Cameron and I chose the film, the international as our last movie to watch a critique. We chose it because we had heard that ‘architecture’ was said to act as a character in the film. Directed by Tom Tykwer in 2009 this movie takes place in 4 prominent cities. Berlin, New York, Milan and Istanbul. The film tells the story of two Interpol agents and how they work together against one of the most powerful banks in the world, the IBBC [Int. The movie begins in Berlin which is the location of the IBBC headquarters. This high and mighty banking company is always portrayed through clean, crisp and very modern architecture. Straight lines, monotone environments and buildings so so large in scale. The Hauptbanhof Central Station Berlin, the Federal Police Dept. of Berlin, The Sony Sky Garden, the Galaries Lafayette [Berlin], VW Autostat [Wolfsburg] and several other buildings stage the environments in which the IBBC runs it business through. As the agents begin to diminish the power of the IBBC, the location and environments change. For example, in the huge important fight scene which takes place in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum in New York, the two different parties meet and as this building starts out as super modern and elegant, it becomes completely destroyed. Another place where the IBBC is diminished in the film is when one of the head leaders is questioned and ambushed by the Interpol members the meeting takes place in a dark and dirty basement of a highrise building. This is a metaphor portrayed through place that as the bank is going under. The story wraps up in Istanbul, which a completely different setting. Here the characters are seen in a chase through the Grand Brazar which is full of chaos, color and excitement. In the end the leaders of the IBBC are brought down to their death, however the plot is somewhat left hanging in the fact that someone else will just take over the company. This language is shown at Zaha Hadid’s Phaeno Science Centre [Wolfsburg] which is superimposed on the shores of Lake Garda. As a concrete structure this building shows the strength of the IBBC and how powerful it is in the world of ‘The International’. Overall this movie is a worthwhile film and the architecture in it is amazing. The camera shots and how the use of architecture as a character in the film definitely added to the excitement of the film.
Other recongnizable buildings seen in the film are: Treptower in Berlin, Daneil Liebsking’s Jewish Museum, Milan Centrale Station, Pirelli Tower in Milan, The Sultan Ahmend [Blue] Mosque, the Bosphorus, Basilica Cistern and the Suleymaniye.
Alesha Quam 