FILM REVIEW: SKETCHES OF FRANK GEHRY

By Jessica Reaves

Chicago Tribune Staff Writer

2-1/2 stars

When famed architect Frank Gehry asked Sydney Pollack to make a documentary about him, Pollack initially demurred. "I don't know anything about making documentaries," Pollack recalls telling Gehry. "And I don't know anything about architecture." Gehry's response? "That's why you're perfect for it."

Gehry's theory - the less technical the approach, the more human the end result - is proven time and again in this diverting portrait of America's most famous living architect. Pollack, these days best known as a producer, is a longtime Hollywood heavyweight, and his willingness to admit ignorance when it comes to Gehry's world is not only appealing, it's enormously helpful for those of us whose understanding of architecture stops and starts with, "Gosh, what a neat building!"

That being said, this is not a dumbed-down depiction of Gehry's world; true architecture buffs will find plenty to applaud, from the interviews with various experts to extensive forays into Gehry's workspace and studio.

It's always tempting to dissect genius (Where does it come from? How does it first appear?), and Pollack, despite (or perhaps because of) his lack of any technical knowledge, knows to interview his subjects, who range from Phillip Johnson to Julian Schnabel. He asks questions that will illuminate Gehry from the inside, not simply as a master architect but as a man obsessed with light and shape, and with the possibility of creating structures that reflect the chaos and beauty of the surrounding world.

On-screen, Gehry could easily pass for a Philip Roth/Saul Bellow protagonist: self-involved, totally neurotic and endlessly charming, but only when it suits him. Short and round, his considerable appeal is primarily intellectual - although his two wives (one ex-, one current) might disagree. For what it's worth, there are very few women working in his office, and none of his five partners is female.

In his element, at the studio, Gehry's a dynamo, moving effortlessly between projects, communicating wordlessly with his closest associates, who, at his vague commands ("Move that guy over, yeah, and move this guy like this ...") dismantle and rearrange the walls and turrets of models. His sketches, utterly impressionistic, are masses of squiggles forming boxes and planes. Gehry's professional language is blunt; if he likes something, he'll say so, and the same goes for things he hates. "That is so stupid-looking it's great," he announces after seeing one of his own models come to life. When the camera follows him around a finished structure in Germany, he traces his fingers across the walls, almost lovingly, as if he's saying hello and goodbye.

Pollack, true to his original intent, treats his subject as a friend, carefully sidestepping any potentially painful personal events; his first marriage is only hinted at, while his second marriage stays behind the curtain. There are hints of the hurts that tainted Gehry's childhood in Toronto, especially the episodes of anti-Semitism, which eventually prompted his name change (from Goldberg) in 1954. Pollack's evident sympathy for his subject results in a total lack of tension. The sole critical voice comes from Hal Foster, a Princeton professor whose deeply grating voice serves to undercut his legitimate message (Gehry is the ultimate egotist, creating architectural events, or spectacles, rather than useful structures that will stand the test of time).

Whatever you think of Gehry's architecture, if you have any interest in art, or the interplay between light and shadow, or the way buildings create space and community, you're likely to enjoy this film. Its slow, easy pace may be lacking in visceral thrills, but patient audience members will be rewarded with the occasional, stunning sight of sunlight hitting the curve of a roof, reflecting a rainbow of colors back into the sky.

"Sketches of Frank Gehry"

Directed by Sydney Pollack; edited by Karen Schmeer; music by Claes Nystrom and Jonas Sorman; produced by Ultan Guilfoyle. A Sony Pictures Classic release; opens Friday, June 9. Running time: 1:22. Featuring Frank Gehry, Sydney Pollack, Barry Diller, Michael Eisner, Bob Geldof and Julian Schnabel. MPAA rating: PG-13 (brief strong language).