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Antonio Gaudi (The Criterion Collection)

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This is a great tour through the works of the brilliant, one-of-a-kind architect Antonio Gaudi. Find some pictures of his work on the net, and, if you're impressed, you'll like this movie. The cinematography is perfect, tracking and panning slowly over his work, so you can take it in. As if Gaudi's work wasn't enough, it also features music by the great Toru Takemitsu, who is the ultimate tour guide, much better than the narrator a lesser documentary on Gaudi might have provided. Instead of rattling off information, Takemitsu offers mood and atmosphere to compliment Gaudi's visuals perfectly. Together they offer a haunting, hallucinatory experience.

A well-crafted film that provides a tantalizing glimpse of some of Gaudi's most famous work. With the exception of a brief interview with one of Gaudi's contemporaries, there is no narrative or dialogue. Rather, the film is a riveting visual feast; excellent cinematography with a unique musical score that complements the architecture shown. Occasional English sub-titles identify buildings, locations and dates of construction. The film opens with a brief look at the culture of Spain in the medieval period through its art and architecture, establishing a background against which to juxtapose Gaudi's radical departure from the historical past. Little is told of Gaudi's life; instead this film concentrates on some of his more notable work and does so brilliantly. It leaves one wanting more...much more! Who was this man? How did he do it? What else did he design? This feast for the eyes and ears can be understood easily by non-English speakers. Highly recommended!

When I first saw this film, I did not know what to expect. One thing is there is no dialogue, just footage of the glorious city of Barcelona and the effect Gaudi's work had on the place. It's beautiful, surreal and an extremely awe inspiring experience to view it all on film. There is a depth to this film which words cannot convey, only seeing this film can one appreciate Gaudi and the city of Barcelona. A city imbued with enormous beauty and creative genius. One can feel great pride for the Catalan people by just his (Gaudi's) example alone. Well worth your time to see!

For those used to the more linear approach to documentaries seen in American and European docs, this 1984 film will come as either a revelation or a bore (see one of the below reviews). But the director, Hiroshi Teshigahara--who had previously made several films with the composer Toru Takemitsu (all based on the writing of Kobo Abe)--here takes an unusual approach to the documentary, almost completely eschewing voiceover or any linear narrative perspective to instead immerse the viewer in the brilliance that was Antonio Gaudi.

Some people know Gaudi was the architect who designed and built highly original cathedrals (principally the Sagrada Familia) and other buildings in Barcelona. But what they may not know is that he was also a ceramics artist and a sculptor. Teshigahara lovingly and meticulously guides and glides us through the surreal archiect's work, comprising not only the aforementioned structures, but also buttresses, apartment building exteriors and interiors both, gates, ceilings, and all manner of unusual and strikingly organic shapes--a group of stone columns uncannily resembles a clump of trees--that amaze the viewer.

All the while, Takemitsu's music provides a unique complement to these startling visual images, often juxtaposing stark experimental sequences with their opposite--rigidly formal church music. The contrast of the two is an intriguing mix and a perfect match to what we are seeing. Gaudi was strongly religious, yat at the same time boldly innovative in his designs. Nowhere else on earth will anyone ever see buildings and structures like they will in Barcelona.

Near the end of the film, a Japanese narrator translates Spanish into Japanese--the Spanish is that of a student of Gaudi's; meanwhile, English subtitles appear at the bottom of the screen. The student speaks of his teacher, and that is the only "text" we are privy to in learning something about him. But it is very short, and soon after, the film ends. Teshigahara means, of course, for Gaudi's work to speak for itself, but he is also, I think, saying that there is something more to these breathtaking forms than just the sensuous pleasure of seeing them. There is, we could likely say, a mystical sense of what Gaudi was trying to do...

Highly recommended. Nothing else like this documentary anywhere. Unfortunately as of this writing, February 2006, the DVD is out of print.

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film

Antonio Gaudí is a film about the fames Spanish Catalan architect, Antonio Gaudí, also known as Antoni Gaudí. This great artist designed many buildins in Barcelona way ahead of their time and his masterpice, a cathedral, Sagrada Família, is still incomplete.

The film is largely silent with a musical track with occasional narration but shows his work in great detail and beauty. It was directed by famed Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara.

The special features of more of my attention as they had more information about Gaudí.

Disc one contains the film with a theatrical trailer.

Disc two contains "Gaudí, Catalunya, 1959" footage from the director's first trip to Spain, "Visions of Space: Antonio Gaudí" a biographical documentary on Gaudí's life and his buildings. (This documentary was excellent and one of the few times the special features on a Criteiron DVD are better than the film), A BBC documentary on Gaudí, "Sculptures by Sofu--Vita" a film by Teshigahara about the sculptures made by his father, Sofu Teshigahara.

