Architecture destroyed in movies?
January 4, 2010 6:45 PM Subscribe
What movies feature the destruction of beautiful and iconic contemporary architecture buildings?
I can remember the Guggenheim in The International, the ESO Hotel in Quantum of Solace, or the modernist cliff house in Zabriskie Point, but nothing else comes to mind...
I can remember the Guggenheim in The International, the ESO Hotel in Quantum of Solace, or the modernist cliff house in Zabriskie Point, but nothing else comes to mind...
To add to that...any number of buildings in Independence Day.
posted by AlliKat75 at 6:53 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by AlliKat75 at 6:53 PM on January 4, 2010
I didn't watch it, but didn't the previews of G.I.Joe show the destruction of the Eiffel tower?
posted by HabeasCorpus at 6:54 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by HabeasCorpus at 6:54 PM on January 4, 2010
Lots of things get destroyed in the movie 2012...
posted by oracle bone at 6:54 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by oracle bone at 6:54 PM on January 4, 2010
Watch the 13 short YT videos in "Why Don't Movies Ever Blow Up the Bay Bridge?: A history of destroying national landmarks on film." link link
posted by iconomy at 7:00 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by iconomy at 7:00 PM on January 4, 2010
This thread is not complete without the aliens who blew up the Hitler Building in Invasion of the Neptune Men.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:18 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by Countess Elena at 7:18 PM on January 4, 2010
Maybe not quite what you're looking for but at the end of Casino they run stock footage of the implosion of several Las Vegas casinos.
posted by mhum at 7:36 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by mhum at 7:36 PM on January 4, 2010
The Guggenheim museum gets shot to hell in The International. A smart thriller with Naomi Watts and Clive Owen.
posted by Babblesort at 7:38 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by Babblesort at 7:38 PM on January 4, 2010
They didn't show the destruction, but "A.I." had some really cool CG of an entire destroyed Manhattan.
posted by drjimmy11 at 7:38 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by drjimmy11 at 7:38 PM on January 4, 2010
And I can't read. So anyway, yeah, how bout that International?
posted by Babblesort at 7:38 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by Babblesort at 7:38 PM on January 4, 2010
Response by poster: Empire State Building, Eiffel tower, Whitehouse are all kind of overdone. I am more interested in buildings that belong to contemporary architecture culture as opposed to landmarks which are the usual Hollywood choice to depict terror inducing mass destruction.
posted by guictx at 7:44 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by guictx at 7:44 PM on January 4, 2010
Basically all of Paris is obliterated near the end of Armageddon.
The Golden Gate bridge is picked up and dropped on Alcatraz in one of the X-Men movies.
Fight Club ends with the demolition of a whole skyline. Not really iconic buildings but an iconic scene.
posted by Babblesort at 7:47 PM on January 4, 2010
The Golden Gate bridge is picked up and dropped on Alcatraz in one of the X-Men movies.
Fight Club ends with the demolition of a whole skyline. Not really iconic buildings but an iconic scene.
posted by Babblesort at 7:47 PM on January 4, 2010
I caught the tail end of Deep Impact on TV last night. Great shots of the Statue of Liberty and the Twin Towers getting washed away; the head of the Statue of Liberty floating between skyscrapers as the tsunami washes through the city; a speech by the (African-American) President standing in front of the remains of the White House. I'm sure there's more, but those highlights qualify it.
posted by alms at 8:04 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by alms at 8:04 PM on January 4, 2010
Oh, whoopsie. I just saw your update. I guess Deep Impact would qualify as overdone.
posted by alms at 8:06 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by alms at 8:06 PM on January 4, 2010
Mars Attacks! They blew up congress!! Ahahaha!!!
posted by soft and hardcore taters at 8:23 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by soft and hardcore taters at 8:23 PM on January 4, 2010
Best answer: Koyaanisqatsi included a segment in which the Pruitt Igoe houses were demolished:
"The sequence "Pruit-Igoe" contains shots of various housing projects in disrepair, and includes footage of the decay and demolition of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project. The housing project was known for its modernist design, but fell into immediate disrepair. The sequence ends with stock footage of the destruction of large buildings."
