Preface
Page: i-ii (2)
Author: Nevnihal Erdoğan and Hikmet Temel Akarsu
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010001
Ben-Hur/1959
Page: 1-8 (8)
Author: Nevnihal Erdoğan*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010003
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Ben-Hur has been filmed three times. The protagonist of the film, who was
shot during the time of silent cinema in 1925, was Ramon Novarro, the great star of the
era. The most memorable one, which won 11 Oscars and has an important place in
cinema history, is the 1959 film by the master director William Wyler. This review
focuses on the 1959 film, considered more successful due to its impressive, sincere,
and convincing spatial setup.
Judah Ben-Hur was a wealthy Jewish merchant prince, living in Jerusalem in 26 AD
(early first century). What is told in the movie is the story of a large family who lived
in Jerusalem when the cruel and imperious administration of the Roman Empire was
ruling, and Jesus Christ was spreading his teachings.
In this section, the construction of space that can form the common language of both
disciplines in the cinema-architecture relationship, design, innovations and invention,
inspiration for real-life, and beyond, the richness of imaginary fiction, ideas about
different lives and worlds, art and aesthetics in space setup, and the similarities of
cinema and architecture will be the topics of interest. Since the film occurs in the
atmosphere of ancient cities such as Rome and Jerusalem, which were at the center of
classical world civilization, it provides a suitable setting for conducting analyses in this
field. The film presents a wide range of architectural facades within these rich themes.
“Power and architecture,” “Faith and architecture,” and “Politics and architecture” are
the main ones. The method of the article will be to explain the analysis of the Ben-Hur
film over these themes.
The influence of government power on shaping the city and its architecture is excellent.
The ideologies, administrative approaches, and practices of the rulers of Rome and
Jerusalem were created through monumental buildings that command, subjugate, and
spiritually influence, and magnificent architectural works that oppress the ruled. Today,
we often cannot show the ability to look at the texture and layers of cities from a
historical perspective. However, a well-executed political-religious-architectural film
can turn into a civilization narrative that reveals these issues in detail and history. That
is what happened with Ben-Hur.
The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)
Page: 9-15 (7)
Author: Z. Türkiz Özbursalı*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010004
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The Name of the Rose is a 1986 film by Jean-Jacques Annaud, a novel
adaptation, and a co-production of German, French, and Italian companies. The Name
of the Rose, as it is known, is a 'historical mystery without police' by Umberto Eco, in
which the 'political' authority war between the ruling power and the papacy institution,
the conflicts between sects, and the pressures of religion on the people in Europe at the
beginning of the 14th century, were woven like needlework through a seven-day slice
of life and the seven sins associated with seven deaths. It is a tough novel with a detailoriented approach and philosophical weight in which Eco's deep knowledge is reflected
in every line. The Name of the Rose is a book that has been translated into many
languages, has been selected in the list of The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time by
the British Crime Writers' Association, and has been criticized for its approach to
religion, but has also received much acclaim. Due to these features, it is a long and
luscious work that carries serious risks to be adapted into cinema, and every detail has
a meaning that cannot be ignored.
Yet, in every frame of the film, in all open and closed spaces, the misery of the famine
years of the Middle Ages, the bitter face of poverty, and the oppression of religion can
be seen and felt. As those who have read the novel will remember, Eco began to
describe the structure and the environment from the moment the protagonists started to
see the monastery from afar. Once inside the monastery, all structures of the complex
were explained in detail in terms of their place, size, form, relations with each other,
and decoration. Undoubtedly, it is not possible to reflect this much detail properly in a
limited time; however, it must be admitted that Annaud managed to reflect the general
historical and architectural atmosphere as best as he could. The scenes in which we
watch the eerie depictions of the reliefs, which also observe uneasiness and even fear,
make the audience at least as uncomfortable as Adso.
Cinema, which expresses its concerns through moving images, is a field of study that
reveals its existence in other art branches and has to follow the technology closely.
Literature and cinema, which have a common dramatic source, have always progressed
art in art, and in The Name of the Rose, the relationship and affiliation of architecture,
which is a visual field of study focused on intervention in space and designing the
space for cinema has come to life in a much stronger and more violent way.
Fellini's Rome
Page: 16-21 (6)
Author: Hikmet Temel Akarsu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010005
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Fellini's Rome is one of the mature works of the famous Italian director
Federico Fellini. Fans of Fellini's films find high artistry in his cinematic style, which
does not follow coherent fiction, combines extraordinary façades with sad humor, and,
with contradictory and audacious focus, excites every human emotion. Although most
of the critics have described him within the neorealism movement in cinema, it should
be noted that he has an extremely original style that does not fit into this category. It
would be more accurate to say that he has a sui generis expressionist style that
sometimes borders on fantasy and surrealism, requiring a separate definition. The
movie “Fellini's Rome” is one of the refined examples of this new expressionism style.
Fellini paints Rome with a completely different color in his highly impressive film, and
this new color is a very, very different place from the laboratory of architectural
history, which includes that familiar array of monuments. This new Rome is now
completely painted with Fellinian poetry and transports us to other realms with its
richness of image and irony. So, Fellini's Rome gives us an unfamiliar feeling. It allows
us to see the city, which has the world's greatest architectural heritage, from a
completely different perspective. What should it mean for us to shift away from
architectural-monumental structures and turn to different images in such a city that
served as the capital of the Roman Empire for centuries and imprinted itself in the
memory of mankind with extremely powerful images? There, the philosophical and
metaphorical messages of a great director come in the most artistic and mysterious way
and find us. Even if you create the world's most magnificent architectural universe,
your thinking, and even your life will be completely in vain if you cannot grasp the
truth and validity of the human spirit.
The Artificial Hypocrisy of the Fairytale Atmosphere: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Page: 22-32 (11)
Author: Serkan Can Hatipoğlu* and Türkan Nihan Hacıömeroğlu
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010006
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
As a prominent example of the symbiotic relationship between cinema and
architecture, Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) is a typical example of his
unique narrative approach and has been the subject of many discussions in different
disciplines and platforms. There are many lessons to learn as architects and students of
architecture, such as the use of color in design, balance in spatial settings, perception of
space in movies, and an introductory approach to architectural history. Beyond the
basic design principles, the uniqueness it carries comes from Anderson's distinctive
approach to storytelling and cinematography that shapes the multilayered atmosphere
supported by cinematic tools such as narrative architecture, camera techniques, and set
design. By analyzing the continuous changes in the atmosphere; and the contrasts in the
spatial and atmospheric properties of the movie with its events, characters, and
feelings, this paper aims to explore the intricate relationship between the atmosphere,
emotional tonality, and architecture that enrich the narrative and cinematic experience.
The Grand Budapest Hotel demonstrates to architects how space, people, and incidents
are tuned by an atmosphere and its emotional tonality. It allows for an exploration of
the intricate relationship between the atmosphere, emotional tonality, and architecture
to enrich the narrative. The analysis shows that the movie's contrast, superimposed, and
hypocritical spaces are an essential part of the unexpected and unusual multilayered
atmosphere in The Grand Budapest Hotel. In that sense, the hypocrisy associated with
this movie is artificial since they are director Wes Anderson's intentional creations.
Doctor Zhivago
Page: 33-38 (6)
Author: Nevnihal Erdoğan*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010007
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Adapted from the novel, the film is about historical events depicting the last
period of Tsarist Russia, the city of Moscow between 1903-1905, when the Socialist
Revolution gained strength, the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, and the Russian
Civil War (1917-1922), the turmoil in the postrevolutionary Soviet Union and the
Second World War. An essential forty-year period in terms of political balance and
social development both in the Soviet Union and in the world is described through the
life of Doctor Zhivago.
Throughout the narrative, Yuri Zhivago, a bourgeois intellectual, poet, writer, and
physician who lived through the times before and after the 1917 October Revolution, is
traumatized by the erasure of all values belonging to the Revolution he believed in, and
then, coming of a corrupted new system that follows. All these staggering
developments turn his life upside down. The multilayered plot of the film is based
mainly on love.
In the film, the reflections of events on the architectural space, especially the transition
process from bourgeois life to socialist life, are examined through space. Pre- and postrevolutionary events are explained by stunning spatial fiction.
The director reflected almost all emotions through the space. The most important
lesson to be learned from this movie is the answer to the question of how to use
architectural phenomena or existing situations while expressing emotion in design. The
combination of emotions and architectural space is successfully reflected in the film
Doctor Zhivago. It can be said that this film has shown the ability of architecture to be
successfully assembled in a cinematic structure only at this level, transforming it into a
narrative element of dramatic structure.
The main instrument of the film, which constantly leans on the vitality of both the
Tsarist and Soviet eras, as a tribute and satirical, is often the architecture. However,
beyond that, Russia's extraordinary nature and idyllic environments, endless steppes,
and snow-covered countryside are used as elements of an epic narrative, reflecting a
different perception of space.
Towards the End
Page: 39-45 (7)
Author: Semiha Kartal*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010008
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The Architect, made in the USA in the 20th century, is an impressive work
that has managed to tell the sad stories of two different families with an “architectural
theme”. In the movie, the actors, each with a different character, present their different
lives to the audience in the “social housing project”. The EdenCourt social housing
project, which was built by the architect with great hope and an idealistic approach, lost
its function over time, gained different meanings, and emerged as a problem years
later. The difficulties of the people living in these residences are discussed in the life of
one of the main characters. The idea that “architecture is not about making models” is
tried to be explained with characters and events within the framework of the film.
