Why do evil people live in modernist homes?

Until I saw the title of this book by Ben Critton, it hadn't occurred to me that villains do often live in modernist homes in movies. Why is that? The book isn't available on Amazon, so if you want the answer (or, at least, Critton's answer), you'll have to get the book from Printed Matter, Inc.

The book blurb:

Printed in a tabloid format in red and yellow ink Evil People in Modernist Homes in Popular Films offers a serious but lighthearted investigation of the representation of Modernist architecture in popular film, reflecting on the convention of associating evil characters and events with Modern buildings, and also, more generally, on the relation between cinema and architecture. A series of texts point to examples in the James Bond films, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm, and many others, accompanied by plentiful film stills.

(via weareprivate.net)

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Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 20, 2012
Category: Architecture | Movies

Comments

Interesting. I might have to pick this up. Isn't there another book or list or something about how to not make the mistakes that evil geniuses make. Like when you blast the controls to an automatic door it locks in place instead of opening.

Posted by Todd on 01/20/12 at 08:20 AM

I've always wondered where those evil geniuses obtained the money in the first place. Everything else, like the houses, fancy cars and women, just follows.

A comment on the blurb: I assume that the home referred to in "Blade Runner" is the Tyrel apartment atop the corporate pyramid. Tyrel was not an evil man in the usual sense. He wasn't out to impose his will on the world or enslave mankind. Tyrel's creations relieved man of dangerous occupations. His home reflected his taste and sensibilities. A careful inspection of the sets for the apartment will reveal that the architecture and furnishings were not really all that "modernist".

Posted by KDP on 01/20/12 at 10:31 AM

Todd, Richard Roeper wrote a couple books about things like this. They all run together for me but it might be in Ten Sure Signs a Movie Character is Doomed. Mythbusters might have covered it on the show but I don't think it's in any of their books. TV Tropes has a lot of these things on line if that would help.

Posted by Mark on 01/20/12 at 12:55 PM

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