Design on Film

Simple question:

What is the greatest ID film of all time, and why?

Is it because it stars a designer (or a spy pretending to be a designer), or because the set designs are great, or because the settings are full of great design? If you can't think of an answer to this question, then why has design been all but ignored in most mass media? Let us know!

Weeeell, I'm an Industrial Design student, and I love Sid Mead's work on Blade Runner, but I'm also a Star Wars fanatic, so I suppose the first prize goes to the triology.

Filipe Alves -

I say Bladerunner is the best - I think it's a movie that inspired many to become designers. Gattaca was also pretty good.

Konrad Solarewicz - <konsolar < a t > hotmail.com> - San Francisco

Fifth element would be my pick. Did you see how the secretary made her manicure?

Aylo - Boston , MA

Check out "Auntie Mame" the title character re-does her apartment every year and it's always outrageous.
Another great film for quirky Hollywood movie stuff is "Paris When It Sizzles" with Audrey Hepburn. Tony Curtis plays a beatnik, it's very much a 1940's studio film

Emily Vassos - <evassos < a t > hotmail.com> - california

"La Dolce Vita" (Fellini)
I`ve never seen a film more sublime in it´s visual expretion. It is always on the cutting edge betwen decadency and subtl deffenition of god taste. Never have Black & White been so stylish.

"Play Time" (Tati)
The audience thought it wehere just filmed on location, only because they made a perfect copy of the "Charles de Gaule" air port in Paris. When you´re abel to make a futuristic look ,( You still get that feeling when you see it to day)that could have been used in a "Dogma" film ,and at the same time are critisising modernety as a consept, It is a masterpice.

Johannes Book Mohn - <johannesm < a t > ssff.filmenshus.no> -

Brazil - The best, considering the technological resources due to that time
Bladed Runner & 2001

vero - Argentina

Brasil - The best, considering the technological resources due to that time

vero -

The designs of ships, sets, and characters for Star Wars are superb. Twenty years later they stil do not look dated and helped capture the imagination of so many people. A sign of top design.

Barry Gingell - <b.r.gingell < a t > herts.ac.uk> - hertfordshire, England

Well DUH! The best ID film ever (beside the best film ever made) is Blade Runner.

Anthono Cardott - <Pneumadore < a t > hotmail.com> - Aromas, California

No one has mentioned Modern Times the first Charlie Chaplin talkie. Man against machine!
Also, If you can loacte it Buster Keaton's One Week is alot of fun. Plus Charkes + Ray Eames made many other fims about design other than the famous Power of ten.
Don't forget their are alot of good doco's about design, especially those from the BBC and C4.

Miles Park - <miles.park < a t > unsw.edu.au> - Australia

If you can find it, check out "The Tenth Victim," an Italian production (c.1965) that gives several tastes of futuristic fashion, furniture and architecture. Fun to watch, too.

RCMARK - <bobmark < a t > compuserve.com> -

What about "Men in Black"? (w/ Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones). It seems to have been inspired by E. Saarinen's designs... And Scorsese's "Snake Eyes" with the conference room scene using Herman Miller's Aeron chairs....

Winter Lain - <terwints < a t > hotmail.com> - Manila, Philippines

Besides the obvious "Bladerunner" the "Alien", "Star Wars", and James Bond series', Gattaca, and anything from Terry Gilliam. I would like to add "Logan's Run", "Raiders of the Lost Ark" "Sleeper" and "The Planet of the Apes"-Movies I II and IV, . Also there are some interesting gynecological instruments in "Dead Ringers."

But for some odd reason I also get inspired to design by watching the following:

"Sunset Blvd."
"Vertigo"
"Notorious"
"Cat People"(1942)-there might be designers in it
"Laura"
"The Graduate" ("...plastics...")
"Bell, Book and Candle"
"The Phantom Lady"
"Rear Window"
"The Trouble with Harry"
"Gilda"
"The Lady from Shanghai"
"Touch of Evil"

TC - Washington

3 movies:

North by Northwest - thanks to Alfred H., the only time I've heard the phrase 'I'm an Industrial Designer' in a film. Superb film.

Brotherly Love - well-done, but older TV crime flick starring Judd Hirsh. He was a brutally murderous Industrial Designer. I forget the plot. Did anyone else see it?