Attention was drawn to the necessity of keeping up with the change as a result of
completing the requirements of architectural formation. In the film, it is emphasized
that architects, who act depending on the changing demands of society, socio-politica-economic environments, and technological developments, can go beyond modeling by
preserving the ecological balance, understanding the demands of the social structure,
and providing it. The fact that the architectural elements shaped by the experiences of
their users have lost their function over time has been the subject of the film. In this
context, it is possible to think that the film is fictionalized over the settlements that are
referred to as the 'failures' of modern architecture. The “failure” of the social housing
project is portrayed in the film, which is designed to give a message in every frame. In
the context of the relationship between the art of cinema and architecture, it can be
considered as a common point that both disciplines use space and time in terms of
“designing, producing and presenting techniques”. Just like an architect, the director's
physical, cultural, social, etc. The fact that he tries to visualize and construct events by
fictionalizing them can be considered an indication that architecture and cinema have
similar aspects. The effort to capture and understand the architectural touches in both
social and physical dimensions while watching a movie also reveals the visual impact
of architecture and cinema.
The Belly of an Architect/ 1987
Page: 46-55 (10)
Author: Selin Arabulan*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010009
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
This study aims to analyze the film, The Belly of an Architect, which was
presented to the audience in 1987 by director Peter Greenaway, from an architectural
point of view. British cinema director Greenaway has an interest in different branches
of art such as stage design, painting, and exhibition curation. The Cook, the Thief, His
Wife, and Her Lover; The Pillow Book, and The Baby of Macon are among the most
popular films of the director.
It is followed in the drama, written by the director, that the American architect Stourley
Kracklite's process of questioning his wife, career, and life in Rome after being invited
to organize an exhibition on behalf of the French neoclassical architect Étienne-Louis
Boullée. Boullée lived between 1728-1799 and is famous for his circular forms and
buildings where he uses geometry in its pure form. In the film, Rome plays a key role
in the formation of the story, not only formally but also narratively. The historical
buildings of the city, especially the Pantheon appear as important roles. The “belly”,
dome, and circular forms, which are used intensely as the focal point and axis of
symmetry, also constitute other roles.
Cinematographic readings were made in order to be able to see the flow that the
director created in his film, to obtain information, and to analyze the film. It is seen that
most of the elements and principles used in art production are common, such as light,
color, and composition. From this point of view, the analysis of the film was made on
the basis of design elements and principles in general. While the movie is watched,
line, form, size, color, light, harmony, contrast, dominance, hierarchy, and most
dominantly, symmetry and balance can be observed. These architectural elements can
be read both on the architecture, on the axis of vital images, and in the scenario,
through the semantic fiction in the film. The film ranks high among the recommended
films on social platforms with architectural content. When the instructiveness of
reading design elements and principles in different branches of art are evaluated, it is
being watched within the scope of undergraduate and graduate level courses in
architecture faculty.
Journey To Louis I. Kahn
Page: 56-61 (6)
Author: Esin Benian*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010010
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
My Architect: A Son's Journey was filmed in 2003. The documentary with
biographical content was directed by Nathaniel Kahn. It is one of the five
documentaries nominated for an Oscar in 2004. This documentary has been prepared
using archive records and interviews. The subject of the movie includes the adventure
of a boy who lost his father at a young age, on his way to get to know his father. This
five-year journey sheds light on the private life and professional career of Louis I.
Kahn, one of the representatives of modern architecture. In short, it offers the audience
the opportunity to get to know Louis I. Kahn and the features of his monumental
works. For this reason, the film has been examined from two perspectives. The film
was approached from the point of view of the child who first wants to know and
understand his father. For this reason, the life of Louis I. Kahn was examined in terms
of his private life. Then, attention was drawn to Louis I. Kahn's approach to
architecture. In this direction, Louis I. Kahn's professional career, buildings, and
architectural ideology are discussed. As a result of the study, it is seen that this
adventure of Nathaniel Kahn brings many questions about life and architecture because
this journey of a son to get to know his father is not just about introducing the fatherson relationship or an architect and his works to the audience. It also makes the viewer
question what is important in life and architecture. For this reason, it is recommended
to watch the film, especially by architects, architecture students, and those interested in
architecture.
Jacques Tati, “Playtime”; on the Modern Architecture Movement and Livable Cities
Page: 62-71 (10)
Author: Çiğdem Polatoğlu* and Selda Cansu Temel
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010011
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
When examining the connection between cinema and architecture, it is
evident that both sides feed off one another. While every film produced contributes
visually and intellectually to architecture, it also creates an experimental environment
for both space design and space perception. While cinema reproduces space according
to fiction, it also becomes a tool for recording history as a witnessing document.
Cinema can depict the political, social, and cultural evolution of a city, as well as the
stages it has undergone in terms of physical reality. This cinematic documentary
narrative has been the subject of numerous studies conducted in the field of cinema
architecture. The 1967 comedy film Playtime was directed by French filmmaker
Jacques Tati and is one of the films that is frequently mentioned and analyzed in
literature studies that investigate the relationship between cinema and architecture.
Playtime is a successful film that uses cinematic techniques to examine the economic
and social transformation of a city over time.
The fictional Parisian city Tativille was created for the film's set. The film deals with
the alienation of Monsieur Hulot, a charlatan character identified with Tati, in his
modern urban experience, utilizing sarcastic language and Tati's distinctive sense of
humor. In this paper, the spaces of modern architecture and the lifestyle were discussed
through place-making, spatial organization, and perception of space.
The Conflict of the Modern and the Traditional: The Case of Mon Oncle
Page: 72-80 (9)
Author: Nihan Sümeyye Gündoğdu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010012
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Mon Oncle is a 1958 French-Italian comedy film. The plot of the film begins
with Mr. Hulot coming and going to the Arpel family's villa. Mr. Hulot lives in a place
with an old lifestyle in a crowded neighborhood in St Maur. The Arpel family is
described as a family that tries to create a modern family structure and has a modern
house. With the changing and developing world order following the Second World
War, many branches of art such as architecture, art, and cinema were influenced. It is
seen that the film, which can be considered in the transition period, is intertwined with
the concept of modernity that emerged during the period in this changing order. In the
movie, the director, Tati, explains how modernism and the modern design approach
affect society through the movie characters, by showing Mr. Hulot, who has a
traditional way of living, and the Arpel family, which has a modern lifestyle, via
criticizing the conflict between them through architecture. In the movie, the place
where Mr. Hulot lives is constantly compared with the place where the Arpel family
lives. Mr. Hulot is positioned as a transitional element for these two different spaces.
This film aims to convey the fact that these individuals have two different characters
and lives, with a modern traditional conflict evaluated through the relationship between
space and body.
In the analysis of the film, the reflections of modernity both on individuals and on
space were provided by interpreting the effects of post-war modern architecture. It can
be seen in the movie Mon Oncle that the cinema, one of the branches of art in which
the effects of modernism are seen in the changing world order after the war, reflects the
changing structure of society through the films of the relationship between space and
body. Both the structure of society and the changing phenomenon of architecture have
been tried to be conveyed through the relationship between cinema and architecture. It
has been revealed how these effects, in which two conflicts are experienced, are
handled through architecture, space, body, and individual. The challenges experienced
during the transition to modernity and modern life that wish to be reflected are
conveyed through both space and the exaggerated behaviors of individuals within the
relationship between cinema and architecture.
Imagined World, Dreamworld, and Beyond. The Architecture of the City as a Distraction Machine in ‘Lost in Translation’
Page: 81-105 (25)
Author: Elmira A. Gür* and Işıl Baysan Serim
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010013
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
‘Tokyo is the Tower of Babel in modern times', says Mario Botto. In the
context of the study of cinema and architecture, this account may be one of the most
seminal approaches for our article, which aims at the analysis of Sofia Coppola’s 2003
film ‘Lost in Translation’. Akin to the Babel myth, the phrase ‘Lost in Translation’
(LiT, hereafter) underpins its discourse, which emphasizes one’s dual situation, that is,
that the two worlds (i.e., dream/real, virtual/actual) do not necessarily reconcile, but
can/should coexist mutually. This reversible dilemma reveals the multilayered,
complex, heterogeneous, and machinic status of the untranslatable, referring to one's
existential predicament or/and quest in space and time.
Hence, what the phrase implies for LiT is the fragmented, decentralized, and distracted
experiences of the two Western characters, even the inhabitants, in the city of Tokyo,
formed by both visible and invisible flows of digitization and globalization. Coppola's
carefully staged urban scenes constitute a space for distracted gaze and even demand
representational forms of distraction. In this context, the article explores how the
architecture of the city, becoming liquid indistinguishable from images, turns into a
[post-] media apparatus of the multidimensional network, that of the ‘distraction
machine’ constructing new subjectivities.
Roman Holiday (1953)
Page: 106-111 (6)
Author: Bilge Ataç Özsoy*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010014
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
This study examines the effects of the city and places on people in the
coexistence of the disciplines of cinema and architecture, through the movie “Roman
Holiday”. Cinema and architecture are similar in terms of constructing the space lived
and experienced. Architecture creates spaces based on lifestyles, human needs, and
expectations, whereas, in cinema, spaces are needed in order to tell stories. Cinema
spaces can be created and designed in different ways depending on the characteristics
of the movie. From time to time, the movies occur in actual places where life continues
in its ordinary course. In both cases, space becomes the most important part of human
life and the story told.
In this study, the movie “Roman Holiday” was evaluated in the context of human-space
and city relations. In different cultures and times, human life emerges and is shaped
through space, and in the meantime, space continues to be an important part of human
life. In the movie, while various sections from the life of a princess are shown, the
effect of the city and urban spaces on human behavior are analyzed through the city of
Rome and its places.
