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STARDUST

THE STORY OF ROBERT VENTURI & DENISE SCOTT BROWN

Stardust: The Story of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown tells the story of two of the most influential architects of the 20th century, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, exploring both their creative genius and the love that bound them together for more than 50 years. Shot over a decade by their son, Jim Venturi, the film follows Bob and Denise as they revisit the most meaningful places and buildings in their lives, including Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London, Paris, Venice and, of course, Rome—the eternal city where Venturi (the son of Italian immigrants) studied as a young man and which gave him the inspiration for his groundbreaking 1966 work, Complexity and Contradiction. This tragicomic road movie is a vibrant montage of early archival and colourful verité with an iconic music track, (featuring hits like, Horse With No Name and American Pie). Yet in a profession where lone genius is still exalted, will Denise ever convince people that creativity can exist in two minds.

"Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown were to architecture what Jean-Luc Godard was to film: radical, kitchy, complex and very smart. They defined an era and inspired a movement. If you want to understand their directives – and feel the power of the 1960s
 – see this film."
Michel Negroponte, Film Director 
(Jupiter's Wife – Winner of Special Jury 
Recognition at Sundance Film Festival)

DIRECTORS STATEMENT

Director’s Statement Anita Naughton: When I first met Bob and Denise, they were the same on camera as in real life. I found them eccentric, witty, impossible and brilliant. And this is what I wanted to capture. In the hundreds of hours of footage, I looked for the ‘alive’ moments- so described by our consulting editor Jonathan Oppenheim. Their marriage and artistic collaboration spanned over fifty years. Yet they were both independent thinkers with their own creative sources and inspirations. Robert Venturi was a child of Italian immigrants and Denise Scott Brown, nee Lakofsky, a South African jew. Two people so different and yet completely fused in their artistic vision. But how did Denise endure a working partnership in which her husband was ‘the genius’ and often given sole credit for both of their work? It took many years to craft this story and achieve balance. I was portraying two profound thinkers who lived well into their 90’s and designed hundreds of buildings and wrote many books. Theirs was a long arc. Denise saw the filming of Stardust as a gift. A chance for both of them to relive their lives as they travelled over continents revisiting their loves, joys and sorrows.

Director’s Statement Jim Venturi :" I joined my father, Robert Venturi, on his first trip to China in 2002, a journey that he had dreamed about since the age of fourteen (he was then 77). I brought a small video camera to record the trip and this became the genesis of the film, Stardust:. I was 31 at the time, and I wanted to capture my parents while they were still alive. I hired a film crew and filmed hours of verité and interview footage, as well as gathering countless hours of archival materials. I realised that the human story was the one I wanted to tell. I was extremely lucky to have found Anita Naughton who was able to sift through all of the footage and paint this intimate portrait.
"This powerful documentary makes me wonder why we know so little about meaningful architects. Stardust is a beautiful portrait
of the nature of genius"

Anthony Haden
-Guest, Art Critic and Writer
"Stardust is an absolutely wonderful piece of work, so full of love and understanding, to say nothing of its being the best film on the glorious/torturous calling of architecture that I’ve ever seen."

Martin Filler, 
Architectural Critic for 
The New York Review of Books

STARDUST

THE STORY OF ROBERT VENTURI & DENISE SCOTT BROWN
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