Architect Breaks Down Why Movie Villains Live In Ultra-Modern Houses

Architect Breaks Down Why Movie Villains Live In Ultra-Modern Houses | Architectural Digest

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Күн бұрын

Today AD is joined by architect Valery Augustin to break down ultra-modern movie villain lairs. Often displaying Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired modernist designs, 360 views, and lavish interiors, movie villains always seem to live in the coolest houses on the block. Take an in-depth look at the architectural details and inspirations behind iconic villain lairs in James Bond, The Big Lebowski, Charlie’s Angels, and more.
Director: Hiatt Woods
Director of Photography: Grant Bell
Editor: Leticia Villarinho
Host: Valery Augustin
Producer: Skylar Economy
Line Producer: Joe Buscemi
Associate Producer: Josh Crowe; Landrie Hatcher
Production Manager: Peter Brunette
Production Coordinator: Kariesha Kidd
Camera Operator: Lucas Villicich
Audio Engineer: Will Miller
Post Production Supervisor: Andrew Montague
Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew
Supervising Editor: Christina Mankellow
Additional Editor: William Long
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
00:41 North By Northwest
03:46 Body Double & Charlie’s Angels
06:33 The Big Lebowski
08:49 Goldfinger
11:30 Batman V Superman
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Пікірлер: 224

@knives1705 9 ай бұрын

It also shows the villain has resources and money to build a brand new pad. It shows he knows exactly what he wants - he’s taken the time to spec out a perfect modern pad, so he pays attention to detail almost obsessively. It shows he’s forward thinking and innovative, he wants things new and different as he thinks outside the box. It gives you an insight into this mastermind just by seeing his modern house.

@mpetersen6 9 ай бұрын

If they are so forward thinking how come they can't see their own demise.

@JustMe-dc6ks 9 ай бұрын

Hubris.

@SCARRIOR 8 ай бұрын

@@mpetersen6 Plot armour. The plot armour of the protagonist who is the day saving hero will always defeat the villain; The plot armour of the protagonist who is the villain, will always defeat the hero. Sauron in the former; Gru in the latter.

@Aigra 5 ай бұрын

More precisely - the villain has "new money" resources. He does not have an inherited family estate, which suggests that it's not his ancestors who made big money, it's him. Which is a first hint that he might be involved in something illegal ...

@edgar3733 9 ай бұрын

Villains live in ultra modern houses cause they are rich

@beau9956 9 ай бұрын

If they were poor, they'd be living in a trailer and it would be a Criminal Minds episode not a movie.

@hal90001 9 ай бұрын

Period.

@solomonwilliams9708 9 ай бұрын

Which leads to the question: Are the villains rich? Or are the rich villains?

@freddybell8328 9 ай бұрын

@@lorenzoblum868Modern houses aren't cold.

@JustGeorgeGG 9 ай бұрын

They could get a traditional architecture Mansion. They chose modern cliff house. It's not about money

@GlennS95 8 ай бұрын

I could watch this dude talking about films and architecture with his deadpan delivery all day! Love it

@ceruleangolem4936 9 ай бұрын

In the David Fincher'sversion version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the modern house plays a very important role in the plot. Its placement on the top of the hills, its calculated transparency, its emptiness. Cool!

@swulabs 9 ай бұрын

Its interesting to note that The Big Lebowski house is also Alex’s (Lucy Liu) house in the same Charlie’s Angels movie where the villain’s ultra modern hill house is featured!

@al28854 8 ай бұрын

lethal weapon 2 .... too

@Studeb 8 ай бұрын

It is also an homage to the lair in North By Northwest, that's why he tries to see what is written on the note, only to reveal a phallus.

@Studeb 8 ай бұрын

Oops, spoke too soon, of course he mentioned it later in the video.

@robertwalker2052 9 ай бұрын

The movie "Diamonds are Forever" also is filmed partially in a Lautner house. It is in Palm Springs California. I think it is because they are so photogenic and make people seem so glamorous that modern houses are used. This is a very impressive and enjoyable video.

@SmallBlogV8 9 ай бұрын

I think what elevates these is a knowledge of filmmaking and conveying how these swish looking buildings are chosen/designed as part of some very deliberate choices about the wider storytelling going on.

@littlenest 9 ай бұрын

As a fan of villain's lairs (but not the villains) I have to say this was a great idea, I absolutely enjoyed this breakdown! ❤

@feelin_fine 9 ай бұрын

As a fan of both, love it too

@risk5riskmks93 9 ай бұрын

If I love this style of house do I need to become evil, or am I unknowingly already evil just haven’t expressed it yet?

@echognomecal6742 9 ай бұрын

Ladies & gentlemen of the jury, I present Exhibit A.

@hal90001 9 ай бұрын

Yes. You are.

