Baumschulenweg Crematorium, Berlin |
Baumschulenweg Crematorium, Berlin |
Baumschulenweg Crematorium, Berlin |
Trudelturm Wind Tunnel, Berlin |
Tierheim Animal Shelter, Berlin |
Last night I stayed in after a busy day out and about; lovely Stoke Newington wonderings and coffee, followed by more wonderings over to Broadway Market for a spot of lunch followed by a wonder along the regents canal to Southgate Road for a friends birthday drinks at a lovely pub.
Needless to say by the time I got home I was just about had it in me for a nice and relaxed night in. Luckily there was a good film on TV - Aeon Flux with fellow South African Charlize Theron as the leading lady and directed by Karyn Kusama. This is probably not everyone's cup of tea - Futuristic Sci-Fi Action... for me it is about the art that goes into moviemaking and it's not always about the storyline or the plot but that obviously does help to keep us watching! For me its about escapism and entertainment and Aeon Flux supplied both by the cup fulls! And I think its also the amazing cinematography and choice of locations that kept me being glued to the screen.
As soon as the end credits started rolling I was on Google to see where this movie was filmed. Delighted is an understatement to learn that there was very little use of CGI and most of the movie was filmed in Berlin; with its modernist and contemporary architecture it became an obvious choice for Aeon Flux‘s fictional city of Bregna in the year 2415.
"Location managers Christian Alexander Klempert and Matthias Braun combed the buildings and gardens of Berlin and Potsdam, and found an almost surreal combination of stunning modern and historic architectural wonders. 'There were astonishing places that had never been photographed, ranging from the 1700s to the 1960s,' says McAlpine, noting that, until recently, these places had been behind the Iron Curtain. 'We had access to amazing 400-year-old architecture as well as incredible modern designs, all of which had beautiful curvatures and geometric shapes to them.' The filmmakers’ chosen locations include the parks and palaces of Potsdam’s Schloss Sanssouci and Buga Park (right) and Berlin’s Maria Regina Martyrum." via Michelle's Mental Clutter Blog
It would be unfair to choose a favourite - but that last scene with the cherry blossom trees against the stark concrete curved walls and surrounds of the Tierheim Animal Shelter just 'did it for me'! I would love to revisit Berlin and perhaps do a tour of the locations of this film, yes perhaps I should do just that!
A full list of locations are below:
Babelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
Bauhaus-Archiv, Berlin, Germany (Una’s house: exterior), Berlin, GermanyBiosphaere, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
Buga Park, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
Filtergewoelbe Wasserwerk Friedrichshagen, Berlin, Germany
Former american headquarters, Berlin, Germany
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany
Kapelle der Versoehnung, Berlin, Germany
Kirche Maria Regina, Berlin, Germany
Krematorium Baumschulenweg, Berlin, Germany (HQ conference room)
Langhansbau – Anatomisches Theater, Berlin, Germany
Mexikanische Botschaft, Berlin, Germany
Paul Löbe Haus, Berlin, Germany
Renaissance Theater, Berlin, Germany
Riehmers Hofgarten, Berlin, Germany
Sans-Souci, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany (exteriors)
Studio Babelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
Tierheim, Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Trudelturm, Berlin, Germany
Velodrom, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany
Windkanal, Berlin, Germany
http://blog.ounodesign.com/2009/06/24/architecture-in-the-movies-part-4-aeon-flux/#more-4604