This is one of the finest releases Criterion has done in terms of it's actuality and beauty. I consider this a must buy DVD.

This two-DVD package is a must for Gaudi fanatics and casual appreciators of this innovative, conservative, mystical, cryptic architect of a century ago. His influence can be seen today in the works of Santiago Calatrava and many others.
The original film (1984) by Teshighara should be watched by a viewer not prone to dozing off. It is mostly silent with some music and subtitles. Visually, it documents the great care, craftsmanship and sensuality in Gaudi's many building surfaces, surreal furniture, fixtures,ironwork, tile, stone, wood, plaster, glass, etc. It helps to be somewhat familiar with his work and life, otherwise the relevance of this series of images laid on end over an hour tends to be lost.
Some of the more refreshing aspects of this compilation include added features on the second disc, such as interviews, Robert Hugh's fine BBC program exploring Gaudi's life and work, as well as the booklet shedding light on Hiroshi Teshighara's own efforts and passions. Overall, the access to the artistic parallels of both men's lives and works is valuable and interesting but don't expect "pure Gaudi".

Hiroshi Teshigahara, known for films such as the 1964 "Suna no Onna" (Woman in the Dunes), "Otoshiana", "Ako", "Tanin no kao" was a painter and a sculptor (Hiroshi Teshigahara graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music). Raised by Sofu Teshigahara, the founder of the Sogetsu School if Ikebana flower arranging, Sofu was also an artist and knew many well-known artists while growing up and introducing art to Hiroshi when he was younger.

As Hiroshi was pushing for an avante-garde style of art, he was also a blossoming filmmaker and one of his first early footage he shot was back in 1959 when he and his father going to Spain for the first time and even meeting Salvador Dali. It was at that time when he and his father were both enamored with the works of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (note: The name "Antonio" is also used, esp. for the title of the film) (1852-1926) who designed beautiful buildings, interiors and parks that would influence Japanese artists in the late 1950's and again in the 1980's.

Teshigahara revisited Barcelona in 1984 and was able to create a film on the works of Antoni Gaudi. Showcasing Gaudi's unique architecture all including his unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona.

"Antonio Gaudi" can be seen as a documentary or art film as it doesn't feature much dialogue but celebrates Gaudi's work as we see the Magic Fountain of Montjuic, Barcelona, Spanish art, the Palace of Catalan Music, Casa Amatller, Casa Batllo, La Pedrera, the Catalonian countryside, Casa Vicens, Bellesguart, Santa Teresa School, Guell Pavilions, Guell Palace, Guell Cellar, the Sagrada Familia school, La Boqueria Market, Colonia Guell Crypt, Park Guell, Montserrat and the Sagrada Familia cathedral.

This is a celebration for Antoni Gaudi's work and The Criterion Collection known for releasing important classic and contemporary films features a 2-disc DVD set in which Hiroshi Teshigahara immortalizes Gaudi on film and featurettes that also celebrates Antoni Gaudi's work. It's important to note that the film features his work and is not about Gaudi's life.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Antonio Gaudi" is presented in its original aspect ratio if 1:33:1. For a film that is 26-years-old, the film looks absolutely vibrant and colorful. According to Criterion, the high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm low-contrast print struck from the original negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System.

I believed that when Hiroshi Teshigahara went to Spain for the first time with his father, he knew the enormity of what kind of cameras and lenses would be needed to capture his work on film. Teshigahara and his cinematographers did a wonderful job in capturing the beauty of the architectural work but also capturing the detail. You see the curves, you see many of Gaudi's work upclose and giving the viewer a first hand look of areas that Teshigahara was captivated by. Absolutely beautiful camerawork!

As for the audio, there is music which was mastered at 24-bit from the original soundtrack print. Criterion used audio restoration tools to reduce the clicks, pops, hiss and crackle. There is a short scene with Isidre Puig Boada a Catalan architect connected to Antoni Gaudi who is being interviewed with Japanese dub over by Seiji Miyaguchi. But audio is Dolby Digital 1.0. For those with a modern home theater receiver and a 5.1 , 7.2 or higher setup may want to set the audio settings for stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundtrack.

