I must confess that I wasn’t familiar with Eliot Noyes although, like other baby boomers, I was affected by his work. Noyes, the subject of this first-rate documentary, was an esteemed graphic designer who spearheaded the philosophy and practice of modern design in the years following World War Two. (During the war he was a pioneer in an altogether different field: the use of gliders.) But his ideas were formulated before the U.S. went to war: in 1939 he was the first curator of Industrial Design at the Museum of Modern Art!
These are just a few of the takeaways from Jason Cohn’s absorbing feature film. We learn about the man who believed that “good design is good business” from three of his children (including the late Eli Noyes, who made his own reputation in the field of stop-motion animation), along with colleagues and students. Noyes made a lasting impression with his logos for IBM and Mobil Oil, eschewing the opportunity to join their full-time staff so he could continue working in other areas that interested him, like designing private homes for forward-thinking residents like Philip Johnson.
Writer-director Cohn, who co-directed Eames: The Architect and the Painter, creates a well-rounded portrait of Noyes, who was consumed by his work but came to realize that he had neglected his family in the process. He lived long enough to see his ideas—and that of his contemporaries—questioned by a younger, anti-corporate generation that wanted to disrupt “business as usual” and march to a different drummer. Here, the film takes an unexpected turn that will surely resonate with today’s audiences.
Cohn does an excellent job surveying Noyes’ life and career, and I was hooked from the very start. Modernism Inc. opened at the IFC Center in New York City on Friday and will play at the Laemmle Royal beginning August 9. Filmmaker Cohn will appear in person on both opening weekends. To learn more, go to https://breadandbutterfilms.com/portfolio/modernism-inc/
