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How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?

Released Jan 25, 2012 1h 18m Documentary Biography List
57% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Premier architect Norman Foster pursues his quest to improve life through design.

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How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?

How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?

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Critics Consensus

How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? is a passable primer that should appeal to architecture enthusiasts, but may struggle to reach casual viewers.

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Critics Reviews

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Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times An architecture lover's dream. Rated: 3/5 Feb 16, 2012 Full Review Mark Jenkins NPR Whether contemplating his own sensibility or challenging himself in cross-country ski marathons, the 76-year-old architect appears here as a man who stands heavy upon the planet. Jan 26, 2012 Full Review A.O. Scott New York Times A film that at times seems ready to levitate from the screen on puffy clouds of praise. Rated: 2.5/5 Jan 24, 2012 Full Review Neely Swanson Easy Reader (California) Like the architecture and the architect himself, this is filmmaking on a grand scale. Sep 18, 2017 Full Review Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru A mildly engaging introduction to the architectural work of Norman Foster, but it barely scratches the surface. Rated: 6.0/10 Feb 12, 2012 Full Review Doris Toumarkine Film Journal International Audiences who embrace high-quality, smartly produced documentaries about compelling and worthy subjects will get their money's worth. Jan 31, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member This is a wonderful documentary about the British Architect Norman Foster. His work is breathtaking. It is hard to imagine anyone being able to design so many spectacular buildings. The cinematography is stunning. The film is an art-within-art gem. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member I will work much harder tomorrow!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Watching this, I cannot stop to think how â??piss weakâ?? the remainder of the modern architectural world is in comparison. Independent of your likes and dislikes Fosterâ??s projects, they are all exceptionally memorable. The title of this movie was a little â??off-puttingâ??/awkward to me, but it is an excerpt from a conversation between Buckminster Fuller and Foster. Fosterâ??s pragmatic approach to Fullerâ??s design concepts bring them to the world in a beautiful fashion. Like Fuller, Fosterâ??s projects are not limited to the standard architectural schema. The flow of the movie is somewhat mysterious (an allegory of his life) and prompted me to watch it twice. I had seen most of Foster work, as has anyone who watches the history channel, but never strung it together as the works flowing from one man. The second time watching it I wished many of the shots were longer and more detailed. Chronicling his early career, the most interesting facet was that he needed to take his work on the world stage to be able to be a success in his home of Great Britain. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Visually appealing but fails on its narrative ... You end up wondering ' what's the story? ' Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member A very good Documentary with amazing architecture. Beautiful photography and insightful interviews Foster and others. But the endlessly somber music score was slightly annoying. All in all well worth watching , check it out ! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting documentary about one man's vision of architectural design that is not only nice to look at, but also addresses environmental issues. Norman Foster grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, but that didn't stop his imagination and interest in airplanes that informed his dreams. Another story about a man living his bliss. If you are interested in art and architecture, this one is for you! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Premier architect Norman Foster pursues his quest to improve life through design.
Director
Carlos Carcas, Norberto López Amado
Producer
Elena Ochoa
Screenwriter
Deyan Sudjic
Distributor
First Run
Production Co
Aiete-Ariane Films S.A.
Genre
Documentary, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 25, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.7K
Runtime
1h 18m
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