Eames: The Architect & The Painter Page #10

and the government

of the Soviet Union

841

00:
43:05,916 -- 00:43:10,012

decided to hold

joint expositions.

842

00:
43:10,087 -- 00:43:14,080

The United States would show

what America was about

843

00:
43:14,158 -- 00:43:15,750

to the Soviet public,

844

00:
43:15,826 -- 00:43:20,263

and the Soviet Union would show

what they were about to America.

845

00:
43:20,331 -- 00:43:22,822

And one of the centerpieces

were a series

846

00:
43:22,900 -- 00:43:24,891

of American kitchens,

847

00:
43:24,969 -- 00:43:26,596

and it was there

that Khrushchev and Nixon

848

00:
43:26,670 -- 00:43:29,366

had their so-called

Kitchen Debate.

849

00:
43:29,440 -- 00:43:33,240

There are some instances

where you may be ahead of us.

850

00:
43:33,310 -- 00:43:35,278

There may be some instances...

for example,

851

00:
43:35,346 -- 00:43:37,405

color television...

where we're ahead of you.

852

00:
43:37,481 -- 00:43:39,506

But in order

for both of us...

853

00:
43:39,583 -- 00:43:40,641

[Speaking Russian]

854

00:
43:40,718 -- 00:43:42,015

For both of us

to benefit...

855

00:
43:42,086 -- 00:43:43,383

for both of us to benefit...

856

00:
43:43,454 -- 00:43:46,480

FRANCO:
But the U.S.

Information Agency

857

00:
43:46,557 -- 00:43:49,924

decided that they had to show

Russians more about America

858

00:
43:49,994 -- 00:43:52,690

than just cars

and household appliances.

859

00:
43:52,763 -- 00:43:58,326

KIRKHAM:
The idea is that

Charles and Ray will make a film

860

00:
43:58,402 -- 00:44:02,338

about life in the USA:

"Glimpses of the USA."

861

00:
44:02,406 -- 00:44:03,737

How could you make the world

862

00:
44:03,807 -- 00:44:05,638

as we see it

in the United States...

863

00:
44:05,709 -- 00:44:07,574

how could you make it

really credible

864

00:
44:07,645 -- 00:44:09,442

to an audience like that?

865

00:
44:09,513 -- 00:44:13,313

We could've shown the greatest

freeway in the United States.

866

00:
44:13,384 -- 00:44:16,012

If we'd shown one picture

and they'd gone,

867

00:
44:16,086 -- 00:44:17,417

they'd say, you know,

868

00:
44:17,488 -- 00:44:19,888

"They've got the great

freeway interchange,

869

00:
44:19,957 -- 00:44:21,219

but we've got one at Minsk,

870

00:
44:21,291 -- 00:44:23,316

and we're going to build one

at Smolensk,

871

00:
44:23,394 -- 00:44:25,362

and we'll have two,

and they have one."

872

00:
44:25,429 -- 00:44:28,865

But in the redundancy

of the multi-image technique,

873

00:
44:28,932 -- 00:44:30,991

in something like 12 seconds,

874

00:
44:31,068 -- 00:44:35,061

I think we showed

120 freeway interchanges.

875

00:
44:39,543 -- 00:44:41,272

ALBRECHT:
People were sent

all over the country.

876

00:
44:41,345 -- 00:44:43,108

Friends were called

to take images

877

00:
44:43,180 -- 00:44:46,240

so that it looked

nationalistic.

878

00:
44:46,316 -- 00:44:48,250

It couldn't look specific

and regional.

879

00:
44:48,318 -- 00:44:51,412

It had to be

national and egalitarian.

880

00:
44:53,557 -- 00:44:55,422

LUCIA EAMES:
Charles said...

wanted pictures

881

00:
44:55,492 -- 00:44:56,823

of people setting off for work,

882

00:
44:56,894 -- 00:45:00,421

children coming from school,

coming up from the subway.

883

00:
45:00,497 -- 00:45:02,362

And freeways.

884

00:
45:02,433 -- 00:45:04,298

So I did my first,

885

00:
45:04,368 -- 00:45:06,666

you know, helicopter flights,

886

00:
45:06,737 -- 00:45:08,705

sort of strapped in,

leaning way out.