Demolition Man, a silly film, starring Syl Stallone and Wesly Snipes. Easily rememberable because of Eric Chan's (ECCO, NYC) design contributions in props and design.

J Keen -

What about The Crow? I thought the set design on that was fantastic.
How about Natural Born Killers? Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?
12 Monkeys? The Quick and the Dead?
Barton Fink? Romeo & Juliet?
C'mon people the possabilities are endless. I agree with most of you on Alien, Dune, 2001, Blade Runner etc. but try to look past the obvious choices and really see what is out there.

Frank - <keyser-soze < a t > webtv.net> - Clifton NJ

Definitely "Metropolis" for mechanics, and I believe it's titled "Follies of 1939", but the Busby Berkley musicals were interesting in that he used humans to construct moving shapes to go with beautiful Art Deco sets.
"A Summer Place" for juxtaposition of nice victorian home and awesome seaside F.L. Wright home.
Clockwork Orange, 2001, Dr. No (Q is definitely the man, and I have been lucky enough to do some similar work for our boys in black, so I appreciate the diversity and clever nature of his designs) Dune, Blade Runner, Star Wars yes, but Fifth Element is the best overall in my sordid opinion for punchy design of costumes and sets and the actors themselves are strategically different looking. Love Milla's hair color!

K. Frank - <ragnarok8 < a t > earthlink.net> - San Marino, CA USA

The two best designed movies are "Blade Runner" and "Batman" by Anton Furst. He won an Oscar for it.

Myles Mc Swiney - <mylesmcs < a t > hotmail.com> - Berlin, Germany.

The latest "design"film to catch my eye is "Gataca". From machines that access the ultimate form of identification, the starkness and rich mixture with architecture, the workplace, and one possible future are alluring and haunting. The art of this film is, I think, on par with "2001". "The Hudsucker Proxy" is at the other end of the fun spectrum.

Steve Petrushka - <Steve-Michelle.Petrushka> - Concord, CA

Very interesting conversation. For an industrial designer, now studing Vehicle Design at the Royal College of Art in London, this page is really a source of inspiration... congratulations to the founder.

Next year I'm in my final year and I would like to dedicate my final project to a future film. This means that I would like to design a car for a sci-fi film that is in its early stages.
If somebody can give me a name of a contact person, or any other suggestions, please feel free to e-mail me

Thanks, Bregt

Bregt Ectors - <b.ectors < a t > rca.ac.uk> -

Gremlins - remember that electric toothbrush and the crazy "egg machine"!
Big - all those cool toys...
The Simpsons episode in which Homer gets a toy bird to type "Y" on his computer.
The Fifth Element - which I prefer over Brasil - largely because of Milla Jovovich!
Any of the "007" flicks - Q rules.

Slavko - <eror < a t > idirect.com> - Toronto

kiko mask is by far the best film ever created!

steve - <vent7 < a t > prodigy.net> - cleveland

I would like to cite Caroll Ballards film: Wind,
starring Matthew Modine and Jennifer Grey. The
story is in the tradition of applying the classic
design,(a sailboat), to a competition , (The
Americas Cup), loosely based upon Dennis
Connors Team USA. The film explores taking
a concept and developing it through scientific
principals and the design process and creating
a prototype boat and sail. Don't miss this movie.
I think that Ballard is one of the top Cinematographers and directors in the business.
Some of his other works are, The Black Stallion,
and Fly Away Home. I also agree, that Francis
Ford Coppola's Tucker: A Man and His Dream
starring Jeff Bridges is also a great Design film.
Let me know what you think.

Dave Mitchell - <mitchell5 < a t > wit.edu> - Boston, MA

I challenge anyone to watch the long-cut of Dune, watching anything but actors, to tell me that movie isn't one of the top 5 movies for ID.

Billy D Arnold - <horus_heresy < a t > yahoo.com> - San Fransisco

THX 1138
For its lack of industrial designed products.
It was about a guy named THX 1138 (Robert Duvall)
discovering and fighting for his humanity. The environment was stark and oppresive. It reflects
how life can continue without design but it is a lot cooler having this designy stuff around.
This is very similar to Brazil that has frankensteiny anti-design products that make your
life more difficult.

RAUL MUNOZ - CHICAGO

Hey what about the tin man, The Emerald City, Oz, come on now old oz was'nt an alchamist but he built a set I have not forgot.
David

David - <form < a t > net-link.net> - mich.

