Unity Temple in Film: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Masterpiece with a Hollywood Voice

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, famed for its concrete design and lack of religious iconography, appears mostly in documentary film, including one narrated by Brad Pitt.

Exterior of Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple, Oak Park, IL.

I recently took a guided in-depth tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple in Oak Park, IL, about 9 miles west of Chicago.

Here are three tidbits I learned about it:

1. Still used for its original purpose—the oldest Wright building to do so

2. Constructed of concrete since funds were slim and concrete was cheap

3. Eschews religious iconography for precise geometric proportions

Fascinating! But is Unity Temple in any movies?

Eh, not so much.

Is Unity Temple in Any Movies?

Naturally, Unity Temple pops up in documentaries on Wright's architecture and in PBS specials like The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago.

But to date, I've not found it represented in any narrative films—like these Wright buildings:

• Ennis House: House on Haunted Hill (1959), Blade Runner (1982), The Rocketeer (1991)

• Guggenheim Museum: Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Manhattan (1979), Men In Black (1997)

• Marin County Civic Center: Gattaca (1997), THX 1138 (1971)

  
  

Unity Temple's onscreen destiny so far, it seems, lies within the documentary form.

See Wright's Guggenheim Museum in the sci-fi comedy Men in Black.

Narrating Unity Temple Onscreen

The most recent documentary devoted to Unity Temple is called Frank Lloyd Wright’s Modern Masterpiece: Unity Temple (2021) and is directed by Lauren Levine.

The 55-minute film focuses on the painstaking—and quite expensive ($25 million)—two-year restoration process of the Wright church.

When deciding on narration for the film, Levine wanted to avoid a traditional documentary approach, so she "searched for relevant Frank Lloyd Wright quotes that would infuse the story with a bit of insight into Wright’s process and philosophy."

Those quotes—like this one—she would weave into the film's transitional moments:

"The mission of the architect is to help people understand how to make life more beautiful, the world a better one for living in, and to give reason, rhyme, and meaning to life."

But who would speak these words within the documentary?

Enter Brad Pitt.

Shifting Complications of Star Power

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Modern Masterpiece: Unity Temple is narrated by Brad Pitt, an actor whose interest in architecture is well-documented.

Recall his and (now ex-wife) Angelina Jolie's private tour in 2006 of Wright's Fallingwater house in Pennsylvania. The two-hour tour ended with a private birthday party for Pitt in Fallingwater's living room.

In 2008, after Hurricane Katrina, Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation worked alongside an architectural firm to build environmentally friendly homes in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. The intent was to build 150 safe, affordable houses for families who lost everything in the hurricane. But years later, because of foundational problems and decay, the project faced several class-action lawsuits.

Speaking of lawsuits, Pitt's personal life, we should note, has also recently drawn controversy, including allegations of domestic violence.

As a result, cultural dialogue around the actor these days has shifted. It is more cautious, with some critics warning audiences not to be fooled by Pitt's hollow attempts at public redemption.

So while the latest onscreen representation of Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple adds a layer of Hollywood star power, it is, for some anyway, now a more complicated one.

The documentary on Wright's Unity Temple is now streaming on Apple TV.