The city of Rome and its places can be evaluated by their functions, forms, and
physical features. With these evaluations, numerical results can be obtained. However,
in order to understand the intertwined connection between people and space and the
communication they establish, it is necessary to evaluate people and human life. The
main preoccupation of human-centered disciplines is to understand these connections.
While evaluating the spaces in the unity of architecture and cinema, the effects of urban
spaces on human life are observed through the story told in the movie. This study aims
to question the ways in which the relations between the city, society, and the individual
are constructed through space through the example of Roman Holiday movies.
Intellectual Criticism and Space in Cinema; Winter Sleep
Page: 112-119 (8)
Author: Hikmet Temel Akarsu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010015
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Winter Sleep is a movie that won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival
in 2014. It is directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan who has a worldwide reputation and
prestige. Let us also add that this movie won the FIBRESCI award, and it has more
accomplishments at the box office than the director’s other movies, which have more
stable cinematic language.
In regard to the narrative of Winter Sleep, although the preference for space is made
effortlessly, through common sense and intuition, it is the right choice for sure. The
reason for that is that Cappadocia and the Turkish intellectuals have identical attributes.
Rough life climbing up a magnificent history, structures in which makeshift lives with
a profound past reside as well as a sophisticated spatial formation that undertakes the
duty of reflecting the silence that mocks its miserable people, and a generation that has
been brought up incorrectly, corruptly mediating the vulgarized use of a magnificent
architecture.
Winter Sleep is filled with these, and it is truly a film of melancholia. Because the
director went about his creation in a place where the psychopathology of the space and
the problems of our intellectual intersect, paradoxically, the work has found a strong
structural foundation. That is to say, the success of Winter Sleep comes from the fact
that it approached the architecture of Cappadocia, which had been used as a gallery of
cliches and antiquity until then, with a negative commentary. The significance of the
movie lies in the fact that it judges, or rather dissects, our intellect through the
mistreated, hurt, and pessimistic appearance of Cappadocia.
On the one hand, corrupted intellectuals, who are looking for a remedy for their
hopeless spiritual wounds in suffocating hazy, narrow rooms and in depressing spaces
that are engaged with mazes, make their games central to their lives.
Constructivist Heterotopia or Taylorist Dystopia? Layers of Cinematic Space in Chaplin’s “Modern Times”
Page: 120-128 (9)
Author: Emine Zeytin*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010016
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
In a metaphorical reading, the industrialized modern city of Modern Times
is a gigantic factory designed to produce the modern man. It tries to regulate the
movements of the body, actions, and mind through modernist spatial layouts of
institutions such as factories, hospitals, and prisons. In this respect, the film can be seen
as a criticism of modern architecture and feedback for architects about the
consequences of the modernist approach. On the other hand, it would not be right to
look for the spatial approaches of the modern age only in the cinematic space of the
film. The film studio where the film was produced is also the product of modernism. In
Chaplin's silent cinema; the film set is not only background for the actions of the
actors, but also a part and catalyst of their creative and spontaneous performance.
Therefore, ironically, the criticism of the mechanizing effect of modern architecture on
the body was produced through the constructivist modern stages of the silent film
studios. This study examines these two different aspects of modern architecture: the
modernist disciplinary approach and the constructivist avant-garde approach, through
the cinematic space and production space of the film Modern Times. By using
Foucault's concepts of disciplinary society and heterotopia, and based on Chaplin's
memoirs as a witness of the modern era, the study aims to analyze different layers of
modern architecture.
The City of God / Cidade de Deus (CDD): Crime and Violence in the Favela
Page: 129-137 (9)
Author: Dilek Yıldız Özkan*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010017
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The City of God, whose original name is Cidade de Deus (CDD), is an epic
film that deftly narrates life in the favelas, which is full of crime and violence in Brazil.
The events in the film occur in the CDD social housing, a western suburb of Rio de
Janeiro. It is one of the most notorious social housing complexes, established by the
Brazilian government in remote areas of the city as part of the project to systematically
move the ugly and crime-generating favelas to the outskirts of the city to prevent
slums. Narrating the gang wars and brutality in the CDD settlement, the protagonists of
the film are “the boys who flirt with the crime”. This article aims to examine crime and
violence, which are the main phenomena of the film, by considering them together with
their sociological and spatial dimensions. For this purpose, firstly a short introduction
of the film is presented, and then the story of the film is summarized. Next, the brief
history of the CDD, which evolved from a planned social housing to a favela, is given.
The scenes of the film were analyzed through its space and discourse, associating them
with crime theory in the field of environmental design. In the film, the sequence of
events that began in the '60s and spanned three consecutive decades, the '70s and '80s,
was interpreted at the scale of the city, building (housing), and interior space. The first
episode describes the initial years of social housing, where life began. The housing
settlement has been isolated and excluded from the city as an indicator of class
divisions. In this period, which is interpreted through defensible space theory, the
housing settlement with an extremely low physical and spatial quality is depicted. This
housing settlement, which is lacking in privacy, has no definition of territory, and
cannot provide transitions between public and private, which is far from meeting the
psychological and social needs of its residents as a result. In the second episode, the
dim and old interiors of an apartment, which triggers the perception of crime and fear,
are described. In the third episode, the labyrinth-like settlement draws attention with its
rundown, secluded, quite neglected, garbage-filled streets with graffiti on the building
facades. This period, in which the role of environmental quality and disorder in the
formation of crime is discussed through the broken windows theory, also shows the
evolution of the planned social housing in the favela. When all these periods are
examined together, the film relates that urban poverty, social fragmentation, and an
environment lacking spatial and physical quality, each of which interacts with the
other, affects the formation of crime.
Nostos or Ritournelle: The Spatio-Temporal Narrative of the Journey and Homecoming in the Movie of Ulysses’ Gaze
Page: 138-152 (15)
Author: Emine Görgül*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010018
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the movie Ulysses’ Gaze-To Vlemma tou Odyssea
(1995) by renowned Greek director Theodoros Angelopoulos. It was shot during the
Yugoslavian War. While depicting the socio-political climate of the late 1990s Europe,
the aftermath of the Cold War, and the falling communist ideology in the Balkans;
Angelopoulos develops a traversal narrative of the Balkan region and portrays the
multicultural structure and the shared history of the region. Looking at the last hundred
years of the territory, Angelopoulos blurs the line between the past and the present
conditions by reconstructing a selected perspective of time-space, while highlighting
the ever-changing faith and unrest in the region over the ages. More concretely, the
movie depicts the fictive journey of protagonist A, a movie director coming home from
his exile in the US for a film screening, to find three undeveloped roles of the Manaki
Brothers, starting from Thessaloniki and moving through Sarajevo. This journey is
dismantled by elaborating the notions of anastylosis and ritournelle-refrain, which are
used as the methodology of the film. The key scenes of the journey are also dismantled
sequentially to reflect the systematic representation and repeating scheme of
Angelopoulos in developing the visual narrative via key actions, characters, spaces, and
ambiance, as well as feelings.
The Truman Show: A Different American Dream
Page: 153-158 (6)
Author: Oya Tunçay Erar*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010019
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Truman Burbank, a child who was adopted before he was born by a film
company, had been brought up on Seahaven Island, a large and completely humandesigned plateau. On the island, Truman is the only ‘real’ person. Not only the
surrounding environment but his mother, father, wife, and best friend are all part of the
fiction as “actors.” The interplay between real and fiction is in fact being watched by
millions of different countries in the world. Everything used in the show, all products,
are objects of advertisement and for sale. We see in the movie that everything in the
real world has a price and how popular culture shapes society with visuals.
Today’s lifestyle leaning towards consumption bombards us with the ideology of use,
finish, throw it away, and continue for the new. We cannot deny that architects and
others from different disciplines working with architects are not complicit.
Environments constructed with the promise of creating ideal spaces for living do not
promote life experiences, city culture, or the well-being of the individual, but impose
capitalism’s demands.
The Truman Show, which leaves unanswered questions in our minds and brings about
questions to question ourselves and those around us, foreshadowed today’s spectacle
society. Social media and popular culture dominate our space of living day by day and
people choosing to become not only spectators but also those who are watched turned
to the directors of The Truman Show.
The Truman Show movie, with all of its metaphorical descriptions, treats carefully the
change in the notion of space. It eventually is a remarkable movie, bringing a new
perceptive to architectural culture.
The Journey Of Love(Before Sunrise/Before Sunset/Before Midnight)
Page: 159-164 (6)
Author: Semiha Kartal*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010020
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
In the Richard Linklater film series, one of the examples of independent
cinema, the journeys of two American and French young people who met on the train
during their European trips are described with architectural details. In the film series
featuring the same director and actors, the architectural identities of Vienna, Paris, and
Greece are presented with their natural and built environments. The intensity of
emotion that can be called “First Love” in this work was experienced in Vienna. It is
possible to see the relationship established by culture, art, and architecture with its
buildings, avenues, streets, palaces, squares, cemeteries, fountains, and sculptures in
this city. Various styles of the history of art and architecture, ranging from a Gothic
cathedral to Baroque buildings, have been visualized through this film. It is possible to
say that these styles differ from each other in terms of form and content, as well as the
aesthetic values they add to the city. In the city, traces of eclecticism can be seen,
reflecting the complexity of the intellectual environment, which is the subject of
criticism by architects. In this context, the story of two young people presenting the
history and texture of the city with a visual feast on the streets of Vienna also showed
the relationship established by architecture and cinema. While describing 'Love', the
frames in which the unique architectural beauties of the city are exhibited have
presented how the art of cinema uses the architectural elements that are the language of
the city in a visual dimension. In this context, it is possible to say that the art of cinema,
which visualizes the stories of cities as living organisms, effectively uses architecture
to contribute to its memory.