posted by Sara Anne at 8:29 PM on January 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
"The sequence "Pruit-Igoe" contains shots of various housing projects in disrepair, and includes footage of the decay and demolition of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project. The housing project was known for its modernist design, but fell into immediate disrepair. The sequence ends with stock footage of the destruction of large buildings."
posted by Sara Anne at 8:29 PM on January 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
The Day After Tomorrow is a dreadful movie, but shows lots of New York City destruction.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 9:12 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 9:12 PM on January 4, 2010
No one mentioned 2012? Really? My favorite scene of destruction was the collapse of the Bellagio Hotel.
posted by me & my monkey at 9:14 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by me & my monkey at 9:14 PM on January 4, 2010
Best answer: I think this is exactly what you're looking for: Mies van der Rohe's iconic Modernist building, Crown Hall at IIT in Chicago, was renovated in 2005. The architect's grandson smashed the building's widows during the renovation ceremony. The event was caught on film by a contemporary artist named Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, who filmed the event and presented it as an art film. It is called "Always After (The Glass House)" from 2006, and was recently purchased by the Art Institute of Chicago, and screened worldwide (in art exhibits). The resulting film is in slow motion, all shimmery glass and patent leather shoes, strange and beautiful.
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 9:47 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 9:47 PM on January 4, 2010
When the Joker blows up Gotham General Hospital in The Dark Knight, you're witnessing the destruction of the Brachs Candy corporate headquarters in Chicago. The amateur footage of the blast (here and here) is equally impressive.
posted by prinado at 9:55 PM on January 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by prinado at 9:55 PM on January 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Oh wait, you're looking for annihilated iconic and contemporary architecture. An old candy company probably doesn't meet your criteria.
OK, how about this....in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Dr Evil's secret lair is at the top of the Space Needle, portrayed as Starbucks' corporate headquarters. Does this meet the criteria of a terrifying, destructive force that destroys iconic, contemporary architecture?
posted by prinado at 1:49 AM on January 5, 2010
OK, how about this....in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Dr Evil's secret lair is at the top of the Space Needle, portrayed as Starbucks' corporate headquarters. Does this meet the criteria of a terrifying, destructive force that destroys iconic, contemporary architecture?
posted by prinado at 1:49 AM on January 5, 2010
Mars Attacks! They blew up congress!! Ahahaha!!!
Mars Attacks! also features the real-life demolition of the Landmark Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
posted by permafrost at 3:45 AM on January 5, 2010
Mars Attacks! also features the real-life demolition of the Landmark Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
posted by permafrost at 3:45 AM on January 5, 2010
The trailer for the most recent Harry Potter film shows the destruction of London's Millennium Bridge.
posted by bwonder2 at 4:00 AM on January 5, 2010
posted by bwonder2 at 4:00 AM on January 5, 2010
The Chrysler building gets its upper half knocked off in a scene in Armageddon.
posted by Atreides at 6:26 AM on January 5, 2010
posted by Atreides at 6:26 AM on January 5, 2010
In Lethal Weapon 2, this "stilt house" get destroyed.
posted by fuse theorem at 6:56 AM on January 5, 2010
posted by fuse theorem at 6:56 AM on January 5, 2010
V for Vendetta: The hero blows up some British building. Parliament I think.
posted by malp at 7:42 AM on January 5, 2010
posted by malp at 7:42 AM on January 5, 2010
Not a movie, but the Doctor Who 2005 Christmas Special features the shattering of every pane of glass on London's Swiss Re Tower. Which is made of glass.
posted by Hogshead at 7:55 AM on January 5, 2010
posted by Hogshead at 7:55 AM on January 5, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by McSly at 6:52 PM on January 4, 2010