Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud
| Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | |
| Screenplay by |
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| Produced by |
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| Narrated by | Morley Safer[1] |
| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Sara Fishko |
| Music by | Brian Keane |
Production companies | Simon & Goodman Picture Company |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud is a 1996 PBS American Masters documentary drama film on the inventor, visionary, and thinker R. Buckminster Fuller produced and directed by Academy Award nominees Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon.
Summary
Fuller, who died in 1983, is considered by some to be one of the 20th century's most noteworthy, controversial, and creative thinkers. The film looks at his unconventional life, his innovations, and his radical view of the contemporary world. Best known as the inventor of the Geodesic Dome, Fuller had many other inventions, such as an air-streamed three-wheeled car and many other ideas of how to "benefit mankind."
The film includes interviews with Philip Johnson, Merce Cunningham, John Cage and Arthur Penn. It is narrated by Morley Safer, with Spalding Gray as the voice of Buckminster Fuller.
Production
The filmmakers were the first journalists to have open access to the vast collections of Fuller's personal papers. As Fuller was widely documented, the film includes extensive archival footage of Fuller from many sources.
Release
The film premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 1996,[2] where it was reportedly well-received.[3] It screened in New York City at the Portrait of an Architect Museum of Television and Radio on April 2, 1996,[4] and aired on PBS on April 10.[5] It was later included as part of an exhibition on Fuller that traveled throughout the U.S. from February 1998 to December 2001.[6]
Zeitgeist Films handled VHS distribution.[7]
Critical reception
Joe Leydon, writing for Variety stated that the film was "efficiently made", but was too "awe-struck" by its subject. Leydon noted that some of the sections were repetitive.[1] Diane Hatch-Avis, writing for Magill's Cinema Annual, also noted the repetition, calling some of the interviews redundant. Hatch-Avis also noted that the sound quality of the archival footage shown is poor enough "that at times [Fuller] is unintelligible." Despite its flaws, Hatch-Avis said that it "is a long overdue tribute."[8]
Accolades
The documentary was nominated for an Emmy for Best Cultural/Historical Documentary the same year.
It also received the Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award Silver Baton for independent television production in 1997.[9][10]
References
- 1 2 Leydon, Joe (March 11, 1996). "Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud". Variety.
- ↑ "Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ↑ Moore, Joe (Spring 1996). "Access to Fuller". Whole Earth Review. No. 89. p. 16. Gale A18109919. Retrieved July 11, 2026 – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ "Calendar: An Orchid Show And Classes in Tree Care". The New York Times. March 28, 1996. Gale A150530169.
- ↑ Nicewonger, Kirk (April 10, 1996). "Fuller's career covered". Reading Eagle. Vol. 128, no. 73. United Feature Syndicate. p. A13. Retrieved July 11, 2026 – via Google Books.
- ↑ O'Connor, Richard (June 2000). ""Breaking Through: The Creative Engineer." National Building Museum, 401 F St. N~ Washington, DC 20001". The Journal of American History. 87 (1): 177–181. doi:10.2307/2567923. JSTOR 2567923.
- ↑ "Bundle of new titles from MGM library: Collectors' choices include sci-fi hit and comedy capers". The Washington Times. July 25, 1996. p. 20. Gale A56833941.
- ↑ Hatch-Avis, Diane (1997). Fhaner, Beth A. (ed.). Magill's Cinema Annual 1997. pp. 71–72. ISBN 0787611557. ISSN 0739-2141. Retrieved July 11, 2026 – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ "Yugo series gets top broadcast award". United Press International. January 16, 1997. Gale A441148679.
- ↑ "Celebrating Excellence in Television and Radio Journalism". Columbia Journalism Review. Vol. 36, no. 1. May 1997. p. 60. Retrieved July 11, 2026 – via Internet Archive.
External links
- Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud, About R. Buckminster Fuller, American Masters, PBS, December 12, 2001
- Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud at IMDb
- Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud at Letterboxd
- Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud at Rotten Tomatoes