There are only so many ways to make a documentary engaging. As an added challenge, when the subject of a moving picture is unmoving pictures, a filmmaker has to get a little creative.
Granted, a picture can never be found to be physically in motion, but it can still be emotionally moving. The photographs featured in "Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman" (2008) are some of the most famous in the world, and the man who took them is, by many accounts, one of the greatest architectural photographers of all time.
Director Eric Bricker's documentary, which opened on Feb. 26 at Kendall Square Cinema, celebrates the artwork of Julius Shulman. Though many viewers might not know Shulman or know the nuances of photography as an art form, people will come away from this movie having learned something. For enthusiasts of architecture, photography or both, this movie is fascinating and even thrilling, and for Shulman enthusiasts, this movie is 83 minutes of pure bliss.
Bricker did not have too much to work with in the storyline department: Shulman, a self−proclaimed environmental photographer, simply had a unique talent in capturing man−made structures. During his illustrious career, he linked up with Richard Neutra and R.M. Schindler, two visionaries who helped shape modern architecture. Shulman's pictures were taken so well that he started getting gigs from the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright. Though not quite a Cinderella story, it is nice to know that a talented artist like Shulman is getting recognized for his work.
Fortunately for viewers, Shulman is a character. Throughout the film, he is portrayed as a loveable old man with the determination and zest of a much younger man. Clips of Shulman in action — with his mildly amusing witticisms, charming immodesty and quixotically wise words — are some of the small joys that keeps viewers interested in this film.
One such instance of Shulman's grandfatherly wisdom is his discussion of how the view from one of California's magnificent modernist houses was blocked by a house built right next door. The owners could have prevented this from happening by buying up the land next to them when they bought the house. "It's the story of our lives!" Shulman muses theatrically to the camera. "You have to plan ahead."
The title "Visual Acoustics" comes from another quote of Shulman's. In defending certain lighting choices he made in a photograph, he says, "I like to control the visual acoustics." Though the title seems to be coming from an obscure quote, it accurately describes the artfully crafted interplay between the film's wonder−inspiring music, images of beautiful and strange modernist houses and breathtaking shots of the southern California landscape, not to mention the quirky montages that serve as chapter headings for the various stages of Shulman's life.
Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, whose animated and boyish voice appropriately matches Shulman's own personality, "Acoustics" is built around picture montages, featuring nifty transitions and music that put PowerPoint presentations to shame. One particularly noteworthy montage is a crash−course on architectural modernism toward the beginning of the film, complete with a Monty Python−like caricature of Louis Sullivan decrying "Form follows function!" As the film attests, architectural modernism essentially became a movement to follow Sullivan's mantra, while keeping in harmony with the natural environment surrounding a building site.
Though it is not entirely clear exactly how functional the extravagant houses at the focus of Shulman's photographs are, they are undeniably a pleasure to see. As would be expected, so much screen time is given to Shulman and his work that the film serves as a sort of exhibition. Viewers see from these amazing photographs why Shulman was granted an honorary degree in architecture from Burbank's Woodbury University.
