Both directors and architects tend to respond to an egocentric profile: no one can question the decisions of directors or architects, they are the ones who rule in their respective fields. His eccentricities can be compared to those of any rock star.
In this regard, there is a film that perfectly reflects that profile of an architect, seen through, precisely, a film director:
“The Fountainhead” (1949), by King Vidor, shows Howard Roark (GaryCooper), a New York architect convinced of the excellent quality of his work despite clearly going against the current of the exhausted and empty architectural tradition, and that he does not is influenced by anyone; stubborn, individualistic, self-sufficient. He lives completely oblivious to the intrigues, pettiness and greed of others, and his only interest in the world is to build, to create. He is such an extreme character, that even when he designs a building that is later modified into his original design, he is able to blow it up (literally).
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Ayn Rand, who also wrote the script, although she was unable to get the architectural sets to be done by Frank Lloyd Wright, the royal architect who partially inspired Roark’s character. Wright’s high fees caused studios to veto that possibility. Although in the film it is clearly seen how some of the designs that appear are inspired by those of the American Architect.
Another vision of the profession of Architect is offered in “The belly of an architect” (1987), by Peter Greenaway (director who compared both professions: “It is a common place of this century, that it is easily possible to avoid looking at a painting or even reading literature, but it is very difficult to avoid somehow being confronted with architecture, I like to think that, if I am allowed to be so arrogant, it is possible to compare the work of a film director with that of an architect.
We both have to be accountable to our sponsors and to the man on the street, but we also have to be accountable to ourselves and our concept of culture. I would be too close to home, obviously, if I made a film about a film director, so in the back of my mind I have been searching for some time to find an appropriate parallel. ‘)
The film is about an American architect who arrives in Rome, accompanied by his wife, for an exhibition dedicated to the 18th century French artist Étienne – LouiseBoullée. The Architect, over time, becomes obsessed with tremendous stomach pains, convinced that it is related to the fact that his wife is having an affair with another Italian colleague. Another egocentric and eccentric look from an architect.
Unfortunately today we still see similar behaviors in some colleagues, who are also not as good professionals as they think.
In our office we believe in professional humility and continuous reinvention, for which we try to take into account the opinion of our clients, who we consider the center of each project.
