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The Movie: Directed by Sydney Pollack, "Sketches of Frank Gehry" is an easygoing documentary that, despite its loose structure (Pollack and Gehry have been friends for a while and the movie essentially has Pollack following around the architect with a video camera), manages to be a focused look at the artistic process and one particularly legendary artist's career. Gehry had never accepted requests from documentary filmmakers to do a piece about him and Pollack had never done a documentary prior. The documentary leisurely follows Gehry around during his process of designing a building, including the early steps that involve sketches and construction paper up to the point where said designs are taken into the computer (not by Gehry, who accepts computers as a tool, but doesn't seem too fond of them) and tweaked. Gehry and his associates Pollack acts as interviewer throughout the proceedings, chatting with Gehry about his early years (a teacher said that architecture was "not for him"), his inspirations and some of his works (Guggenheim Museum in Spain and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, for example) and chats with celebrity admirers (such as Dennis Hopper, who lives in a Gehry house.) The problem with the documentary is that maybe Pollack is too much of a good friend. The documentary really focuses on the positives of Gehry's work and allows only a little bit of criticism. The movie manages to provide an interesting look at Gehry's career and a satisfactory look who he is, but the film sometimes feels like listening to a DVD commentary where the participants spend the running time talking about how great it was to work with everyone - it really doesn't get much deeper than the surface. Overall, "Sketches" works as a low-key interview between two artists from different fields and a general overview of Gehry's work. It would make a good double-bill with "My Architect". The DVD VIDEO: "Sketches of Frank Gehry" is presented by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Shot in hi-def video, the presentation quality is about as good as can be expected. Sharpness and detail are fine, as while most of the film looked crisp, some scenes could appear a little softer. Aside from a few instances of minor shimmer, the presentation was free of artifacting, edge enhancement or other concerns. Colors generally looked natural and accurately presented, with no smearing or other concerns. SOUND: The film's stereo soundtrack provided clear dialogue with no distortion or other issues. EXTRAS: A 34-minute "Q & A" with Pollack, hosted by director Alexander Payne. Previews for other titles from the studio are also included. Final Thoughts: Overall, "Sketches" works as a low-key interview between two artists from different fields and a general overview of Gehry's work. The DVD offers very good audio/video quality, along with one solid supplemental feature. Rent it. 
Film Grade The Film B- DVD Grades Video 88/B Audio: 87/B Extras: 75/C |