A splendid documentary about one typeface, designed in 1957 in Switzerland.
Comment
06/15/07
Helvetica (2007)
88
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:16
Fresh:14
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.1/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 56 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Synopsis: From the New York subways to print ads, the Helvetica typeface has made a sans-serif assault on the world since its creation in 1957. This documentary focuses on the ubiquitous font, exploring its... [More]
Director: Gary Hustwit
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Reviews for Helvetica
1 - 16 (sorted by fresh rating)
Director Gary Hustwit opens our eyes to the visual culture of typography in much the same way as Andy Warhol once freed us from the tyranny of advertising, by inviting reflection upon that which is intended as a subliminal encounter.
03/07/08
The tweaky world of typography is not perhaps as much at the heart of how we live as these designers would have us believe, but it's enjoyable to watch them rhapsodise sans serifs and spacing.
10/13/07
Helvetica makes a game attempt to understand how typefaces have been applied to contemporary modes of information and how battle lines have been drawn about their usage.
09/06/07
The computer revolution may have democratized graphic design, letting anyone decorate his own desktop or MySpace page, but a certain amount of conformity is necessary for society to function.
06/16/07
Helvetica is one of those rare films in which the exploration of a specific topic leads to expanding horizons of perception.
03/07/08
Hustwit’s talking heads, an endearingly geeky bunch, weigh in on the pros and cons of such ubiquity. Cage match! Not that kind of film.
06/23/07
Helvetica keenly distills the eternal aesthetic battle between the classical and the baroque and explores what happens when a revolution goes mainstream.
09/11/07
Even viewers who've never given a serif a second thought are in for an exclamation point of joy from such a well-designed doc.
09/19/07
Top CriticThough their interest sometime borders on obsessive, [director] Hustwit's stellar roster of experts parse Helvetica's origins and implications with engaging passion and striking articulateness.
09/14/07
Overlong but fascinating, Gary Hustwit's documentary posits Helvetica, a sans-serif typeface developed in 1957.
09/12/07
By rounding up a great group of eloquent obsessives eager to explain their feelings about a font, Hustwit has come up with 80 unexpectedly blissful minutes.
06/14/07
Top CriticFunny to think that the font movie would have the potential to restore one's faith in art and its myriad meanings, but it does.
06/20/07
Appropriately, once the final credits roll, you’re likely to sit through them with an enhanced understanding of the typeface they’re in.
06/16/07
Helvetica spins its wheels for a good part of its rather short running time, making the same points over and again, with diminishing effect each time.
09/13/07
A little like a study of the American Civil War that discusses the Confederacy without mentioning the Union.
09/25/07
1 - 16 (sorted by fresh rating)
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