@risk5riskmks93 9 ай бұрын

@@echognomecal6742Fair enough. Hahahahah (villainous laugh)

@risk5riskmks93 9 ай бұрын

@@hal90001I’ll try to hold myself back, then.

@davidserlin8097 9 ай бұрын

Yes.

@francoisb.4453 9 ай бұрын

This is so much fun!!! I always thought North by Northwest was one of the best looking movie of all time, due to its design, music, the allure, charm, ambiguity and humor of all the characters and of course, the stunning Vandam house!

@magicknight13 9 ай бұрын

Totally agreed!!!

@acecarrera1 9 ай бұрын

It even had private runway complete with lights, perfect for escaping the country.

@toastnjam7384 9 ай бұрын

There's a CGI tour of the house on YT.

@hopsiepike 9 ай бұрын

Robert Boyle was a humble genius who could stage do anything Hitchcock wanted. Statue of Liberty? No problem. Ok, now do Mt Rushmore and Frank Lloyd Wright

@paillette2010 9 ай бұрын

Now do houses of the billionaires. See if there is a Venn diagram here.

@beau9956 9 ай бұрын

Its just a circle

@originaluddite 9 ай бұрын

There are exceptions. Plenty of villains (and billionaires) also love a very traditional style of mansion.

@rouelejour4080 8 ай бұрын

Tony Stark's house?

@PeterEconomy 9 ай бұрын

Great topic -- love Valery -- he really brought this one to life!

@JeremyTalksWitU 9 ай бұрын

Im stuck on how pretty his ring is

@Ms.synthwave-runner 9 ай бұрын

I completely agree! I really wanted him to stop and talk about his beautiful ring, it kept pulling me into him 😍

@lucyscutekitchen3537 9 ай бұрын

Brilliant!!!! So much awesome information. Wish I was as cool as this host. ❤ great job! Beautiful architecture .

@lancebane3088 9 ай бұрын

I REALLY enjoyed this presentation! More please!

@rutemalumadance4449 9 ай бұрын

Love his voice, very beautiful. He explains architecture so well, and beyond with interesting information.

@grahammills7593 9 ай бұрын

Great analysis. The Astral House in 1999's "The Limey" immediately came to my mind!

@aaronleverton4221 8 ай бұрын

Ah, the house built on "faith".

@claudiamann7111 9 ай бұрын

Great video. That is so interesting to learn more about movie architecture. Thank you so much for sharing.

@karlkarlos3545 9 ай бұрын

The Mountain Top Layer in On Her Majesty's Secret Service needs a mention too as well as the beach house in Hail Caesar.

@irvansaugustin6480 9 ай бұрын

Loved this presentation!!!

@scottperezfox 9 ай бұрын

Small fact check: Dazzle Camouflage was introduced during the first World War, not the second.

@mpetersen6 9 ай бұрын

During WWll bright lights were actually used on Anti Submarine Patrol Aircraft. So that during the day at longer range it would be harder to see them as a dark spot against the bright sky. I don't think dazzle worked all that well anyway.

@joshuarosen465 9 ай бұрын

RADAR can't be fooled by dazzle painting which made it useless in WW2. Not clear if it was actually useful in WW1 but the theory made sense then.

@lakrids-pibe 8 ай бұрын

I don't think submarines was equiped with radar in the beginning of ww2. Mobile radar on bombers and heavy fighter airplanes was developed during the war.

@RealDealy 9 ай бұрын

This is something I never even thought about Love it! 💯

@kathythompson9931 9 ай бұрын

Thank you Mr. Augustin! This was very interesting and fun too!

@tonypitsacota2513 9 ай бұрын

Very nice... I noted that the older Film Noir villains often live in modern houses as well, contrasted to the humble abode of our heroes (and victims!). Full of beautiful Art Deco, Nouveau houses, and Jet and space-race themed automobiles....

@SharonYungViolin 9 ай бұрын

brilliant perspectives, thank you!

@19cosmo91 9 ай бұрын

Pretty cool how the Sheats Goldstein House was also featured in the Charlie's Angels sequel.

@dayala6024 9 ай бұрын

Excellent host, excellent video! 🙌

@deanedge5988 9 ай бұрын

Superb essay. Of course the ultimate villains lair which they all reference is Hitlers Berghof. Brilliantly rendered in film by Alexander Sokurov in Molloch.

@Venejan 9 ай бұрын

Hmm, interesting insight... Of course, while the Berghof was fairly traditional in design, it was famous for its giant window facing the Austrian Alps, i.e., a region he would soon annex!

@JohelSouza 9 ай бұрын

Great! Thank you very much!

@BGTuyau 8 ай бұрын

Interesting and original! Let's see more of this architecture-and-design-related film criticism.

@slartibartfast7921 8 ай бұрын

Fascinating insight. Love (most) of these structures, but all are interesting.