887

00:
45:13,477 -- 00:45:17,914

I think the State Department

had sort of envisioned

888

00:
45:17,981 -- 00:45:20,472

having lots of troop marches.

889

00:
45:20,551 -- 00:45:22,041

And Charles said

he'd do the film,

890

00:
45:22,119 -- 00:45:27,455

but he didn't want to have it

reviewed before it was shown.

891

00:
45:27,524 -- 00:45:30,015

JOHN NEUHART:
The government

really didn't have any idea

892

00:
45:30,094 -- 00:45:31,561

what was happening.

893

00:
45:31,628 -- 00:45:33,425

We would have these showings

894

00:
45:33,497 -- 00:45:36,898

for the guy who would represent

the government, coming out.

895

00:
45:36,967 -- 00:45:38,901

It seemed like each time,

896

00:
45:38,969 -- 00:45:42,564

it would just get going,

and then it'd go blank.

897

00:
45:42,639 -- 00:45:46,735

And we'd say, "That's as far

as we are right now."

898

00:
45:46,810 -- 00:45:50,143

And he'd say, "Well...

899

00:
45:50,214 -- 00:45:52,705

Yeah, I guess it looks okay.

900

00:
45:52,783 -- 00:45:54,182

I don't know."

901

00:
45:54,251 -- 00:45:55,912

So he'd go away.

902

00:
45:59,256 -- 00:46:01,622

DEMETRIOS:
Well, as Charles

said, sometimes

903

00:
46:01,692 -- 00:46:03,785

if you don't ask

for people's opinions,

904

00:
46:03,861 -- 00:46:05,158

then they don't

give them to you.

905

00:
46:05,229 -- 00:46:06,423

They just got there

the day before,

906

00:
46:06,497 -- 00:46:07,589

and I think by that time,

907

00:
46:07,664 -- 00:46:08,858

the USIA was just relieved

908

00:
46:08,932 -- 00:46:12,493

that there'd be ianything/i

to show.

909

00:
46:12,569 -- 00:46:16,198

ASHBY:
You know, and here you

have this giant effort

910

00:
46:16,273 -- 00:46:17,433

that'd gone into

building the building

911

00:
46:17,508 -- 00:46:19,135

and putting the screens up,

912

00:
46:19,209 -- 00:46:22,770

and tickets being...

all of that happening.

913

00:
46:22,846 -- 00:46:25,041

And he's waiting

till the very last minute.

914

00:
46:25,115 -- 00:46:26,810

It's just kind of his nature.

915

00:
46:26,884 -- 00:46:28,647

JOHN NEUHART:

Right at the end,

916

00:
46:28,719 -- 00:46:30,243

he would suddenly appear,

917

00:
46:30,320 -- 00:46:32,880

and it would look

like it was effortless.

918

00:
46:32,956 -- 00:46:34,218

He'd say, you know,

919

00:
46:34,291 -- 00:46:37,590

"This is just a little something

we've been doing."

920

00:
46:37,661 -- 00:46:39,822

You know, and there'd be

blood all over the floor

921

00:
46:39,897 -- 00:46:42,092

from the thing, you know?

922

00:
46:45,002 -- 00:46:47,129

CHARLES EAMES:
When we look

at the night sky,

923

00:
46:47,204 -- 00:46:49,968

these are the stars we see...

924

00:
46:50,040 -- 00:46:54,033

the same stars that shine down

upon Russia each night.

925

00:
46:54,111 -- 00:46:58,207

We see the same clusters,

the same nebulae.

926

00:
46:58,282 -- 00:47:00,842

And from the sky, it would be

difficult to distinguish

927

00:
47:00,918 -- 00:47:03,216

the Russian city

from the American city.

928

00:
47:03,287 -- 00:47:06,347

DEMETRIOS:
If you're

going to communicate

929

00:
47:06,423 -- 00:47:09,085

with 3 million Soviet citizens,

you need to say something true.

930

00:
47:09,159 -- 00:47:11,252

You can't just show off

you've got

931

00:
47:11,328 -- 00:47:13,296

better weapons

or this or that.

932

00:
47:13,363 -- 00:47:16,196

You've got to try to speak

from the heart, and they did.

933

00:
47:26,109 -- 00:47:27,770

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes