Since the dawn of filmmaking in the late 19th century, there has been a constantly evolving relationship between the age-old art form of architecture and the relatively modern medium of film. While many films utilize architecture to provide a sense of place through establishing shots, a number of filmmakers and directors have used real and fictional architecture as a means to convey moods, emotions, and ideas to the viewer.

While Curbed was making lists of films where architecture plays a supporting role and films where it informs the plot, we've been compiling a timeline featuring some of our favourite movies that heavily feature architectural imagery to celebrate the ongoing relationship between built form and motion pictures.

Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)

Still from Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis,' 1927

The earliest example on our list is widely hailed as one of the greatest films ever made and stands as a hallmark of the silent film era. The imagery for the German Expressionist science fiction film was inspired by a 1924 trip to New York City by Fritz Lang, where the filmmaker was impressed by both the city's verticality and the then-emerging architectural styles of Art Deco and Modernism. He described the city as "a vertical sail, scintillating and very light, a luxurious backdrop, suspended in the dark sky to dazzle, distract and hypnotize." Partly inspired by the work of Italian architect Antonio Sant'Elia, futuristic cityscapes play a central role in the film, underlining the dystopian divide between the sky-dwelling upper-class and the subterranean working class.

The Conformist (Italian: Il conformista - Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970)

Still from Bernardo Bertolucci's 'The Conformist,' 1970

The Fascist-era architecture of Rome's EUR district plays a central role in the Italian political drama 'The Conformist,' about a protagonist's journey through the turbulent first half of the 20th century in Italy. The dark relationship between the principles of Fascist architecture and the plot of the film is incredibly complex and is best explained in detail in a 2013 article from architecture magazine Interiors.

A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)

Still from Stanley Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange,' 1971

Hailed as one of the greatest directors of all time, Stanley Kubrick fully understands the impact that architecture and interior design can have on the mood of the viewer. Kubrick's heavy use of Brutalist architecture in the 1971 adaptation of Anthony Burgess' 'A Clockwork Orange' creates a visual parallel to the cold and institutionalized treatment of humans in the film.

Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977)

Still from David Lynch's 'Eraserhead,' 1977

David Lynch's first feature-length film has been described with terms such as "waking dream" and "Kafkaesque." The film garnered a mixed reception from critics upon release, but has since grown to become a cult classic considered by many to be a masterpiece of surrealism. The film's carefully engineered audio and the exclusive use of drab, stark architecture give 'Eraserhead' an unsettling quality that few filmmakers have been able to match in subsequent decades.

Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)

Still from Woody Allen's 'Manhattan,' 1979

The oft-imitated opening montage of Woody Allen's 'Manhattan' is among the most iconic sequences in the history of film. Images of the bustling New York cityscape set to George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' and a stammering Woody Allen build upon the traditional establishing shot, providing more than just a sense of place and time, but a connection between the protagonist and his love of the city in which he resides.

Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)

Still from Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner,' 1982

The 80s classic 'Blade Runner' came 55 years after Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis,' and while the plots are very different, there are a number of similarities and common elements between the two films. Both films drew inspiration for cityscapes from the work of Italian Futurist architect Antonio Sant'Elia, the verticality of both cities' housing was assigned according to class and wealth, and both cities were dominated by a large structure designed by filmmakers to convey a sense of oppression. 

Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990)

Still from Tim Burton's 'Edward Scissorhands,' 1990

The first of many collaborations between director Tim Burton and actor Jonny Depp, the suburban aesthetic of Edward Scissorhands was inspired by Burton's childhood in Burbank, California. The perfectly manicured lawns and pastel houses features throughout the film represent the community's banal cohesiveness and introverted nature, the balance of which is shaken up by the introduction of an outsider unfamiliar with their carefully-cultivated societal norms.

Enemy (Denis Villeneuve, 2013)

Still from Denis Villeneuve's 'Enemy,' 2013

The Modernist architecture of Toronto takes a supporting role in this cerebral thriller. In addition to utilizing wide establishing shots of vast cityscapes, the film includes locales like the austere apartment towers of St. James Town and the Brutalism of UTSC to create a sense of anonymity. In another tie in with architecture and design, the recurring motifs of spiders in the film — a reflection of the main character's subconscious — were inspired directly by the sculpture 'Maman' by Louise Bourgeois, situated outside of Ottawa's National Gallery of Canada.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014)