Optional English subtitles are provided as well.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Antonio Gaudi" comes with the following special features on disc 2:

* Gaudi, Catalunya, 1959 - (19:26) In 1959, Hiroshi Teshigahara accompanied his father, Sofu to Spain bringing with him a 16mm camera to film Barcelona, the Catalonian countryside and visiting the home of Salvador Dali in Port Lligat. The featurette has no sound but definitely a time capsule of footage from that era and also a rare look at Salvador Dali as host for the Teshigahara's.
* Arata Isozaki Interview - (13:06) A featurette from 2006 with Arata Isozaki (known for designing the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art building) reminiscing of working with Hiroshi Teshigahara, making "Antonio Gaudi" and his life.
* "God's Architect: Antoni Gaudi" (59:28) An installment from a three-part BBC architecture series "Visions of Space" featuring art critic Robert Hughes exploring the power of religion in the works of Gaudi.
* Monitor - (15:55) A B&W installment of "Monitor" hosted by Ken Russell who focuses on Gaudi's architecture with early photos of Gaudi, his funeral and his work. Russell directed 21 one short documentaries for BBC's arts television series "Monitor".
* Sculptures by Sofu-Vita - (17:18) A short film by Hiroshi Teshigahara made in 1963. The installation features his father Sofu Teshigahara's work at a sculpture exhibition at the Sogetsu Institute. We see the making of the exhibition and close ups of Sofu Teshigahara's sculptures.

JUDGMENT CALL:

Also, included with this two-DVD set is a 38-page booklet featuring an essay by Dore Ashton titled "Border Crossings" about Teshigahara's work and influence leading up to the making of "Antoni Gaudi". "My First Trip to the West" by Hiroshi Teshigahara used in his producer Noriko Nomura's 2007 book of production notes "Eiga Koto Hajime". Also, included is "A Photographic View of Travels in the West" featuring a roundtable discussion sponsored by the Sogetsu Camera Club with Sofu and Hiroshi Teshigahara as they returned from their travels in the US and Europe. Other participants in the roundtable include photographers Ken Domon and Taro Hiramatsu.

I want to see these works of Antoni Gaudi up close! This is how I felt after I watched Hiroshi Teshigahara's "Antoni Gaudi".

What a beautiful film showcasing Antoni Gaudi's work. Aside from what I have seen from pictures online and postcards, I have never seen the detail of the work of Gaudi until I have seen this film. Teshigahara and his cameramen did a wonderful job in capturing the mood, the environment, the scenery, the sculptures, you name it...Teshigahara did a great job in having them focus on key areas in order to capture the beauty of the various works of Gaudi. Just to see his footage of the the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona was just breathtaking. To see the detail of the cathedral and his other works was very impressive and after watching this film, I now want to go to Barcelona and see his works up close.

I have to admit that this is one release from The Criterion Collection that is a film that is not going to be for everyone though. It's more or less for those who have an appreciation for art and architecture and in this case, Gaudi's work. Think of it more of a visual walkthrough Spain ala 1984 and Teshigahara being your tour guide through various works of Gaudi. No dialogue, just the visual with accompanying music.

I personally loved this release because it focused on Gaudi's work but also a rare glimpse of Hiroshi Tesihigahara and his father Sofu. It was a project that began back in 1959 when he accompanied his father to their first trip to Spain and then followed up years after his father's death and capturing the details of the work on film 25-years-later. So, I would imagine that this film was a personal film for Hiroshi Teshigahara and an important film for him to make as he and his father shared that same passion together.

The amount of extra special features is definitely a major plus and what makes this release so irresistible. For one, you get the 1959 home video by Hiroshi when he went with his father to Spain but that rare glimpse of Salvador Dali is just priceless. You also get Hiroshi creating a short film of his father's sculptures back in 1963 for an exhibition and a video interview with a close friend Arata Isozaki who comments on the Teshigahara's and growing up with Hiroshi Teshigahara. And then you get two solid documentaries on Antoni Gaudi from "Visions of Space" and "Monitor" which were informative and just delightful to watch. And also an enjoyable 38-page book which I enjoyed reading.

This is a very unique release for The Criterion Collection and may not be a film for everyone since its more or less a visual documentary on the work of Antoni Gaudi. But if you are interested in Gaudi's work, especially the artistic side of Hiroshi Teshigahara and his father Sofu, then "Antonio Gaudi" is definitely worth having in your collection!

Oh my, what expectations I had regarding this film: Teshigahara has impressed me as much as one just can, his `Woman in the Dunes' (Suna no onna, 1984) ranking as one of the all-time greats in my books. He is a towering figure in cinema, and to think that it was only one of his ventures (you might know that he dedicated most of his life, as had his family before him, to a very special kind of japanese flower-arranging, ikeban). Architecture, apparently, was another.

I don't claim any qualification in the field of architecture, but as someone who cherishes space and those who directly refer to it (or its absence) in cinematic worlds, Gaudí can't be far behind. The buildings are so vividly spatial they not only interact with the surrounding space, the interiors themselves are in a word divine.

