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Helvetica (2007)

Director: Gary Hustwit

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From Time Out London

Could first-time American director Gary Hustwit be the architect of a New Banal documentary movement? With ‘Helvetica’ he produces a gleefully engaging investigation into the world’s most ubiquitous typeface, uncovering a minor shit storm in the world of graphic design as well as broadening the cinematic and analytical potential of the documentary form in the process. Tracing the roots of the Helvetica (née Neue Haas Grotesk) font back to a small foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland in the 1950s, the film charts its rise as a staple of corporate logos, warning signs and any form of communication that requires a direct, pithy and functional mode of expression. It's almost absurd that something so quotidian could provoke such controversy but, as we soon discover, the graphic design world is very much split over its cultural connotations and artistic worth, allying it as easily with fascism as socialism, progress as decline, superficiality as substance. One highlight is an interview with German typographer and designer Erik Spiekermann who goes so far as to compare the uniform appearance of the font to Nazi soldiers marching in line. In fact, every one of Hustwit's shrewdly selected interviewees has extremely strong opinions on the subject, and there doesn’t seem to be any kind of generational or creative link as to why a designer will love or loathe the font; some see it as a design masterpiece which will never be bettered, others see it as emblemic of a creative drought and serves as nothing more than an easy design solution for lazy creatives.

Artfully photographed, sharply edited and propelled by a gorgeous ambient rock soundtrack, it’s a film which owes more – in philosophy perhaps more than style – to the measured docu-realism of Nicholas Philibert than the bombast of Michael Moore and has obviously been constructed with its utilitarian subject close to heart. Don't let the mundane subject matter put you off. This is one of the wittiest, most diligently researched, slyly intelligent and quietly captivating documentaries of the year.

Author: David Jenkins

Time Out London Issue 1933: September 5-11 2007


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  • ram said...
    Posted on Oct 18 2007 17:24 Inspiring in its nod to the designers of yore. I absolutely enjoyed this film. I'm not a designer by any stretch, but have always been fascinated by it, and the use of language and text. It really is empowering for a non-talent like myself, as well, as it discusses the proliferation of the democratizing of the tools of production. It has caused me to look much more closely at the written word in the world around me. A must see for the corporate and anti establishment types alike. It explores the way a typeface can polarize a society. While the topic may be considered 'mundane' to some, this films' treatment of it was anything but.
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Cast & crew

Director: Gary Hustwit

Duration: 80 mins

UK Release: Jun 15 2007




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