Say
what you will about Ayn Rand, but she understood American architecture. While
most people recognize the protagonist of The
Fountainhead was transparently inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, fewer
understand his mentor, Henry Cameron was largely based on Wright’s first boss
and formative influence, Louis Sullivan. Unfortunately, Sullivan’s uniquely
American aesthetic was overlooked in favor of his great rival’s hodge-podge
eclecticism. Sullivan’s life and the development of multi-story steel-frame
buildings are chronicled in Manfred Kirchheimer’s Tall: The American Skyscraper and Louis Sullivan (clip here) which opens this Friday in New York.
Tall starts by inviting
the audience to look up and then explains how those buildings got so high. We
get a nutshell explanation of traditional (and not so traditional) building
techniques—post-and-lintel, arches, cantilevers—in order to establish the
significance of steel frame building techniques.
Sullivan
was definitely an early adopter. His skyscrapers (modest by our standards, but
lofty in their day) also featured tasteful decorative elements that clearly shaped
Wright’s aesthetics. Sullivan contributed significantly to the growth of
Chicago, but his rival Daniel Burnham sabotaged his rise, by marginalizing his
contribution to the World’s Columbian Exposition. To his credit, Kirchheimer is
even-handed in his assessment of Burnham, praising some of his work, including
the good old Flatiron Building (which you could argue is his most Sullivanesque
building).
In
Tall, Kirchheimer gives viewers context
and insight to better appreciate the cityscapes surrounding them, which is a
gift. Frankly, this film is getting its belated premiere theatrical run at a
time when it is sorely needed. We are increasingly in danger of losing our
collective cultural memory for music, literature and films that were previously
considered classic. Architectural awareness has always ranked even lower in the
collective consciousness. Yet, how impoverished are those who pass by the work
of Wright, Sullivan, and Burnham, without understanding their artistic and
functional significance.
Kirchheimer
assembles a collage of striking architectural images, many archival, but a good
deal were also captured by his battery of cinematographers: Zachary Alspaugh, Peter
Rinaldi, and Taiki Sugioka. Tall also
sounds great, thanks to his tasteful music choices, including selections of Miles
Davis and Count Basie, as well as constantly-working character actor Dylan
Baker’s warm but authoritative narration. The film is not biography per se, but
it definitely establishes the tragic nature of Sullivan’s life and greatly
humanizes Wright, who is often portrayed as a distant genius, staring off into
the lofty heights, as icons are likely to do.
Tall is a highly
accessible documentary, but it is also clearly the product of a thoughtful
craftsman. It should definitely spur an increase in the understanding of and
interest in architecture with general audiences, which would be enriching, since
architecture is all around us. Very highly recommended, Tall: The American Skyscraper and Louis Sullivan opens this Friday
(1/19) in New York, at the Metrograph.