@erindemastes 9 ай бұрын

I enjoyed this video a lot! I also learned recently that John Cage briefly studied with Erno Goldfinger

@Chris-pt1bl 9 ай бұрын

I loved the north by northwest house it was soo cool by far my favorite 🤩

@josephpiskac2781 9 ай бұрын

Great presentation.

@JeniWoo 9 ай бұрын

What a fascinating breakdown of the modern villain’s lair

@mattwales2734 8 ай бұрын

Lethal Weapon 2 had a great scene where a John Lautner house gets pulled down by a Dodge Ram truck. Also: Even though it's not a house, the War Room in Dr Strangelove. Fun topic!

@JPhillipeNelson 9 ай бұрын

That was fascinating. Check out "The Girl Before" with David Oyelowo. The house itself became a weapon.

@lida1445 8 ай бұрын

Superb explanation - thank you

@tuesdayg7030 4 ай бұрын

A great video

@urlauber2884 8 ай бұрын

He has such a soothing voice, I could listen to him for hours

@TaylorJohnson1 9 ай бұрын

This makes me want to be an architect!

@Lili-xq9sn 9 ай бұрын

❤ this series!

@johnmclean6380 9 ай бұрын

Brilliant-thanks!

@trentinuit7880 9 ай бұрын

Lots of fun. Would have liked more detail too. Nice reference to dazzle camouflage. FWIW, that was more WWI than WWII though.

@ZephyrsTuneOfficial 9 ай бұрын

Loving seeing things intersect. My late mother loved Frank Lloyd Wright and my dad loves North by Northwest.

@echognomecal6742 9 ай бұрын

Did your dad ever notice the little boy who reacts to the loud noise (I think a gun shot) before it happens?

@echognomecal6742 9 ай бұрын

@@dalmienpichardo1099 ?

@ZephyrsTuneOfficial 9 ай бұрын

@@echognomecal6742 He had, he points it out each time he watches it 😁

@theblondebomber 9 ай бұрын

Great video. Would’ve loved to see the iconic Ghost Writer house included. Smaller film but amazing use of modern architecture to create an environment that speaks to the protagonist’s unwitting captivity and the villain’s wealth, power, and cunning. Same with The Parallax View’s monolithic tower.

@Venejan 9 ай бұрын

Wasn't the Ghostwriter house a constructed film set? I recall hearing that in the "making of" feature on the DVD.

@theblondebomber 9 ай бұрын

@@Venejan yes - much like the North By Northwest house

@williamj.dovejr.8613 8 ай бұрын

Love modern house architecture...a place for everything and everything in its place.

@alexbenson245 7 ай бұрын

Love the theme of this AD!

@mbcase 6 ай бұрын

Great insights! The only houses unmentioned that come to mind are in "The Ghost Writer". and "The Glass House".

@rvg202 9 ай бұрын

I liked the Lautner house that's in Palm Springs that was in the film Diamonds are Forever.

@magicknight13 9 ай бұрын

Best video ever!!!

@AishaBibi 9 ай бұрын

g]great video, very interesting breakdown

@gregoryfranks7347 8 ай бұрын

youre video is very similar to a book i have called LAIR and my favorite hideout is in there. now we are talking hideouts not houses because im a residential architecture fanatic. i would need a lautner- levy house id also need faye jones applegate and tennison rich's original 70's ursa major wilt the stilts house but hideout its a clear winner. the underwater lair of Stromburg in The Spy Who Loved Me. he had matching tenders and bell jet ranger choppers that place is amazing its also in the book. excellent video my friend. top notch. cheers

@shadow1961 9 ай бұрын

it's kind of amazing that you can have a suave urbane villain in south dakota

@griviljava 9 ай бұрын

Dang, I've always loved the place in the Hitchcock film!

@BoneZoo 8 ай бұрын

A great topic and you did a great job, worthy of a longer film even. The best villain house might be the Elrod house by John Lautner, in Diamonds are Forever. An interesting modern Hero house is the one in Ironman, that looks like the Concrete Castle also by John Lautner. Worthy of a villain

@BoneZoo 8 ай бұрын

And, for what it’s worth, the Sheats Goldstein house was originally designed for the Sheats family including their kids, but was continually modified later for Jim Goldstein, the redesign also by Lautner and then by his associate Duncan Nicholson after Lautner died

@funkykoval2099 9 ай бұрын

Thank you! It's a great explanation for someone born in ex-soviet country..

@medardbitangimana4580 9 ай бұрын

I've never clicked on a notification faster!

@kireland8 9 ай бұрын

you are brilliant!

@chrisflores4788 9 ай бұрын

In the video game Dishonored 2, two of the villains live in modern houses (mansions really). One is reminiscent of Goldfinger's lair and the Monsanto house, where by means of a lever, rooms change into something else.