Hasn't anyone seen "The Hudsucker Proxy"? The whole movie is based on simplicity in design. It's the purist's dream flick.

Mike - <NyKerv < a t > aol.com> - NY,NY

...and what about "the fifth element" ???..

pavel - Prague

Aliens 2 always interested my because I knew that its creator(sorry, can't remember his name) began his career as an industrial designer. I've seen a book of his inspirations for the movie...IT'S VERY TWISTED(makes you wonder how he went from ID to that).
ID4 was interesting because many industrial designers and modelmakers helped create that movie. There's an ID4 cd-rom that covers the making of the movie with interviews of industrial designers(and modelmakers, special effects experts...), preliminary sketches, story boards, renderings, models, clips from the movie...For about 20$ its worth checking out.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Designer - Montreal, Canada

anyone notice the nifty desgins in the George Michal video?

Oisin O' M - <9731105 < a t > student.ul.ie> - Ireland

2001:a space odyssey. you probably don't need to ask why.

timothy hanson - <thanson < a t > aw.sgi.com> - toronto

I would have to say StarWars for getting me into ID in the first place. From there, I got into other sci-fi like BladeRunner (just 'cause it's such an awesome story) and lots'n'lots of anime. Those Japanese have some really WILD designs going on. Re: Macross, Patlabor2, Ghost in the Shell etc. Not traditional ID stuff that is shoved down our throat at school, but definitely fun and imaginative.

Adrian van der Park - <adrianvanderpark < a t > acc.ocad.on.ca> - Ontario College of Art + Design

My nominations are:

Strange Days (everywhere you look, HDTV sets!)
Wind (designing sailboats in an old desert hangar)
and anything Japanimation.

Oh. And you can't leave out the original 'Alien' for sheer vision.

Brian Pettett - <bpet < a t > mcs.net> - Chi-town

There are only two movies which deserve that title: Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and Terry Gilliam's "Brazil". I can't make up my mind between the two... Maybe "Brazil". It's a masterpiece, it's what movies are all about. It's a pure work of art, a work of a genius.

Alex Zambelli - <azambell < a t > public.srce.hr> - Croatia

I think one of the best-designed films of all time has to be Tron. This movie did a far better take on the "people journeying into a computer" theme than many since have. The wierd barren computer-grid landscapes, the ship at the end, the glowing costumes, everything is treated in a more personal way than the big CGI effects of today. The designs of this film may not be the most extravagant, but they certainly are among the most effective.

Ulf Schlender - <Schlenderu < a t > alpha.montclair.edu> -

MY ALL TIME FAVORITE ID MOVIE IS STANLEY KUBRICKS
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. THIS MOVIE IS AN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN HEAD TRIP, REALLY. ALSO, HONORABLE MENTION SHOULD GO TO GERRY ANDERSON'S "JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN", THIS MOVIE HAS COOL CARS, COOL (REALISTIC)SPACE VEHICLES, AND COOL FASHIONS TO BOOT. QUITE ACTUALLY, ALL OF GERRY ANDERSONS PRODUCTIONS ARE FAB. -STINGRAY, THUNDERBIRDS, CAPT. SCARLET, AND ESP. UFO AND SPACE:1999. ALL ID PEOPLE SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS.

Cary - <Quelller_drive < a t > hotmail.com> - NJ

APOLLO 13
A recent film which struck me as a epochal
film in the industrial design genre.
Not particuliarly for it's sets (which are moderately impressive). Nor its actors, who
play astronauts not designers.
There is one scene in the film which clinched
it for me... when they needed to connect the
oxygen(?) line from the lunar module to the
cockpit. The staff in Houston had to "fit a
square air filter into a round housing" (and a
bag of parts were spilled out onto a table.
As an isolated scene it is charming to designers
and engineers- but also to anyone who has grappled
with such a problem.
Put the scene into context and you have an incredible scenario; the most ambitious design
project yet known to man, dedicated teamwork, human ingenuity, an astronaut's dreams slipping away, a life or death situation, a nation/world
watching... and it really happened!!!

Ken Kirkland - <lekirk < a t > concentric.net> -

Congratulations on surfacing film design as an issue for debate. If anyone is interested in a serious discussion, debate, and or a course in Production Design I would be interested in your comments.

A Production Designer doing research...UCLA Extension Program participant.

