Between its founding in 1919 by architect Walter Gropius, and disbandment in 1933 in the face of increasingly ominous Nazi threats, the Bauhaus school represented perhaps the most unique and profoundly influential experiment in the history of modern design, architecture, and applied arts. Bauhaus faculty--an astounding assemblage of modernist titans, including Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Wassily Kandinsky, and Paul Klee--attempted to forge a philosophy and style of teaching and work that stressed the integration of architecture, art, and craftsmanship; a focus on the social components of these arts; and the relationship between design form and function. Using interviews with leading light architects (both Bauhaus supporters and critics) and abundant archival photos, Bauhaus in America is an ambitious--perhaps overly ambitious--attempt to trace the careers and the work of Bauhaus principals after their emigration to the U.S. in the 1930's. Given the enormous impact of Mies, Gropius and their disciples on the look and shape of the American post-War urban landscape, on 20th-century architectural language and style in general, there's simply too much to effectively deal with or digest in 80 minutes. This problem is not helped by some disorganization in the shooting script, including an annoying tendency to swing abruptly between personalities, leaving the viewer confused about who's being discussed. For non-architects in the audience, fuller identification of the speakers on screen would have been helpful (I. M. Pei, Philip Johnson, and Michael Graves, I know; who's Gyorgy Kepes?). More extensive interior and exterior video footage of the structures discussed would have also been welcome. Despite these shortcomings, there's a substantial amount of useful and fascinating information to be had here. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (G. Handman)
Bauhaus in America
(1995) 86 min. $275. ClioFilm. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 12, Issue 3
Bauhaus in America
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