@emilymannix5103 8 ай бұрын

I went to an event at the Sheets-Goldstein residence and it was truly an incredible space!!

@jhickox 9 ай бұрын

Should do one on Glass Onion.

@ivac9075 9 ай бұрын

Original Oldboy villain pad is rad too.

@GeorgeVenturi 9 ай бұрын

Awesom vídeo

@aaronamar6244 9 ай бұрын

@6:43 is this the same location as Doja Cat's Say So music video?

@robthewaywardwoodworker9956 9 ай бұрын

Wants 10%... sounds like an architect.

@pbxn-3rdx-85percent 8 ай бұрын

One thing is certain with villains' modern houses, the villains never do the cleaning of their own houses. 😄Another thing, Lex Luthor probably became nuts when the airconditioning system of his metal oven "house" went kaput and baked him inside. 🤣

@Psykel 9 ай бұрын

My goal in life is to live in a Connery era Bond villain lair.

@mpetersen6 9 ай бұрын

Not me. It never ends well for the villian.

@the_resourceful 9 ай бұрын

One villians lair, please! 👌

@andrefigueredo34 6 ай бұрын

Since in older times even palaces had a social function and artistically featured the human form in some way, having a villain use futuristic and minimalist homes, conveys a sense of individual power, pride and triumph over nature and society, but also a calculated loneliness, that makes them cold inside.

@SusanB16 7 ай бұрын

that Charlie's angels house was iconic

@clam_baked 8 ай бұрын

2:45 The cantilever sagging on Falling Water is not Frank Loyd Wright’s fault actually. He did the calculations for the concrete slab and specified them to be a certain thickness. The builder decided to pour the slabs thicker thinking it would be safer but this lead to the slabs being too heavy.

@michaelchristian6945 2 ай бұрын

Kudos for acknowledging Rosenbaum's portrayal

@chrisflores4788 9 ай бұрын

The house on stilts in Lethal Weapon 2 comes to mind.

@aleksandrasporysh6406 9 ай бұрын

Glass Onion is a perfect example

@skyspring7704 9 ай бұрын

Modern architecture is menacing. It's top-heavy, dimly glowing and hollow.

@with-inreason Ай бұрын

Shout out to Stellen Skarsgard's house in David Finchers The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

@SO-ym3zs 2 ай бұрын

Speaking of Ultramodernist houses, one is the star of the classic French farce/satire Mon Oncle. You could do a video just about that house and what it means in that film.

@ashleyd85 9 ай бұрын

See! This is why North by Northwest is my favourite movie of all time😅

@tjjones33 9 ай бұрын

Valery is the best AD host

@Marina-wi3rs 9 ай бұрын

at 7:18, he says the house is for a bachelor and says the furniture is custom-made + little storager. I understand the storage part, but how does custom-made furniture signal "bachelor"?

@YearOfJustRealizingStuff 9 ай бұрын

Because a bachelor doesn’t need to use their money on things like needs, food, and clothes for other family members, or college funds. They have money to spare

@annasolovyeva1013 8 ай бұрын

Also, bespoke = expensive If your kids irreversibly damage an Ikea thing - you can go and get a new one or new parts for it tomorrow. Bespoke luxury furniture means it's a museum exhibit basically, more valuable to it's owner then people.

@redbarchetta8782 8 ай бұрын

North by Northwest is an amazing film.

@DonJoyce 9 ай бұрын

Great video! As a super villain myself, you have it all wrong. Us bad guys just have too much money and enjoy showing it off. Also, secret rotating panels are just cool.

@paulh2468 9 ай бұрын

As a Super-Villain, I approve of this video!

@sian2337 8 ай бұрын

I thought my leg was being pulled the first time I saw how wartime ships were painted 😄

@tuckkirby9194 6 ай бұрын

Frank Lloyd Wright had actually accounted for the sagging of the cantilevered concrete by having them be domed but the contractor didn’t follow Wright’s plan and poured them flat, hence the sagging

@incogenator 9 ай бұрын

that zaha hadid building is awesome as well as the ship camouflage trick!

@philpaine3068 8 ай бұрын

My favourite house in ANY movie: the house of Morbius in Forbidden Planet (1956). I've spent a lifetime dreaming of owning that house.

@emilywong6923 9 ай бұрын

The Bat Cave !!!

@KaritKtana 9 ай бұрын

Favorite villain lair has to be The Incredibles' Syndrome's volcanic Island ❤️‍🔥

@LymanPhillips 8 ай бұрын

Now i want ro know about villians' personal style. The young villians with stringy hair cant be a coincidence? Or how about no hair?

@beamanact 8 ай бұрын

It's possible that the idea of these aeries, these isolated hideouts perched on hills or rising on pedestals, might be inspired by the Eagle's Nest, or "Kehlsteinhaus" which was Hitler's infamous control center on a mountain.