John DeCuir - <cinemat < a t > ix.netcom.com> - LA

I m a sci fi fan and loved all types of futuristic movies but the one you all should see are those japanimation using computers to assist the artists in their awesome work. The best i ve seen are AKIRA ROBOTECH and i m anxious to get my hands on GHOST IN A SHELL

Galin Alex - Montreal Canada

I think the best film it´s possibly Alien II. The work of Sid Mead is glorious! Blade Runner is another good film.

I would be very pleased if somebody can tell me were can I find the book of Sid Mead "Steel Couture".

Gabriel Asuar - <gab < a t > jet.es> - Guecho, Spain

How about a lesson or two from the "MacGuyver" TV show?

"Design" is defined as intuitive problem solving within criteria (read "reality"). "Art" is for the movies.

Ricky - <; ]> -

My favorite Industrial Design related movies are: "Bladerunner", simply the best; also from Ridley Scott "Alien". Kubrick´s "2001" and "A Clockwok Orange" where also 100 percent prospective movies including all sorts of hardware, trends and fashions. Terry Gilliam´s "Brazil" and "Baron Muchausen". Win Wenders fantastic approach to the future of comunications in "Until the End of the World", its american "version" (not son edgy) "Strange Days", and don´t forget "Brainstorm"(don´t know who was its director). Almost all of Federico Fellin´s movies have something to do with design. Can´t finish without mentioning "Star Wars", the perfect example of how a lousy story can become a great movie. Fritz Lang "Metropolis" and the Lumier Brother "Voyage to the Moon", Soviet Andrei Traikovsy(?) "Solaris" are also great examples of how I.D. has made magic out of cinema.

Julian F. Baquero - <jfbaquero < a t > inter.net.co> - Universidad Javeriana/Bogotá - Colombia

It may not be the greatest ID film of all
time, but Fritz Langs "Metropolis" 1931,
has to be up there. This seems to be a
film that was very much ahead of its time,
and seemingly has set trends that are
still adhered to today.

Hans Hugli - <hansh < a t > oz.net> - Seattle WA

I watched Bladerunner again for the 'n'th time last night and it still looks as fresh and innovative as when it first appeared on film. How many designs is that true of?

Jim Allen - <j.allen < a t > uclan.ac.co.uk> - University of Central Lancashire

Excuse me, the above quote should refer to David Janssen.

Nora Butler - <butlern < a t > mscd.edu> - denver

Excuse me, the above quote should refer to David Janssen.

Nora Butler - <butlern < a t > mscd.edu> - denver

Excuse me, the above comment should say "David Janssen."

Nora Butler - <butlern < a t > mscd.edu> - Denver

My two cents to this question: I think the main reason I am an i.d. student is due to space and technology-related movies of the mid- to late-'60s, and yes, of course, "2001" is up there, but I remember watching "Marooned" as a little kid at the drive-in and marveling at the cool spacecraft David flew to co-rescue the marooned Americans (the Russians helped). I guess we really owe it all to R. Loewy and his work with Skylab, but I wonder if he had a hand in that movie...

Nora Butler - <butlern < a t > mscd.edu> - denver

If you look past the revolting gore and mindless plots, the original "Hellraiser" and "Army of Darkness" rank right up there for classic set design and character innovations.

Jeff Daum - Thomson consumer electronics

Although on the gorey and morbid side, the original "Hellraiser" was quite an astonishing piece of set design and character creativity. Not the top ID film in history though.

JEFF - THOMSON CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Didn't any of you guys see "TUCKER"? This is the ID
movie to see... not because of great model makers,
or sets or anything else that is destroyed in the
film, but the very heart of the designer, putting
his entire self into his work and doing it all for
the end customer. Man, if you haven't seen it,
rent it and get charged for work (or school)
tomorrow!

John Novak - <novaks < a t > ix.netcom.com> - Hitachi Home Electronics (Atlanta GA)

Well, I don't know if they are the greatest films of ALL time, but I kind of liked:
DIVA for the feeling that it evoked and the great appartments and stuff
BARBARELLA for the sets and the great spaceships and of course Jane Fondas Bikini's.
DUNE, BLADE RUNNER and THE COOK,THE THIEF,HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER.

