Antonio Gaudi

As Hiroshi Teshigahara was making some of the boldest avant-garde films ever made in Japan, he was always focused on training the human eye to react to art differently. To him, the structures he filmed in "Antonio Gaudi" are extensions of nature, so he shoots each new sculpture or building as if they were something constantly speaking to the audience or growing in the frame.

That's part of why Teshigahara's elliptical and musical love letter to Gaudi's architectural ends up hitting so hard. Here's a director with a deep understanding of the kind of emotions and insight that filmmaking can provoke, and he's used this power to study and revel in the artistry of another master. The new Criterion Collection Blu-ray packs a sizeable picture upgrade from its DVD counterpart. Plus, the bounty of special features on that DVD have been carried over.

Much less a documentary and something more poetic, Teshigahara takes the audience on a tour of Gaudi's greatest architectural achievements in Barcelona, Spain. The Catalan architect was best known for his sensual structures, frequently incorporating images of nature into his work that hadn't been done yet at the time. The Sagrada Familia cathedral was his last work, as he passed away when only a quarter of the structure was built. This is the kind of film to get lost in, as Teshigahara's sensual camera movements meld with Gaudi's breathlessly designed art in intoxicating ways. Add in Toru Takemitsu's experimental score that incorporates Japanese traditional instruments and a symphonic style, and you have something truly indescribable.

"Antonio Gaudi" is mostly wordless, so if you're eager to learn more about Gaudi himself, I'd look directly to the supplementary features. The one-hour BBC documentary "God's Architect: Antonio Gaudi" does wonders in giving the viewer deep insight into the architect's history and famous technique. Yes, it's a bit rote in the way that Teshigahara's film isn't, but it'll give you a good understanding of Gaudi before watching the main feature. The best special feature, in my opinion, is that of a short film by Teshigahara – "Gaudi, Catalunya, 1959" -– that he shot when he first visited Barcelona in 1959 with his father. The camera peers and stands in awe of Gaudi's work, almost like you can see the Japanese filmmaker growing as he shooting. An essential companion piece to the main feature.

A note about the new high-definition presentation of the film; the original restoration was done back in 2008 from a low-contrast 35mm print, so there was plenty of legwork in transferring Teshigahara's film to what it should look like. That's part of why the new HD transfer looks so terrific. The colors are so bold and vibrant, but in a way that looks natural. For a film that's all about studying texture in Gaudi's work, there's plenty of texture to be found in every image here. It's a really great job by the Criterion Collection. Additional special features include:

� Interview from 2008 with architect Arata Isozaki
� BBC program from 1961 on Gaudi by filmmaker Ken Russell
� "Sculptures by Sofu-Vita" -- a 1963 short film by Teshigahara on the sculpture work of his father, Sofu Teshigahara
� Trailer
� PLUS: An essay by art historian Dore Ashton, a 1986 reminiscence by Hiroshi Teshigahara, and excerpts from a 1959 conversation among the Teshigaharas and others about their trip to the West

"Antonio Gaudi"
Blu-ray
$39.95
https://www.criterion.com/films/536-antonio-gaud