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Bookmark this pageHow Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr Foster? (2010)
Movie review
From Time Out London
As the man behind Hong Kong’s HSBC tower, the Gherkin and the renovated Reichstag, to name just a few, Norman Foster is arguably the most influential architect of the past generation. This tribute, however, is an odd and not terribly satisfying film. The big screen makes a natural canvas for his grand-scale projects and the aerial views to which, as an amateur pilot, he is partial. But the format of the film – a chronological account of his career studded with praise from big-name artists and collaborators – feels more like a TV doc or even, given the mildly hagiographic tone, a corporate video. Foster comes across as remarkable and likeable figure, but there’s no compelling argument about how his work has shaped architecture as an industry or society as a whole. Glimpses of a planned project for a new model self-sustaining city in Abu Dhabi, however, are extraordinary.Author: Ben Walters
Time Out London Issue 2110: 27 Jan – 2 Feb, 2011
User reviews of this film
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- Jules said...
- Posted on Jan 28 2011 13:55 Best documentary ever. Photography and narrative, amazing!!
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- Andy said...
- Posted on Jan 25 2011 18:24 One of the most beautiful films I have seen.
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Cast & crew
Cast: Norman Foster, Deyan Sudjic
Genre(s): Documentaries
Duration: 78 mins
UK Release: Jan 28 2011
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