All great art engages in a dialogue with the past. Architecture is no exception, as this film shows in its examination of the legacy of Sir John Soane (1753-1837), an English architect of rare genius whose influence on a generation of America's foremost architects is profound. Among them, Henry Cobb, Michael Graves, Philip Johnson, Richard Meier, Robert Stern, Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi, all acknowledge their debt to Soane and his idiosyncratic reinterpretations of the architecture of antiquity.
This film investigates both the influence of antiquity on Soane, as well as the ways his stripped-down classical style helped to guide the American architects out of the strictures of Modernism. Exquisite footage of Soane's masterpieces, including his residence museum in London and Dulwich Picture Gallery, is intercut with detailed views of works by many internationally known architects. Through interviews and guided tours, the architects offer unique insight into the ways in which their works reflect the genius of Soane.