You might be a dreamer, much in the same vein as I am. Then you might have had infatuations, be it for real persons or places or simple images, moods that pass through you, triggered by certain moments and feelings. Perhaps you might have had an infatuation for a girl, someone you know by only a limited context; much in the same way passing by in the street as the girl in Rohmer's `The Bakery Girl of Monceau', you don't know her, and you only cherish the impression of her, wishing to know her, filling the void left by the lack of knowledge with your own ideals and fantasy. That is, you half invent a person. Then, in a sudden, you get the chance to meet her. And you might feel terrified, knowing that you would be faced with reality that is outside of your own imagination, not within the fantasies and archetypes of your mind. I know would be. And I know I would take the risk of being disappointed, because that is how our heart works most of the time.

I was pretty much in this same situation with this film. As I've noted, Teshigahara is to me an important abstractionist on a very personal level, and Gaudí is even more so. So there I was, like a young boy, afraid to meet the possible love of my life, merely because I knew that there was the distinct possibility of not falling in love.

So did I?

Now, forget about the rather horrifying transfer available (or unavailable, depending on which format you're looking for) and set your eyes upon the film itself, no matter how much the quality of the transfer tries to distract you from what's going on. The film is both gorgeous and disappointing. It is gorgeous in how Teshigahara defines space, perhaps the most beautiful space ever known to man. He doesn't simply stick to the postcard images of exteriors, which by themselves alone are breathtakingly vivacious in how they interact with their surroundings, but he takes the camera, our eye, inside and that is where the real magic lies, as well as the only disappointing thing I can find from the film.

Teshigahara doesn't move the camera much, which in itself is appropriate in places, but also misses in my mind the greatest cinematic adventures in space possible: we move scarcely inside the buildings, only note the astonishing plunges into space by the structures, the walls, the strange shapes. He does take us on a ride like this occasionally, for an example when entering a building through the main entrance doors. This is so close to a Tarkovskian eye, a meditative, languorous eye that swims in the space that it's a shame, especially at a post-Tarkovskian as well as post-Pixarian time, that he didn't do it more excessively then. For in this case we have a master abstractionist understanding another. There are plunges, and for those I'm grateful, and they're done in an appropriately meditative manner. Also, I could've done without the dance bits. I guess I'm just a bit too hip about the whole thing nowadays.

All in all, this is a ravishing film, which I recommend you watch not only as an admirer of architecture for how well you can get into Gaudí's architecture, but also as a cinematic explorer of space because how well you can grasp the basic things about dimension through this film, as well as the abstractions of perception. Better teachers than this are scarce. Highly recommended.

With best regards, AK

This 1984 documentary about the architect essentially lets Gaudi's work speak for itself, and it couldn't be more eloquent. The cinematography by Junichi Segawa, Yoshikazu Yanagida, and Ryu Segawa provides perspectives you couldn't get on-site in Barcelona, guiding you at a perfect pace through intimate interiors or whisking you to aerial vantage points, alternating between minute details and comprehensive views. The often gently moving camera and the lyrical editing unobtrusively yet decisively shape what you see. The acutely perceptive sound track doesn't have to compete with continual voice-over--much of the historical information is provided in on-screen titles that barely disrupt the enveloping beauty of the images.

Unfortunately, this amazing film is out of print. I haven't been able to find any copies of the DVD edition anywhere on the web or by calling distributors - I believe the 2 or 3 copies of the VHS edition for sale here on Amazon are the only copies of this movie for sale on the web. Get them while you still can - according to Image Entertainment, there are no plans to reissue this film.

Two different perspectives; a same goal: two filmmakers from different latitudes. From France, George Clouzot (Mystery Picasso) -1956- and from Japan, Hiroshi Teshigara in 1959; both of them felt the imperious necessity to pay tribute around two great Spanish artists (Picasso and Gaudi) and both were sumptuous masterworks by themselves.

Hiroshi Teshigahara (Woman in Dunes) constructed a real Patrician portrait of Catalan Antonio Gaudi (1852-1926) one of the major driving forces of the Architecture around the world. Through a vibrant and enthralling cinematic experience, this marvellous visual poem invites us to dive ourselves inside his astonishing buildings, parks and interiors. Depicting the curves of his structures from the singles works, his home, Gueil Park, the house gaudi designed on Wagner's memory (You can see it too in Antonioni's film The Passenger) until his monumental still-unfinished masterpiece the Sagrada Familia.

Amazing and artistic tour de force from start to finish. You really will wish it hadn't ended. Portentous and sublime.