The Man Who Fell to Earth
Page: 165-169 (5)
Author: Hikmet Temel Akarsu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010021
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The Man Who Fell on Earth, directed by Nicolas Roeg in 1976 and starring
David Bowie, is an influential dystopia film on emotional episodes. Although the
images seem to be about the world we live in, the story in its essence is based on aliens
characterized through sublimation. The plot is briefly as follows: Aliens belonging to a
planet that has exhausted the world they live in need water to survive. Leaving behind
the last few surviving family members, the alien figure Thomas Jerome Newton (David
Bowie) comes to Earth, a planet with plenty of water, to find a solution. His vehicle is
damaged during the descent and is unable to take off again.
Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) in this, that is, our beautiful world with
abundant water, wonderful nature, and endless possibilities, tries to seem like a normal
person by camouflaging his real appearance and trying to find methods to send water to
his own planet in order to save his family as soon as possible. Using his alien
knowledge and technology, he obtains many patents and soon earns a large amount of
money, under the astonishing, greedy, and lustful gaze of his lawyers and advisors.
However, the wealth he gained unexpectedly in a short time and through successful
patents attracts the attention not only of the state but also of many other intriguing and
mischievous circles. Evil people who want to seize Thomas Jerome Newton's fortune
meanwhile destroy his chance to return to save his family as well.
A sustainable world and environment, green, organic architecture, environmentally
compatible buildings, conservation of natural water resources, energy-efficient
buildings, designs that consider carbon dioxide emissions, smart buildings, landscape,
etc. , are the concepts that have settled into the focal point of architecture and have
become significant after the 21st century. Although the movie “The Man Who Fell to
Earth” was produced in 1976, it owes its worth to the fact that it introduces an early
awareness of the agenda of this field in an indirect fashion.
Dogville: Destruction is Architectural
Page: 170-175 (6)
Author: Can Boyacıoğlu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010022
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
This article is on the architectural discussion of a four-fold portrayal of Lars
von Trier’s film Dogville. The film is about a lonely woman’s refuge in a middle-ofnowhere American town and how the town community turns her into a slave. The film
was shot in a dark hangar and has a single stage that is only decorated with chalk lines.
The article contains an introduction, a conclusion, and four chapters: “the lone subject”,
“the philosopher/architect”, “(lack of) Nature” and “Waiting for Destruction”. The
introduction is about the grotesque character of the film with the stage’s unliving dark
atmosphere and the plot’s unearthly feelings. The first chapter is about the subjectoriented character of the film. All unhuman materialities are clarified only with the
clues of human perception through the film. The second chapter is about how the
intellectual idea becomes the slave of public opinion through the character Tom’s
transformation. It is used to understand the transformed role of an architect in a
capitalist society. The third one is the vacuum of materiality in the film; the only
natural elements are metaphors of the action and reaction in human-nature duality. The
fourth chapter is about the metaphorical destruction promise of the film that is actually
understood as an architectural element in the context of the text that is not normally
used to be handled as a part of the architecture. Destruction not only means the
possibility of new beginnings but also an ethical clearance for the regrowth of nature
physically and metaphorically
The Mind of the Dead and the Thinking (Johnny Got His Gun)
Page: 176-182 (7)
Author: Ersan Yıldız*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010023
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Examining the Spaces of (The Shining) through Human Psychology
Page: 183-192 (10)
Author: Nihan Sümeyye Gündoğdu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010024
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Shining, a 1980 film directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the novel of
the same name by Stephen King, is one of the crucial examples of the psychological
thriller genre. Stanley Kubrick is an American film director of Jewish origin. The
director, who prefers to create uniqueness in his films, has adapted many literary works
for the cinema. One of them, the movie Shining is about the experiences of the
protagonist of the film, Jack, working as an off-season caretaker and with his family in
that place. Jack resigns from his teaching job, agrees to work at the Overlook Hotel on
a deserted hill during winter, and settles into the hotel with his family. Since the hotel
is closed in the winter, Danny, the gifted son of this family residing in the hotel, sees
through his superpowers that there are evil spirits in the inn, that his father is possessed
by these spirits, and that he is slowly coming to the point of insanity and his
psychological breakdown.
The central theme of the film, which has an important screenplay in terms of space and
human relationships, is drama and horror. Within the scope of the study, the effects of
human psychology on space and, at the same time, the impact of space on human
psychology are discussed via space, through colors and sound, as well as light. From
the beginning of the movie, it is possible to see scenes that will affect Jack's insanity,
starting from the outside.
In addition to these architectural elements that have caused Jack to go insane, the
labyrinth theme and symmetry that we often see in places in the film also have an
important place in the story. As a result of all this, the phenomenon that affects human
psychology in the film, that is, the main character Jack's insanity, is uncanniness. In the
article, the phenomenon of uncanniness is conveyed within the flow of the film via the
characters and their spatial reflections. The psychological effect of space on people, as
well as the psychological effect of people on space, has been processed through the
phenomenon of the uncanny.
Lost Highway
Page: 193-199 (7)
Author: E. Gülay Er Pasin*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010025
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Lost Highway was shot in 1996 by David Lynch. The movie is paired with
Blue Velvet (1986) and Mulholland Drive (2001). Alternatively, it is claimed that the
movie bears a strong resemblance to Eraserhead as to the narrative, showing the
characters' minds coming into focus. Lost Highway is mostly analyzed from a
psychoanalytical perspective, The Impossible by David Lynch (Todd MacGowan,
2007) and The Art of the Ridiculous Sublime: On David Lynch's Lost Highway (Slavoj
Žižek, 2000) seem to be the reference books for the ‘Lynch audience’ as well for
scholars. It is analyzed from the point of Zen and Hindu thought and from the point of
physics. The movie is mostly read through its narrative. However, I claim it deserves
more interest with respect to cinematography and mise-en-scene. The analysis of the
use of space and place in the movie is also based on the grounds of psychology,
generally.
All we see in the movie is Fred Madison’s reimagination while he is sitting in his
prison cell. He is sentenced to death, but he is not waiting for his execution, actually.
He is on a permanent vacation seeking endless possibilities, digging the desire for
Renee up. But Lynch also talks about place regarding society, too. This is exactly the
starting point of this study. Moreover, the use of elements like darkness and smoke are
clearly semantic components. That makes the subject more interesting. Regarding these
issues, this study focuses on the atmosphere and the use of place in Lost Highways.
The Use of Claustrophobic Spaces as a Cinematographic Tool: Panic Room-D. Fincher (2002)
Page: 200-211 (12)
Author: H. Hale Kozlu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010026
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The use of the art of cinematography in conveying the emotions desired to
be reflected on the audience in cinema films has an important role, especially in the
spatial arrangement and design of cinema spaces. While the spaces discussed in the
films are sometimes produced virtually, the spaces that exist/are built in real life are
either used directly or designed. These usage possibilities and contingencies allowed by
the technology of the period are also a facilitating tool for the emotions that are to be
conveyed to the audience within the scope of the film. In addition to different shooting
techniques, the arrangement of spatial data such as width, height, and light has been
frequently used in this emotion transfer. The space setups of the scenes where positive
emotions are to be reflected are often different from the space setups of the scenes
where negative emotions are handled. Creating a claustrophobic atmosphere by setting
up narrow, dark, closed spaces in some scenarios that are intended to be reflected in
emotions such as anxiety and fear is frequently encountered, especially in
thriller/horror movies.
Panic Room, one of the important movies in which the feeling of claustrophobia is
handled with different dimensions, primarily allows the audience to weigh their
feelings towards a closed space with the reflections of its name. It is disturbingly
reminiscent of the familiar problems of modern social psychology, with the help of the
word “panic”. Panic Room, directed by David Fincher in 2002, is a striking movie that
evokes feelings of tension, fear, excitement, and claustrophobia with its cinematic
space design and camera movements. In the movie, which is about a mother (Meg) and
her daughter (Sarah) struggling with thieves on their first night in their new home, the
building that is shown as the house where the events occurred is in New York
Manhattan Upper West Side. Exterior and interior shots, based on this building and the
street it is located on, were shot in spaces built in the studio environment. This study
aims to examine the spaces where the interior and exterior shots of the film are made
architecturally. The reflection of claustrophobic emotions, especially emphasized in the
interior shots, on cinematic techniques, and the processing of these emotions through
space are discussed.
Lives Reflected in the Window Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock)
Page: 212-221 (10)
Author: Gülcan Minsolmaz Yeler*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010027
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Events and plots in cinema occur in relation to time and space. The script
also changes accordingly. The idea that is aimed to be narrated in the film is conveyed
to the audience not only through the script but also through space. The director
emphasizes the idea of using space. By being situated at the intersection of architecture
and cinema, the notion of space connects these two disciplines, constituting their
foundation. Both cinema and architecture take experience and life as their concern.
They also include symbolic connections without withdrawing from space-place-time.
Concepts such as houses, streets, cities, windows, doors, and stairs qualify for spatial
images and are used for creating context in cinema. At this point, the study aims to
evaluate the interaction between cinema and space/architecture and how an
architectural element “a window” transforms from its main function into a tool of
observation. It illuminates different spaces and lives although an analysis of Alfred
Hitchcock’s film Rear Window.
