Paolo Soleri: Citizen of the Planet 2013/2016
Distributed by Collective Eye Films, 2305 SE Yamhill Street, Suite 101, Portland OR 97214; 503-232-5345
Produced by Geoffrey Madeja, Joe Piccirillo, Richard Loveless
Directed by Geoffrey Madeja
, color, 50 min.
High School - General Adult
Architecture, Environmental Movement
Date Entered: 09/20/2017
Reviewed by Alexander Rolfe, Technical Services Librarian, George Fox University, Newberg, ORPaolo Soleri (1919-2013) was an Italian architect who sought to make livable, environmentally-friendly designs for densely-packed mega-cities. He moved to Arizona, and in 1970, with the help of students, began building some of his designs in the desert. The project remains unfinished.
Soleri’s biggest impact seems to be in the realm of imagination. He produced thousands of interesting drawings, and the computer game SimCity adopted his vision for their cities of the future. It was disappointing, then, to find in this film little more than vague philosophical bromides and more drawings. The documentary contains no narration, and some of those interviewed contributed nothing worthwhile. This film would have been much richer if it had contained viewpoints from those beyond his small circle of admirers. Soleri’s vision is intriguing, but one doesn’t learn much about his ideas in this film. There’s nothing about how the cities would work, how they would be environmentally friendly, or about the challenges and benefits of building huge towers. Nor does one learn anything about architecture. The paucity of information is disappointing, and makes it hard to see an educational use for the film.