gator681
    May 18, 2007
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"Sketches of Frank Gehry" is an insightful documentary about noted architect Frank Gehry, the creative force behind such buildings as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; Walt Disney Concert Center and my personal favorite, the practice rink for the Anahei... read morem Ducks. This is architecture that stands out from its surroundings, as it should, which is especially true for art museums which should look like works of art themselves. But unlike the architecture of Antonio Gaudi, Gehry's stresses the artificiality of the buildings as a way of showing how artificial all of humanity's creations really are. Along with his buildings(I would have liked to have seen more of the interiors), there are also thoughts on what drives him, the chaotic design process and his influences. Talking heads include colleagues, celebrities and critics.[/font]

    [font=Century Gothic]"Sketches of Frank Gehry" is directed by Sydney Pollack who is also a friend of Gehry's. This is the first documentary he has made and he also appears in front of the camera on occasion which is always a tricky proposition for a documentary.(Werner Herzog being a main exception because of his captivating presence.) Here, it definitely hurts the movie, even though I can see that his intent was by having a filmmaker interview an architect, that it would give a broader look at the creative process but it does not come close to succeeding. [/font]
  • halloweenjake
    July 7, 2007
    halloweenjake
    Really illuminates and humanises one of the most incredible architects living today. Plus it goes into WHY his buildings are so affecting.
  • guitarrocks04
    June 8, 2007
    guitarrocks04
    An interesting look at both Gehry and Pollack. Forces you to look at architecture in a wonderful way.
  • jeffriguez
    May 16, 2007
    jeffriguez
    Early on, director Sydney Pollack wonders why renowned and revolutionary architect Frank Gehry chose him to direct a documentary about Gehry and his work. "It's not just that I didn't know anything about making documentaries. I didn't even know anything about architecture," Poll... read moreack opines. Turns out that's fine, because this is less a documentary about architecture (for that, check out 2005's splendid 'My Architect') as it is a dissection of the singular mind of Mr. Gehry and how it operates when engulfed in the world of his art. Whether acting out as a closeted egomaniac or as his own worst critic, Gehry fascinates... and, unless you're in the small minority who claim his work is ugly and suffocating... God, those buildings are beautiful!

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Critic Reviews

Richard Nilsen
June 29, 2006
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic

A refreshingly small-scale film, almost a home movie made by the director of such films as Tootsie, Out of Africa and The Way We Were. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
June 22, 2006
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Not just instructive, but reassuring for anyone who does creative work, and who worries, as everyone does, about being equal to the task. Full Review

Catherine Fox
June 22, 2006
Catherine Fox, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As fascinating and faceted as its subject. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
June 16, 2006
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

What the filmmaker omits are precisely the laymen the movie set out to explain Gehry to. Full Review

Rick Groen
June 16, 2006
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

What benefits the picture early on, giving it a casual air, becomes cloying in the later going, making it feel like a smug exercise in mutual admiration. Full Review

Terry Lawson
June 16, 2006
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

It is a few meaningful glimpses into the mind and life of a man who resists being seen as complex and singular. Full Review

Colin Covert
June 15, 2006
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Pollock, who narrates, admits he knows nothing about architecture, which accounts for the film's shapelessness.

Richard Roeper
June 12, 2006
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

I think every time Gehry comes into a city and adds his signature, it just makes the people in the city proud of it. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
June 9, 2006
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

If Sketches of Frank Gehry fails to reconcile these extroverted buildings with their apparently introverted maker, it offers some heartfelt appreciation.

Roger Ebert
June 9, 2006
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

There are also a few critics brought in to provide balance, although Pollack's opinion is clear: Gehry is a genius. Having gazed upon the Guggenheim and the Disney and sat happily on the grass beneath... Full Review

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