Hans Wissner - <hwissner < a t > acs.ucalgary.ca> - Faculty of Environmental Design (ID), University of Calgary

...the greatest is yet to come. Could be the film I am dreaming to create... the one on the great Indian mythological epic - Mahabharata - which tells of the nuclear war between evil & good high-tech civilizations ( some 10,000 years B.C ago ). Replete with genetically enhanced armies, hyper-spacecrafts, political intrigues.....

nikhil - India

Its OK Now. Chat away

Stu - <stucon < a t > core77.com> - New York

The disign in movies has been allways for filmakers joust a service from some companies which they don´t deserve any credits even though we all designer have the right for credits on our work. Almost everytime I search in the credits of a movie for a set or a interior designer I have to use my glases because the letters are very small !!

I.D. HUMBERTO M. GARCIA ALCOCER - <GALCO < a t > BSMX.COM.MX> - MEXICO CITY

Most of the James Bond movies belong to this category because these were the first series of movies which people liked. This was great entertainment of the time. People also liked to see some romantic, emotional and sexy scenes.

ANJUM JAMAL - <Umar < a t > idirect.com> - Toronto, ON, CANADA

I would have to say that every time I watch the Star Wars movies I marvel at the way every element of the movie is designed specifically. These movies display an entire world that was designed by its' creators. There are no elements of the set that are left undesigned.

Lucas Oeth - <oeth0001 < a t > maroon.tc.umn.edu> - University of Minnesota (student)

Yes, "Blade Runner" and "Brazil" ("Batman"'s gothic vision was kewl too). But also most films by Michael Mann, Y'know--the guy who did Miami Vice? His use of color, camera angles, filters, sound and framing turn otherwise mundane or average films into complex, moody works of art that really stand out. His work stands out of the crowd and stands alone. One of his best is "Manhunter" the movie version of the book "Red Dragon". This was the prequel to "The Silence of the Lambs". Really gets one drawn in to the mind of the psychotic killer. If that isn't design (as in evocation of mood based on form and presentation), then I don't know what else could be.
-)

Rob - <rob < a t > insweb.com> - SF, CA

just checking

d - <d> - d

The late Natalie Wood in her last movie, "Brainstorm", in which she played an Industrial Designer.

This is just a test -

"Mr. Blanding's Builds His Dream House" shows the total scope of a design project and what it's like to work with a client and his wife who has "taste".

Lou Scrima - <musmDesign < a t > AOL.COM> - New York City

Blade Runner is the high exhalted ruler of the industrial design genre. also brazil, these two films are the visual representation of the heart and soul of what i.d.is all about.

DIEGO WOOD - <nsdznr < a t > shocking.com> - Chico, California

I'd like to mention a little known series of films begun back in 1976. Star Wars... In case you didn't know, there are a series of books on the art of Star Wars. Wonderful! Also, many Japanese animated films have some phenomenal design, particularly "Akira" and "Ghost In The Shell"

chris mccombs - univ. o' cincinnati

I think the actual title is "Powers of Ten" by the Eames. My teacher showed it to class and it was impressive and amazing. And what about Sal Bass' credit sequences.

Brian McGrath - <mcgrbri < a t > charlie.cns.iit.edu> - www.id.iit.edu/~bmcgrath

Hey guys, just saying hi since I finally got a
server that lets me check out your site, which is
great! By the way, I'd check out "Spellbound"
for great design. Hope all's well -
Cheers -
Eve

eve - <evelaure < a t > interramp.com> -

How come nobody mentioned Alien? or Aliens (Alien 3 wasn't as good). Surely these films are the most apparent manifestation of design and belief in the vision of the artist. After all Geiger started out as an Industrial Designer (though he's one of the few who recieved unlimited artistic licence- lucky sod!!)

Shane Mc Allister - <Shanemca < a t > indigo.ie> - Ireland

The film that needed the most ID skills was "Soylent Green" probably a miss-spelleling starring Charlton Heston. "Judge {whatever}" starring Stallone was done better. The BEST was "ROAD WARRIOR"

louis Scrima - <Musmdesign> - NYC

Halle Berry was a graphic designer, slash Illustrator in Eddie Murphy's Boomerang! Yea for designers of color!
Otherwise, films have made artists out to be crazed serial killers...

ally - <athornton < a t > jcs1.jcstate.edu> - new jersey

The most conspicuous example of product design in movies this summer is Apple's Powerbook. First it assisted Tom Cruise in defeating the pc-using bad guys in "Mission Impossible" and then it saved planet earth in "ID4" when Jeff Goldblum discovered that the spacemen were Mac based themselves (looks like system 12 or above that they were using.) ---Macintosh: the prefered operating system of secret agents and invading aliens.---

Wrigley -

As far as designed films- I would say Wim Wender's "Until the End of the World" has a realistic vision of near-future technology and design.