Rear Window holds an important place in the history of cinema, with features such as
the story being set in a number of apartments that are situated around a courtyard; the
protagonist Jefferies identifying the rear window of his apartment with a cinema screen
and therefore identifying the protagonist with the audience; shooting the film from the
room of the protagonist/a limited space with special techniques; paying attention to the
decoration so that it will reflect the most significant features of the character; and
inclusion of a number of themes such as love, murder, and detecting.
In order to establish the relationship between cinema and architecture, the study
focuses on the meanings that are attributed to the spatial organization of the film set,
the spaces that the characters in the film spend their lives in, and architectural elements
such as doors, walls, and stairs, particularly the windows.
An Anti-Space Film: Barton Fink
Page: 222-227 (6)
Author: Hikmet Temel Akarsu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010028
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Barton Fink, which was awarded the Palme d'Or at the 1991 Cannes Film
Festival, is a highly successful film noir that brings heavy criticism to Hollywood's
inner structure and art circle by taking the “anti-space”(!) theme as a background. It is
also the masterpiece of Joel and Ethan Coen, known as the Coen Brothers, co-creating
many productions in the following years. Barton Fink is at the same time a heavy
criticism, a black satire, and a dark comedy focused on the literary, cinematic, and
artistic universe. The Coen Brothers wrote the script in three weeks, inspired by the
troubles they had in Hollywood while shooting their previous movie (Miller's
Crossing).
The plot of the movie is briefly as follows: Barton Fink, a young screenwriter who had
limited success in New York's literary and artistic circles, and who glowed up on
Broadway, caught the attention of Hollywood. Screenwriter Barton Fink, who accepted
the hard-to-refuse offer and moved to California to work in Hollywood and settled in a
run-down hotel, is now at the service of the movie industry, but at the same time, he is
faced with the terrible facts behind the glittering world of Hollywood reflected on the
screen. The depressing Hotel Earle where he has settled is the first of those dreadful
facts. The hotel contains a nightmarish monotonous array of rooms, closed corridors
whose walls are covered with dull and shoddy sweating, paper, monotonous and lonely
hotel rooms hosting mysterious and troubled guests every night, permeable walls with
voices of a strange frenzy of weird people and a dark and mundane decor filled with
nightmares that destroy all inspiration.
Just as it is shown in the movie, while reflecting the spaces belonging to Hollywood
producers, how luxury, splendor, wealth, and architectural potentiality are wasted
spitefully, recklessly, and lavishly; likewise, the fictional monotony, carelessness,
cheapness, contempt, and misery in industrial buildings that lead to spiritual collapse
are also described with the same skill. Therefore, the Hollywood facts presented to us
by the Coen Brothers instill horror and trepidation both in our architectural thinking and the movie heroes. In other words, everything that is wrong to do in regard to
architecture can be found in a solid artistic criticism hidden under the masterfully
written sequences in the Barton Fink movie. When we consider it in this sense, to give
a name to the architecture, we found there: “antispace” would undoubtedly be the most
correct term.
“Medianeras” Sidewalls - Gustavo Taretto
Page: 228-235 (8)
Author: Tuba Sarı*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010029
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Medianeras, which is closely related to architects and urban actors, deals
with many subjects such as the standardization of the individual, standard life, display
windows, lost spaces, capitalism, digitalized world, and relations. The focus of the
narrative in the film, “Medianeras” is defined as the empty and windowless side walls
of the buildings adjacent to the neighboring blocks. While the side walls are shown as
the cause of physical separation between people in the city, these surfaces are also
figured as the dead and vacant spaces of each building that serve no purpose. The
scenario of the film, which begins with the architectural representation and criticism of
the capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires, is built through the parallel lives of the two
characters. The metaphor of “sidewalls” used spatially in the film corresponds to a
show alternately of the two narratives at similar moments. This spatiotemporal
narrative in the film is linearly fictionalized within the sections of “A Short Autumn”,
“A Long Winter” and “Spring at Last” in the text. In the film, which reflects the
architectural differences of the city of Buenos Aires through the subjective narrative of
the characters Martin and Mariana, similar relationships are defined between urban
structures and people living in the city. The internal monologues quoted through the
voices of Martin and Mariana touch upon many universal city and urbanite problems
on the axis of the individual-society world through the life experiences of the
characters. By establishing a similarity between human life and building, the unplanned
development and architecture of the city are held responsible as the cause of social and
physical problems. By establishing a similarity between human life and building, the
unplanned development and architecture of the city are held responsible as the cause of
social and physical problems. In the face of the legitimation of the internet as a
communication technology, it connects the feeling of loneliness and virtual-real-world
contradictions with unplanned urbanization in metropolises caused by unplanned
urbanization. Whereas the architectural representation of the city is expressed in the
space-time coexistence of the characters, it facilitates comprehension by emphasizing
the experiences of private living spaces and urban public spaces.
Nomadland/ 2020
Page: 236-245 (10)
Author: Arbil Ötkünç*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010030
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Produced in 2020 and winner of many prizes, Nomadland is a successful
film by the director Chloé Zhao. Having been adapted to the screen from the book by
journalist Jessica Bruder, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century,
the film is a semi-documentary where some of the actors and actresses live in “RVs”
and act as themselves.
61-year-old Fern, performed by the lead actress Frances McDormand, lives with her
husband, whose illness and death we learn about later, in a small industrial town called
Empire in America. Production ceases in the town where she dwells, like in many
places, as a result of the big economic crisis happening at the beginning of the 2000s.
Employees become unemployed, and their residences turn into ghost towns. Fern loses
almost everything she has, primarily her house and her husband. She buys an RV and is
obliged to hit the road as a modern nomad. She calls herself “without a home” but not
“homeless” and struggles to survive while mourning. She encounters the cruelest side
of capitalism but also people with whom she shares poetic moments.
The film, which draws the portrait of many people suffering from the global economic
crisis, lets the audience see life from the perspective of mid-life poor people who are
obliged to work in precarious jobs and live in RVs. It leads the audience, especially
architects to think about the meaning of shelter, the difference between home and
house, the importance of place in our existence, and the relation of belonging that we
establish with our stuff, place, and space.
Architecture as a Main Character:Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite
Page: 246-250 (5)
Author: Emre Karacaoğlu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010031
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The South Korean black comedy thriller, Parasite, was arguably the most
talked-about movie of 2019. The first South Korean film to win the Palme d'Or and the
first non-English film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture among many other
awards, it is praised almost unanimously as one of the greatest films of the 21st
century. Besides its engaging plot and flawless cinematography, the film was especially
influential with its stark portrayal of the rigid social hierarchy prevalent in modern life.
Having studied sociology at Yonsei University in Seoul and experienced poverty at the
beginning of his own film career, director Bong Joon-ho recounts a comedic, but
extremely bleak story based on the actual reality of our day. He introduces two
families, the poor Kims, and the wealthy Parks, to draw the grim contrast within
distinct social classes. The families are presented in their living spaces and architectural
arrangements, which are a direct reflection of their psychologies. The architecture in
the movie acts not only as a literary tool or plot device but virtually as a main character
of the film, directly influencing the lives of the film’s protagonists.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - Robert Wiene (1920)
Page: 251-267 (17)
Author: Oktay Turan*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010032
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is one of the early exponents of expressionist
and art cinema. The techniques in the movie function as a kind of mirror rather than a
tool of entertainment. As an autonomous language specific to cinema has not yet been
developed, the relationship with reality is handled on a more subjective level. The
qualities of the space in Dr. Caligari oscillate between two-and three-dimensional
spaces. The built environment has its own reality and aims to reflect a kind of mental
construct in order to constantly express the subjective expression of the creator. The
director uses a frame story to change his perspective. The forms in the built
environment basically appear on the edge, as if they were deformed as a result of a
certain impact. The technique of a frame story has also been used in architecture by
means of intermediate spaces in order to blur the distinction between public and private
in architecture.
Metropolis: From Dystopia To Reality
Page: 268-275 (8)
Author: Gülcan İner*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010033
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Having begun with consecutive photographic frames depicting real life, the journey of the art of cinema has always left a permanent emotional impact on the audience with visual presentation techniques, surreal plot lines, and spatial organization. Cinema, which is also in connection with other branches of art, also has a special connection with architecture in terms of the fictional spaces that the aspects of the plot occur in. This connection has always kept cinema in a dynamic advancement. The cinema film set that is formed by taking inspiration from a city and the new world order that is realized by taking inspiration from this film set continuously supports each other. Notions of time and space are among the important components of these two branches of art. Architectural structures and cinema films that can challenge years and remain standing have always been constructed with a planning approach that is always ahead of its time. Thus, their effects are still debated even after many years.
In 1927, when it was released, having had a spatial organization that was ahead of its time, Metropolis still remains a source of inspiration for architecture, although it was designed based on a real city in the world. This film, in which we can see the effect of architecture on the cinema clearly, is also among the films that have to be seen in terms of architecture. The film has inspired many artworks around the world with its spatial organization that interpreted the different art trends dominating the time the film was shot.
In this study, in the movie Metropolis, which presents a cross-section from the future, the architectural elements that Fritz Lang, who studied architecture, highlighted with his imagination, and the effect of space on the film are discussed. The effects of art movements and political developments on the world of architecture and cinema will be examined.
