A History of the Modernist Villain’s Lair

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Why are modernist homes so often used as a backdrop for evil?

. In his 2003 documentary, “Los Angeles Plays Itself,” Andersen accuses Hollywood of besmirching the rich legacy of modernist residential architecture that can be seen all across Southern California. Schindler and Neutra’s “pure modern machines for better living” are cynically repurposed as “dens of vice.”

In many cases, such motifs arose from a personal enthusiasm on the part of the filmmakers. The fiend’s name in “The Black Cat” is a sly tribute to the German architect Hans Poelzig, who helped design sets for the horror classic “The Golem: How He Came Into the World.” Cedric Gibbons, the master of design at M-G-M, popularized Art Deco and moderne styles; his own house appears in “To Live and Die in L.A.,” among other movies.

As if in response to Andersen’s critique, a few recent movies have jettisoned the villain cliché and offered wholesome counternarratives. In Mike Mills’s “Beginners,” from 2011, the Lovell Health House passes into the care of a gay museum director who has come out late in life, his free spirit thriving in Neutra’s bright rooms. Mills’s script notes that the protagonist lived not far from the former residence of the pioneering gay-rights activist.

The scenario is strikingly in line with recent scholarship on the psychology of mid-century architecture. The historian Sylvia Lavin has traced intersections between Neutra’s work and the writings of, who theorized the existence of “orgone energy”—a kind of libidinal force field—and fashioned “orgone boxes” to heighten it.

 

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what?

PunkyBoozter

Because who but evil resides in them 😂 so cold & too empty feeling

EddyRhead

Maybe because modernist architecture is evil.

Every bad guys home should be based off Dr No's lair.

Modernist homes are stark, colorless, and usually lack of wood accents. In general they are devoid of humanity and warmth.

Because only evil people can afford them?

I’m really starting to regret subscribing again.

Historically not a great idea to have windows everywhere if you wanted to survive

We’re not planning heists in a bungalow, that’s fer dern sure

I know a few people who live in these kinds of houses. I will shut up now.

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