Susan Gerber - <dsznr < a t > shaggy.caac.edu> - calif.

Mr. Mom was a car designer.

Susan Gerber - <dsznr < a t > shaggy.caac.edu> - calif.

In "The Line of Fire" John Malkovich's character is very much an Industrial Designer. Good knowledge of plastics, modelmaking and more than just a little off kilter. Clint even goes to Art Center to get a lead on him.

Jon Farmon - <jjfarr < a t > teymor.net> - Springfield

Eva Marie Saint as an industrial designer in NxNW convinced me that ID was a field of intrigue and action!

eric - <ludlum < a t > core77.com> -

For me, "2001: A Space Odyssey" still stands as the greatest piece of industrial design seen in a movie. EVERY item in that film (not it's sequel) is logically thought out and well styled from the computer graphics,(now dated) to furnishings, clothing, space suits, interior control areas, living spaces, and exterior space hardware.

The second film I praise is "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". The design, both int. and ext. of the movie's submarine: Nautilus will probably never be mached for a "period piece".

Andrew Probert - <ThPROBE < a t > aol.com> - Northern California, USA

Without doubt it's Blade Runner.I knew the profession through looking "Steel Couture", a book about Syd Mead's works up to 1977.Not to mention all the work he did for Alien2, 2010, and so on.I owe to Mr. Mead be an Industrial Designer.

Patricio C. Ortiz - <pcortiz < a t > uni-mdp.edu.ar> - Mar del Plata, Argentina

Sorry, I meant Sid Mead (I'm pretty sure that's how you spell it). Sorry Sid!!

Eugene Whang - <ewhang < a t > axionet.com> - Vancouver, B.C.

Definitely Blade Runner. Sid Meand's vision of future design is completely believable. If you see all the production sketches he did for BR, you'll be amazed. Half of the concepts would make cool consumer products today!!

Eugene Whang - <ewhang < a t > axionet.com> - Vancouver, B.C.

I would have to say my most inspiring design film is Blade Runner. It is a great film that shows technology in the future that is actually beleivable.

BILL GREEN - <bgreen < a t > mc2-csr.com> - Columbus OH www.mc2-csr.com/~bgreen

Metropolis....

(No, Silly not the magazine...The old movie...)

I could go on, but it's best if you just rent it and watch it for yourselves.

R. David L. Campbell - <david < a t > thekangaroo.com> - Kangaroo

"Brazil!" I agree. "The adventures of Baron Von Munchoussen" for the same wacky set reason.

"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", only if you went to film school, and if so you must include Eisenstiens' "Potempkin" and of course Orsen Wells' "Touch of Evil"

But, lets be realistic, the gratest movie ever made with respect to set design, character design, script design in fact the whole strategic ball of wax was "Blade Runner--The Directors' Cut."

-Nuff Said

Mattehew Marcus - <mmarcus < a t > id.iit.edu> - Institute of Design, Chicago IL

"Brazil" - This film provided an excellent commentary on the direction society could take if technology and design stalled. 'Kind of a retro-new age. It's a good rental...

J.Hofman -

"The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari" was designed to be a cinematic abstraction of the German Expressionists movement. The designers for the film created fantastic sets in order to emphasize the psychological disorder of the film's main characters. This film highlighted the focus on design in order to achieve its impact on the audience. Especially for being a film of the "silent" era, "Cabinet of Doctor Caligari" is remarkable.

Tony McCoy - <tonym < a t > olstaffing.com> - San Jose, CA

"Big" is certainly one of the greatest design films because its star (the Tom Hanks character) lands that great job with the toy company. He's hired for his insight into the creation of new toys, but essentially he is hired to be an industrial designer. It's looked upon as a dream job!

Also - most James Bonds films will fit into this category because of the generous use of contraptions. Was it "The Spy Who Loved Me" that had an amphibious vehicle?

Carla - <cdiana < a t > hearst.com> - NYC