Baraka
Page: 276-283 (8)
Author: Selma Kayhan Tunalı*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010034
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The concept of space in the historical process of cinema and the art of architecture arising from the need for shelter have always been influenced by each other. In this process, the role of movie screenings in experiencing the environment has been essential. The visual experiences in the art of cinema not only construct the past and the future, they also enliven feelings and thoughts and thus leave traces in human memory to the images they show. What we feel and perceive while watching movies are intense visual stimuli that reflect the relationship between architecture and cinema through spatial fiction.
In this study, we will focus on the relationship between space and humans, which is the main element of cinema-architecture interaction. We will try to highlight the effect and dynamism of space perception on human senses. The movie named Baraka in this study was selected considering the human-space relationship and it examines human sense and thought through the concepts of time-space mysticism.
Koyaanisqatsi
Page: 284-291 (8)
Author: Esra Eres Yalçın*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010035
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Natural destruction caused by technology, globalization, and industrial movements has threatened the ecological balance. The risk of depletion of natural resources has led people to be more respectful of nature and to protect it. Achieving the goal of ecological studies and reducing environmental problems is possible by understanding environmental awareness at the social level. Documentary films shot in the ecological field are an effective tool in raising social awareness by showing the state of nature in the face of the production activities of humans. Koyaanisqatsi, which is among these productions, is 1982 American experimental and non-narrative documentary film produced and directed by Godfrey Reggio, with music by Philip Glass and director of cinematography, Ron Fricke. In this film, in which the turmoil of life is emphasized, the narration has further been strengthened thanks to representations of the built environment. In this study, the turmoil in life and the effect of this turmoil on the natural and built environment are covered, based on the strong representations of Koyaanisqatsi. This study aims to contribute to the ecological development of design approaches in built environment production and to increase environmental awareness. In the study, the change and transformation of human-nature relations until the present, and the urban and architectural reflections of the turmoil in life are discussed. In line with the search for solutions to ecological problems experienced on a global scale, the importance of design approaches that will not conflict with ecological interests in the production of the built environment has been revealed. The widespread use of architectural approaches that take into account the climatic data of the region, which is sensitive to nature in material selection and gives importance to the effective use of renewable energy sources, is of great importance in preventing the chaos emphasized in Koyaanisqatsi.
The Architectural and Artical Criticism of the Movie Troy
Page: 292-298 (7)
Author: Sema Sandalcı*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010036
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
This study is about how the 2004 American movie Troy reflects the Iliad and Aeneid, which it was adapted from. First of all, it is a cultural duty to treat important historical events in visual arts such as cinema. It also is a vehicle to not forget history because there is a true-life reality in which many people died in pain. Subjects can be treated with different perspectives based on historical realities. It is possible to enrich the film or artwork (with fantasies) on the condition of making an explanation at the beginning. The thing to be emphasized is to present the historical texture to the audience as simply and as impartially as possible and to consolidate their knowledge. However, while doing this, the single issue that needs to be avoided is propaganda. Since propaganda is a trick, it is impossible to put it in the same position as emphasizing the truth. Therefore, we endeavored in this study to express how faithful the producers were to the architecture, religion, and art of the period, especially to the main themes highlighted in the Iliad. Throughout history, Troy was the most famous of the cities with its indestructible walls, smooth streets, beautiful houses, wealth, and fair administration. Characters such as Achilles, Hector, Paris, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Odysseus, Priam, and Helen have impressed people and also have been an inspiration to people for centuries. The movie Troy had no difficulty in winning the audience's appreciation with its action, costumes, and rich cast, just because its fame is based on an endless saga. Moreover, this film has particular importance for Turkey and Greece in terms of a common history and social values. For this reason, we accept as a duty to point out some sensitivities and present them to readers.
Alice in Wonderland – Tim Burton
Page: 299-305 (7)
Author: Belma Alik*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010037
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Alice in Wonderland is an animated adventure fantasy movie directed by Tim Burton, written by Linda Woolverton, and published by Walt Disney Pictures in 2010. The main topic of the movie is describing the strange dream that Alice had when she was a child. Her tumultuous imagination and love of miracles inspire us to think the way she does and to awaken the child in us. If there is one epithet in this story that will define the whole topic, it is the term Miracle. Here we encounter various strange things that we do not experience in everyday life, such as disproportion, a mixture of architectural styles combined with various geometric shapes and motifs, and a number of other strange but interesting events and places where the connection between space, time, and humans is emphasized. Many concepts, creative thoughts, and events in the movie can also be interpreted from an architectural point of view. Here first comes the different proportions of the elements and the relationship between humans and space. More specifically, Alice falls into a rabbit hole and from reality comes into a world called The Underworld, which is creative, fantastic, and invented in her dreams. With the help of an elixir and a cookie, her size increases and decreases on a drastic scale compared to the other elements around her. Another controversial scene that can be analyzed from an architectural perspective is the castles of the Red and White Queens. Both castles are in Gothic architecture, but as a result of Alice’s imagination, some shapes, motifs, and colors have been added, breaking the monotony of continuous Gothic architecture elements. Moreover, the strange creatures in the forest, the white rabbit with the clock who is constantly in a hurry, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and the Blue Caterpillar are characters that further enrich the story with miracles. All these elements will be discussed and analyzed in more detail below. The purpose of this analysis is to open the point of view and the inspiring thoughts of the architect with the help of a child's imaginary fantasy world.
The Lord of The Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King)
Page: 306-312 (7)
Author: Hikmet Temel Akarsu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010038
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The Lord of the Rings, which had a significant impact all over the world, attracted great attention both by literary assemblies and by the written and visual media. The Lord of the Rings, a literary adaptation about which a lot has been written, has become a matter of world public opinion. The interest first started with the curiosity of marginal youth circles, then gradually formed the agenda of all mainstream literature, before and after adaptations, film, film music, inspirational music albums, computer games, and philosophy that occupied the whole world for many years. In the article, inferences will be made by focusing on the architectural references and perceptions of this artistic phenomenon.
The author of The Lord of the Rings novels is a respected Oxford professor, J. R. R. Tolkien. The books were also published while the author was alive and compiled interest. However, towards the end of the 20th century, that is, long after the death of the author, the prestige, fame, and interest he had reached an unbelievable level. Almost all over the world, a Lord of the Rings and Middle-earth fashion has emerged. This extraordinary interest was quick to attract the attention of Hollywood. Thus, under the leadership of Peter Jackson, inhabiting the unspoiled nature of New Zealand, perhaps the most comprehensive film plateau in history was established to revive Tolkien's fantastic universe. And this plateau was used throughout the trilogy and even later for film sequels like The Hobbit.
The reason behind the stories of The Lord of the Rings and Middle-earth having attracted so much attention years later and having received so much interest from almost all of humanity is that they have a highly indirect and sophisticated architectural perception, an understanding of space, and a philosophy of life. While filming the places that are told by Tolkien in this story, Peter Jackson also succeeded in splendidly recreating the places and making us see the malicious messages as well as giving beautiful references to architecture.
Tolkien set out with his vision of a holistic and fantastic space called Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings series, and with his metaphors, he gave us unique philosophical ideas about the ways, methods, and models in which people's perceptions and choices of life would lead them. Peter Jackson, on the other hand, adapted this work to the cinema with great success in the famous Lord of the Rings trilogy and gave competent new inspirations about both the perception of space and the understanding of life.
The Da Vinci Code
Page: 313-318 (6)
Author: Esin Benian*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010039
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The Da Vinci Code is a film adaptation of Dan Brown's bestselling novel of the same name. Both art and architecture are employed as instruments to support the space of the film, which was shot in 2006. While the film takes the audience to the streets of Paris and London, historical sites, and art galleries, it also leads the audience to a tremendous secret. As a result, the film is addressed in terms of 'looking and seeing' in this study. Looking and seeing are not only not synonymous, but they are also distinct notions in terms of perception. It is possible that we do not see everything we look at. There are, however, a number of works that must be seen while watching this film. The study's goal is to call attention to the works that should be examined in the film from this perspective. The works in question are also explored under two subcategories: architecture and art. When looking at the locations used in the film, religious architecture such as churches, monasteries, and chapels stand out. Aside from religious structures, the buildings that have become city emblems draw attention, particularly in the scenes shot in France. Symbols and works of art, as well as settings and architecture, were employed to reinforce and strengthen the space of The Da Vinci Code. The “pentacle” sign, the Mona Lisa, and the Last Supper painting are among them. As a result, this film, whose book set records and had a huge impact, should be seen by everybody who enjoys suspense, mystery, puzzle solving, architecture, and art; and at the same time, what is looked at must be seen as well.
They Live
Page: 319-329 (11)
Author: Ayşe M. Kalay*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010040
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
This study is an evaluation of the science fiction horror film They Live (1988), directed by John Carpenter. Due to the nature of the period in which it was shot, the film focuses on the effect of television on individuals, advertisements aiming to turn everyone into mere consumers, and the consumption practices of the masses, while also criticizing the system. It is clear that television as a powerful mass media tool, which is one of the key concepts of the study, has a significant place in the film They Live. The film was shot in the years when television was most influential on a societal level, and individuals were passive viewers. Today, people are not only passively watching the content; instead, they actively interact with and monitor each other on social media platforms, often wanting to be watched by others, too. On the contrary, this activity has led them to become physically passive. This situation brings to mind the concept of “screen zombies”, one of the key concepts of the study, which actually resembles the act of watching television presented in the film. The film deals with how this passiveness is used in controlling and directing society. In They Live, television is not merely a leisure time tool, it is the hypnosis tool of the society where it is desired to consist of obedient, consumerist individuals. In addition to that, the film covers the rules of advertisement, stating that it is necessary to broadcast advertisements both on television and in outdoor environments where individuals will inevitably see them, in order to encourage society to continuously consume. They Live tells about a society in which the actual messages behind television screens, billboards, or magazines leading people to consume and obey cannot be seen; while invisible surveillance devices ensure the continuation of order and control. There is only a small number of people aware of extraterrestrial creatures that lead society to consume and obey. While the masses who cannot see the truth ensure the functioning of capitalism through television broadcasts and advertisements, those who see the truth are taken under control by military power, and the world (and nature) is transformed in the way the aliens desire. This transformation embodies a surreal environment with attractive television advertisements and outdoor advertisements on the facades of architectural structures.
