Tuesday, April 13, 2010

KC Film Fest - Louis Sullivan: The Struggle for American Architecture

Join KCMODERN in supporting the Kansas City FilmFest by attending a new film about one of America's best Architects, Louis Sullivan. Frank Lloyd Wright, who worked in Sullivan's office, referred to Louis Sullivan as "Leiber Meister" or "My Master." A small group of KCMODERN folks will be be gathering in the lobby before the movie. Be sure to buy tickets in advance.

Louis Sullivan: The Struggle for American Architecture
a film by Mark Richard Smith

“In the Gilded Age, one architect’s vision of freedom and the American landscape brought him success, failure, and an unforgettable place in history”For anyone interested in historic architecture, don’t miss this opportunity to see the new feature-length documentary on one of America’s greatest builders, Louis Sullivan (1856-1924) at the Kansas City Film Festival April 15 and 18. This tribute to architect Louis Sullivan tells a sweeping story with a wealth of visual detail. The rise and fall of Sullivan’s career originates with the 1871 Chicago fire, which made the city a blank slate for ambitious architects. In the late 1800s, Sullivan, who had made his way west after a rigorous École des Beaux-Arts education, created an authentically American architecture at a time when most buildings aspired only to knock off European styles. His commitment to originality led him first to the pinnacle of success with notable early skyscrapers and later to a swift decline due to changing customer tastes and an economic depression. Though his late-career “jewel box” banks were a triumph, Sullivan died penniless. Sullivan’s extraordinary ornamental designs set him apart as an artist. According to Frank Lloyd Wright, who was Sullivan’s chief draftsman for seven years, Sullivan “could draw as beautifully as he could think.

The film will be offered at two screenings:
Thursday, April 15 at 4:30 pm
Sunday, April 18 at 3:00 pm

Where: 2010 Kansas City FilmFest AMC Main Street (1400 Main St., Downtown Kansas City)

Tickets to Sunday's Showing:
https://www.movietickets.com/purchase.asp?perf_id=606510549
KC FilmFest:
http://www.kcfilmfest.org/
Information about the film:
http://www.louissullivanfilm.com/
Trailer:
http://louissullivanfilm.com/clips/windows.html

3 comments:

Michael R. Allen said...

I wish that I could travel from St. Louis for one of these screenings. This will be good!

Andrew R said...

I'm with Michael, I wish I could be there for the screening.

Perhaps we can create a cross Missouri modern architecture film festival.

robert said...

Michael and Andrew:

You both really need to see this movie when you get a chance! The sixty seat theatre was sold out and it was a wonderful film with Q&A after the film with the filmmaker. They literally had to kick us out of the theatre while we were still asking questions.