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The Great Arch

Play trailer Poster for The Great Arch 2025 1h 45m Drama Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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1983. French President François Mitterrand decides to launch an international architectural competition for the flagship project of his mandate: the Great Arch of La Défense, aligned with the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe. Against all odds, Otto von Spreckelsen, a Danish architect, wins the competition. Overnight, this 53-year-old man, unknown in France, arrives in Paris where he is propelled at the helm of this pharaonic project. While the architect intends to build the Great Arch exactly as he envisioned, his ideas quickly clash with realistic constraints and the vicissitudes of politics.

Critics Reviews

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Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com May 17
A dramatic film about architecture is an inherently risky proposition and “The Great Arch” gets lost in the details that Von Spreckelsen considered so important. Go to Full Review Jordan Mintzer The Hollywood Reporter May 16
Bang is perfect for this kind of role, playing an imposing figure who can be both aloof and egocentric, and whose grand stature diminishes as the film progresses. Go to Full Review Alan French Sunshine State Cineplex Jun 19
6/10
While this might have found more power as a somewhat comedic experience, The Great Arch leans into the dour mood of its subject in a way that compromises the narrative. Go to Full Review Martin Kudlac ScreenAnarchy Jun 9
Avoids melodrama, pathos, or excess. The emotional tone remains restrained, shaped by a deliberately economical approach that mirrors the protagonist’s own composed nature. Go to Full Review Bethany Lola Loud and Clear Reviews May 22
4/5
In every facet, it feels accomplished. Go to Full Review Max Borg Next Best Picture May 19
7/10
The film is both a monument (pun not intended) to a great and perhaps overlooked visionary and a funny indictment of the system that wanted him to do his thing but not too much of it. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Stéphane Demoustier

Director

Claes Bang

Johan Otto von Spreckelsen

Michel Fau

François Mitterrand

Sidse Babett Knudsen

Liv von Spreckelsen

Xavier Dolan

Jean-Louis Subilon

Swann Arlaud

Paul Andreu
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The Great Arch

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Movie Info

Synopsis 1983. French President François Mitterrand decides to launch an international architectural competition for the flagship project of his mandate: the Great Arch of La Défense, aligned with the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe. Against all odds, Otto von Spreckelsen, a Danish architect, wins the competition. Overnight, this 53-year-old man, unknown in France, arrives in Paris where he is propelled at the helm of this pharaonic project. While the architect intends to build the Great Arch exactly as he envisioned, his ideas quickly clash with realistic constraints and the vicissitudes of politics.
Director
Stéphane Demoustier
Producer
Muriel Meynard
Screenwriter
Stéphane Demoustier
Production Co
Agat Films, Ex Nihilo, Zentropa Entertainments
Genre
Drama, Biography
Original Language
French
Runtime
1h 45m