When watching movies, people pay attention to various aspects of cinema - music, acting, cinematography, costumes. Then there are those who are most preoccupied with the place where the film is set. Then one forgets about the plot itself and the characters appearing on the screen. Everything quiets down, because more important is what's in the background, what you can't take your eyes off of! So we remind you of some of the film buildings - those of new and slightly older productions.
"Parasite" by Joon-ho Bong
Watching this film, you can't help but notice the yawning hole of contrast between the basement apartment occupied by an unemployed family and the luxurious mansion of their future employers. This contrast only highlights the awesomeness of Chairman Park's home. The movie villa originally belonged to architect Namgoong, who designed it for himself. Minimalist interiors, sizable glazing overlooking the garden and... a secret in the basement. Interestingly, the house was built for the film's production by production designer Lee Ha Jun!
"Youth" by Paolo Sorrentino
Unlike the luxurious house from "Parasite", the hotel that is the protagonist of "Youth" really exists, since 1877 in Davos. It was in the Swiss Waldhaus Flims Resort & Spa that part of the film was shot. Attention is drawn not only to the building itself, but also to its unusual surroundings. However, it is not this landscape that we see in the film. The director decided to film the view that the Berghotel Schatzalp offers.
"Pain and Glow" by Pedro Almodovar.
In this film it is difficult to take your eyes off the apartment of the main character Salvador Mallo. It's not about its interesting layout or functionality, but the art and design that fills it. "Pain and Glow" is a personal production for the director, which can be seen, among other things, in the interior of the apartment - reportedly, half of the furniture and objects found here belong to Pedro Almodovar himself. The unusually intense colors are also a delight - blue tiles and red cabinets in the kitchen, with a patterned kettle and Smeg toaster from the Dolce&Gabbana collection. Design fans will immediately notice the Mexique table by Charlotte Perriand, the butterfly-covered cabinet and sideboard from Fornasetti, or the colorful Utrecht armchairs by Gerrit Rietveld.
"Grand Hotel Budapest" by Wes Anderson
Like "Parasite," Wes Anderson's 2014 film shows the power of set design. After its premiere, photos of a mock-up of a hotel located in the mountains circulated the web, convincing all viewers of its existence as they sat in cinematic hotels. The filmmakers searched for a suitable location for the film in Central Europe. In the end, the shooting was partly done in Görlitz - here the crew found an abandoned Art Nouveau department store from 1913 with five floors, unusual elevators and a skylight in the roof. A mock-up was created for the purpose of filming the building's facade. Its appearance is inspired by that of several famous European hotels - the Bristol Palace, the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary and the Danubius Hotel Gellért in Budapest.
"Phantom author" Roman Polanski
And in this film we will not see a real house, but an intriguing architectural fantasy. Not only the interior, but also the body of the villa of Adam and Ruth Lang draws attention. Extremely modern, austere, finished with natural stone, glass, concrete, wood and steel was the perfect complement to the disturbing plot. Standing in the middle of nowhere, by the sea, the house is unmoving in the face of a raging storm. The modernist facade was built for the film in Usedom, Germany. The interior features a Thonet table and chairs, Gio chairs, Foster sofas and armchairs designed by Norman Foster and the FK office chair, designed in the 1960s by Danish architect Jørgen Kastholm.