Brazil: Ducts And Pipes And Uncanny Gadgets... Or The Absurd Universe Of Being
Page: 330-340 (11)
Author: Nilay Ünsal Gülmez*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010041
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Abstract
Brazil, the movie, directed by Terry Gilliam and released in 1985, provides architects and designers with fertile ground to rethink the relationship between infrastructure and the built environment, as well as the role of infrastructure in organizing, operating, and controlling power relations. The infrastructural components, ducts, and pipes, dominate the mise-en-scène of Brazil. They are the most prominent visual element in the film and a versatile metaphor for deciphering the film's material and intellectual codes.
This text will focus on ducts and pipes for reading three interconnected themes in relation to the built and natural environment of the state-machine in Brazil. The first is the dystopic control society that is maintained through the suspicion and horror of terrorists and anarchists. Here, ducts serve as the rhizomatic tools of the control society for surveillance under the authority of Central Services. The second is the capitalist-consumerist system cultivated throughout the film, where ducts signify the taste and status of the people. The third is the depiction of the slippery ground between the real and the imaginary, which is complemented by the ironic and bewildering appearance of ducts and pipes.
The Instances of Time and Space: Cloud Atlas
Page: 341-348 (8)
Author: Ali Aydın*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010042
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Abstract
The film Cloud Atlas is one of the cult works of science fiction cinema. It was created to set a shared narrative of time and space in six different stories. The theme of the film, directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski siblings, is the wicked history of humanity, which does not distinguish between time and space. Throughout the film, the phenomena of time and space are employed as frequently used narrative tools. The phenomena of time and space also have an important place in both the theoretical and practical fields of architecture. Therefore, based on these two phenomena, the movie Cloud Atlas is a work that should be consulted as it has the potential to enrich our singular perception of time and space to which we are prone. Throughout the film, the places serve as the litmus of the times the stories belong to. It gives the history of the role of space in the history of humanity and shows how our relationship with space and the meanings we attribute to it are transformed. Thus, the multidimensional relationship that space has established over time is skillfully conveyed to the architects stuck in today's space through cinematography. In this context, considering the social, cultural, and economic life when the six stories in the film took place, their effects on the phenomenon of space are discussed. The spatial descriptions of these six different stories that the directors wanted to create will be examined one by one. As a result, these multidimensional effects of time have once again emphasized the importance of not thinking about time independently of space. The fact that the organization of space, from the most primitive life forms to the life forms where technology reaches its peaks, is also a reflection of the social structure of the period reveals the multidimensional relationship of space. Themes such as racism, war, consumption fetishism, and technophobic visioning of the future in the stories also overlap with the spatial setups. According to the story, the place can take on the symbol of power, the instrument of domination, and virtual setups that we have not yet experienced. Thus, the potential of cinema to dissolve the past and the future in its own temporality and transfer it to the audience already expands the limits of imagination to a broader temporality for architects who are trapped in the hegemony of the unconditional present.
Spatial Narrative in the Intercept Of Cinema and Architecture: A Review of Alien (1979) on Storyboards
Page: 349-358 (10)
Author: Merve Kaya* and Merve Artkan
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010043
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The disciplines of cinema and architecture have a common denominator that is related in terms of spatiotemporal content. Movie spaces imply a mutual interaction with the discipline of architecture in terms of the expression of the existing built environment or the design of architecture in the film. The editing of the architecture of the film in this interaction defines an important field of production for the universe design of science fiction cinema. Since designing spaces in sci-fi films requires an innovative approach in the context of the script, various tools are needed to develop the designs in the process of transforming the scenarios into film. Storyboards, which are created to design spaces, events, and characters in the visualization of movies and to build their time flow, are a potential tool for universe design in sci-fi narratives. In this study, Alien (1979), a cult science fiction film, was reviewed through the storyboard sketches of director Ridley Scott and the movie scenes corresponding to these drawings. Knowledge of the setting and design of the creature and how the iconic scenes were designed in the film was explored through storyboards representing the Nostromo spacecraft and the unknown planet. In these storyboards, it has been seen that space and sequences of events are built on a temporal flow through frames, and spatial expressions can be strengthened with visual effects such as movement, color, and light. As a result, it is known that the spatial potentials of storyboards, which are a preliminary draft in the expression of cinematic spaces, are frequently used for architectural expression today, and it is believed that it is important to expand into a design tool.
The Unity of Fictive World and Vision of Reality in the “Blade Runner” Universe
Page: 359-370 (12)
Author: Sebla Arın Ensarioğlu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010044
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
In this study, the relationship between the fictional world created in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner movie and the reality of 2019, in which the movie takes place, and how consistent the predictions for the future are, are evaluated. This narrative, in which cinematography, architecture, and world of thought are intertwined, is one of the pioneering and cult examples of cyber-punk, techno-noir, and future-noir genre cinema. In the text, in which the intellectual infrastructure and architectural and theoretical references of the dystopian universe created in the movie are examined, the city of Los Angeles in 2019, which the movie reflects, is compared with the cosmopolitan city structure of today’s real world. While trying to analyze the intellectual references made in the subtexts of the film, the relations between the leading thinkers of postmodern philosophy and alternative names of architectural theory and this cult work are examined. Architecture has a place far beyond just creating a visual background in the Blade Runner universe. The periodical and spatial features of the buildings are integrated with the role of characters, and architecture turns into a tool that conveys the nature of the character to the spectator. In this sense, real buildings in the city of Los Angeles are included in the film as well as imaginary designs. Both fictional and real places are extremely effective in reinforcing the characters in the movie. The intricate relationship between places and people is also examined in the text. One of the important concepts that the film leads the audience to question is “othering”. This comparison, conveyed through the human replicant, prompts the spectator to question similar dualities and the boundaries /border setters between them. In addition, the nonstop surveillance/control mechanisms that have penetrated into the deepest cells of the city, both its historical references and its reflections in today's socio-political environment, are discussed.
Organic Architecture and Artificial Lives: Gattaca
Page: 371-376 (6)
Author: Cansu Özge Özmen*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010045
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Abstract
This chapter aims to analyze the setting of Gattaca, a 1997 science fiction film written and directed by Andrew Niccol, by highlighting the spatial, architectural, and contextual connections that help catalyze the plot. The film shares features with biopunk, a subcategory of science fiction. Natural spaces are used sparingly, and multiple settings symbolize the transition of human culture from organic to artificial. Natural processes are replaced by scientific innovations, and human beings are seen as a mere means for creating a utopian ideal whereby everyone is engineered to carry certain genetic features to ensure health, longevity, and maximum ability. This creates a homogenous society based on a new hierarchical structure. The protagonist, albeit by illegal means and being a naturally conceived child, fights against the odds stacked against him to fulfill his desires. The natural spaces are used in the film to mark the turning points in the protagonist’s life. Mechanization and standardization of human beings are also emphasized by the spaces in which they live their lives. While the living and working places are devoid of natural light, the workers are deprived of any mimic or expression. The uniformity of the costumes, the futuristic elements being limited to identity scanning devices, the prepotency of arches, and the circular elements in the interior and exterior architecture signal a vicious cycle, and the back streets that function as shelters while running from security are all manifestations of a consistent mise-en-scène that presents barriers in the way of diversification and dynamism in all areas.
Inception: Time In Time, Space In Space
Page: 377-384 (8)
Author: Neşe Çakıcı Alp*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010046
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Inception was released in 2010, receiving 36 Oscar nominations and ten awards. It became a film that made a name for itself in cinema history. The film was awarded four Oscars in 2011. Inception has a deep meaning for the relativity of time, as it is frequently covered in Nolan's other films (Tenet and Interstellar). In addition to the relativity of time, the search for reality in the film is often questioned. In this sense, the film is an excellent example of how the reality and the relativity of time are explained in the context of space. In Nolan's film, he constructs time over space, and the perception of reality through space is also questioned.
The film proceeds through the intervention of the subconscious in the dream environment. Interesting fiction in the film is that it is possible to participate in the subconscious through dreams and experience life through space. In this sense, the dream environment in the film gives the ability to be in many places without being anywhere, just like in the metaverse. With this article, the similarities of the film with the metaverse will be revealed. Through the film Inception, the metaverse, which can be easily designed with virtual reality, augmented reality, and augmented reality technologies that emerged in the modern world and are understood to be sustainable and easily accessible during the pandemic process, will be discussed. The film will examine how the dominant idea of the relativity of reality is explained with the perception of time and space.
Jurassic Park
Page: 385-390 (6)
Author: Seda Dal*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010047
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Abstract
Architecture is a self-developing process that includes all kinds of social knowledge, which closely follows changes and improvements in social events and technology. As a result of that architecture, action, real and virtual products occur, take forms, and become a part of individuals and society. There are many subelements that support the emergence of these products, in other words, there are many factors contributing to the architectural theory. Cinema, as an effective means of expression among the visual arts, is among the disciplines of architecture. Cinema and architecture are branches of art that are close to each other in terms of designing, producing, and developing technological techniques. This article examines the interaction between cinema and architecture, the analyzed film as a reference is Steven Spielberg's 'Jurassic Park' movie. The Jurassic Park movie was shot and presented to the audience by using all the high technological developments of that period. Many techniques such as special digital effects, virtual reality, and simulation techniques were used. These techniques, which were used also very widely in science-fiction movies, laid the foundation of the METAVERSE which has many users today. The popularity of this virtual world has led to the advancement of the architectural profession in this field. It is possible to see most of the structures designed in the real world but also in the virtual world. Such as cities, places, objects, materials, etc. designed and presented to users in the digital environment. Architecture is also used in the design process of structures in the virtual world, and the spaces are virtualized by using 3D programs. The gigantic creatures in the movie Jurassic Park were designed and animated in line with these principles. Moreover, similar principles were applied in the design process of real buildings and virtual objects in the movie and in the design of spaces in the movie. Within the scope of this study, information about “Virtual Architecture” will be given and the movie “Jurassic Park” will be analyzed through both real architectural and virtual architecture.
Edward Scissorhands and the Realities of Suburbia for an Extraordinary Body
Page: 391-397 (7)
Author: Emine Köseoğlu*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010048
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Spatial perception is the process of receiving information from stimuli and transforming it into meaningful experiences of the built environment. The interaction of the sensing body and the perceived thing plays an important role in this process. The body leads to the mechanisms of the mind as the subjective side of the process, whereas the physical and sensory objects of the outer world form the spatial part of the interaction. This study aims to express a rereading of the extraordinary perceptual realities of suburbia in Edward Scissorhands in which the protagonist is struggling with extraordinary built and social environmental clusters. The director Tim Burton successfully reflects the hidden perceptual realities of suburbia within its apparent characteristic physical features in an uneasy manner, which is raised by the survival of an extraordinary individual who fell into a suburbia seeming normal at first sight. During the study, first, the structure and story of the film are presented, then some conceptual perspectives such as body space perception are explained, and then some rereading of the film towards these perspectives is reflected. A subtle figuration of psycho-social conflicts is pictured successfully in the movie using the physical environment within its contrast and emphasis. It can be concluded that the dramatic loneliness of Edward is emphasized by the Gothic and dark house at the end of the street, whereas the superficial and apparent purity of the suburban society is represented by the basic forms and soft colors of the architectural and urban environment.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Page: 398-402 (5)
Author: Sennur Akansel*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010049
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Architecture and cinema are two important forms of art in which different perceptions are experienced in the rational world of the observer in terms of experiencing space.
In the definitions of architecture made by many theorists throughout history, it is said that architecture is intertwined with many branches of art, that it is a collaborative process by definition, that it is the most powerful action a person can imagine, and that it is the source of magnificent stories that are not used, waiting to be imagined, visualized, built.
Cinema In the definitions of architecture made by many theorists throughout history, it is said that architecture is intertwined with many branches of art, that it is a collaborative process by definition, that it is the most powerful action a person can imagine, and that it is the source of magnificent stories that are not used, waiting to be imagined, visualized, built. Cinema is only one of the many disciplines that are in a relationship with architecture due to its structure and the semantic and technical components it contains. However, cinema differs from other disciplines in terms of its partnership with architecture because it includes the dimensions of movement, time, and space in addition to incorporating all other art branches.
In the art of architecture, a mental image is transferred from the experimental world of the architect to the mental world of the observer, and the building mediates only as a visual object. Images of the architecture can be immortalized, whereas cinematic images remain the only illusion projected onto the screen. Both branches of art depict frames of life, human interactions, and ways of perceiving the world.
Burton, who pursues a new contextual and semantic setup in his films, is a director known for his extraordinary style that brings images of the imaginary and futureoriented modern world to the cinema audience through real and imaginary possible places, unbuilt, non-existent cinema spaces.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Freddie Highmore, Anna Sophia Robb, James Fox, and Christopher Lee has shared spatial readings of architectural fiction based on the representation of space.
An Examination Of Star Wars Films Through Retro-Futuristic Space And City Setups
Page: 403-415 (13)
Author: Melike Yenice*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010050
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
The common and main elements of cinema and architecture, the individual and the space as the living area of the individual, have the ability to connect these two disciplines and enable them to be in an interactive structure that feeds and develops each other. On the other hand, science-fiction cinema is one of the genres that contributes the most to the field of architecture, with its flexibility enriched by the limits of imagination in terms of making predictions about new ways of life and creating different worlds. In the space opera subgenre of science-fiction cinema, the Star Wars movie series is one of the most important examples that enable the realization of many fictional space designs utilizing technological innovations. George Lucas, the director of the first two trilogies of the series, seems to combine nostalgic and futuristic elements, under the influence of Victorian art, in the techniques he developed in his films and the spaces he created. In Star Wars movies, there are many virtual spaces where spatial elements existing in the real world or belonging to past eras are combined with futuristic spatial assumptions, depending on the differing climatic, physical, and geographical conditions. In his films, he benefited from the narrative-supporting aspect of architectural discipline and spatial fiction; by reinterpreting the architectural styles he used in the film series regarding different living conditions, he also inspired the architectural structures and interior setups of today and the future.
In this study, which aims to examine the retro-futuristic space-city fiction of Star Wars films, the first two trilogies directed by George Lucas will be discussed. Three separate fictional locations -on the Star Wars planet- in films shot in different years are examined in this context, and the aim is to conclude the differentiation in spatial fiction and their effects on the cinematic narrative.
Envisioning Space Throughout The Story Of Human Existence: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Page: 416-422 (7)
Author: Ali Aydın*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010051
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
Architecture and cinema are two disciplines with strong ties to each other. Behind the establishment of these strong bonds, common terminological intersections in use, such as space, light, sound, plan, etc., have an essential place. In Stanley Kubrick's films, the fact that the space plays a vital role at least as much as the actors emphasize the importance of the space in terms of narrative formation. 2001: A Space Odyssey, which deals with the process from the first hominids to today's humans, is a cult film that should be considered since very few dialogues throughout the movie attribute a more dominant role to the space phenomenon. The depictions of space used in the film, which managed to convey millions of year of images to the audience in a short time, were also processed layer by layer parallel to the plot. The audience is involved in the storyline through the transformation of spaces ranging from the hollows where the humanoid apes shelter to the space stations and their ships. Thus, space setup plays an essential role in terms of narrative. This article discusses how this narrative role of the space is constructed and what kind of positions it takes according to the narrative to be created. The ways regarding use of space in the film's scenes were examined, and comparisons were made between the spatial reflections of human behaviors that changed over time. In this context, it is understood that the space has different qualities according to the relationship it establishes with its period. The concept of space not only provides the essential need for shelter but has become more complicated over time. It has evolved from a space formed according to human behavior to an understanding of space that determines human behavior. As the role of the conditions of the period in human life increased, space reached a level that established control over human behavior. The film, which allows this comparison, has the potential to create a different perspective that examines the existential dimension of space beyond our limited understanding of the world.
Revisiting History of Humanity By Extraterrestrial Imperialism and Local Justice: Dune By Denis Villeneuve
Page: 423-428 (6)
Author: Ersan Koç*
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010052
PDF Price: $15
Abstract
This article is an essay to analyze the movie “Dune” by Denis Villeneuve by using the concepts of imperialism, colonialism, and the quest for local justice. In Dune, the architectural elements selected for Arrakis, imperial palaces, and local living spaces of the future are all deeply in harmony with the planet’s landscape. The film matches the effective gliding of the source material in the book while dispensing with much of the novel by leaving behind David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation. The imperial/counterimperial and dominium battles between different space-conquering families set the basis of the story. The top family houses are scrambling and fighting for dominance. House Atreides has been assigned by the unseen Emperor to rule over Arrakis.
In almost every fiction art, designers, artists, and architects have labored to imagine what the state structure and/or built environment of an extraterrestrial world of the future might look like. The movie is directed by Denis Villeneuve, the talent/craftsmanship who presents sweeping vistas and startling science fiction imagery. Art director Vermette decided that the natural environments on each planet must be dominantly used in the design codes. In Arrakeen of Arrakis, the buildings depict a right angle choice. The dominant material is stone and light is taken in by “light wells”. Large windows are incapable of responding to super-extreme heat. All palaces in the movie are designed with the role of a monument to showcase and press the image of the Empire. By using a monumental scale, all characters are shown powerless and ineffective. A gigantic scale is used, not only in the palaces but also in the houses of families to demonstrate the storytelling mechanism in a power-coded socio-political order. The design of the music and soundscapes of different planets makes us feel the alien character.
Subject Index
Page: 429-434 (6)
Author: Nevnihal Erdoğan and Hikmet Temel Akarsu
DOI: 10.2174/9789815223316124010053
Introduction
In Architecture in Cinema, more than 40 architects, writers, thinkers, and academicians examine the magnificent works of cinema that contribute to the art of architecture and bring them to the attention of the architectural community. The contributors have compiled essays on fifty masterpieces of classic and contemporary cinema, including films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Ben Hurr, The Lord of The Rings trilogy, Nomadland and more. The book aims to stimulate the imagination of readers and offer approaches to understanding fantasy, sociological concepts, ecological problems, and political ideas. The contributors also focus on the elements of creativity, such as utopian or dystopian themes, aesthetics and artistry. Architecture in Cinema is an informative reference for anyone interested in how architecture is featured in the cinematic medium. Scholars of architecture, urban planning, fine arts, humanities, social sciences, and various design disciplines, will also find the book refreshing.