The film features interviews with the original owner,
Richard F. Oyler, who did some of the actual work on the house. There are also
interviews with Kelly Lynch (who currently owns the house with her husband,
Mitch Glazer), Crosby Doe (the Oyler House real estate agent), and Richard
Neutra’s sons – Dion and Raymond.
The film opens with the interviewer asking Richard F.
Oyler why he wanted Richard Neutra in particular to design his house. Oyler
responds, “I could be in the living room
or wherever, and I’m outdoors too.” And we immediately see what he means.
It’s incredible the way the house gives you a feeling of being outside while being
inside. Richard F. Oyler speaks with
passion, even amazement, about the location and the house. So does Kelly Lynch,
who tells us, “I love this house like a
person.”
Even apart from the Oyler House, Richard F. Oyler seems
like an interesting person. He talks a bit about his background, including the
fact that he joined the navy before the U.S. became involved in World War II,
and was actually at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked. After the war, a man
came to ask him for help in selling some land in Long Pine that he had bought.
When Oyler went to look at it, he fell in love with one parcel of land, and
bought it himself. It was a librarian who turned him on to the architect
Richard Neutra.
Oyler comes across as charming and affable. About contacting
Neutra, he says: “I wrote him and told
him who I was: nobody. And what I did, and what my budget would be, and where
my property would be.” Neutra came to look at the property, and Oyler says:
“I think that’s the only reason he
accepted me as a client. I think he fell in love with the property.”
Interestingly, after the house was built, Neutra and his
wife continued to visit Oyler and his family at that house. It became a yearly
visit, and they also exchanged letters. That certainly seems an unusual
relationship.
Richard Neutra’s sons, Dion and Raymond, provide
interesting background information on their father. Dion, who is an architect
himself, says he has no memory of his father ever turning anyone down. And
Raymond says his father liked building for people of modest means.
In addition to excellent footage of the house and the
land surrounding it (which is beautiful), the film provides still photos of
some of Neutra’s other work, including the Health House. And one of the most
interesting points for me is one that Raymond Neutra makes. He talks about how
in movies, it’s the bad guy or the deviant guy who lives in one of the modern
houses. And the film shows us still photos of some examples, including the
Lovell Health House (which was seen in L.A.
Confidential) and John Lautner’s Chemosphere (which was the villain’s house
in Body Double).
I do wish that Oyler had talked about why he moved out,
and why the house isn’t in his family’s possession anymore. The house clearly
means a lot to Oyler even now. So what led him to sell it? And when did he? And
how many owners have there been? That, to me, is the one important element
lacking in the story, and I wish the filmmaker had thought to ask Oyler about
it.
By the way, the pool is amazing, as is the story behind
it. And I love that Kelly Lynch talks about being a caretaker for the house,
not its owner.
Special Features
The DVD includes a special tour of the house conducted by
both Richard F. Oyler and Kelly Lynch. Oyler shares memories, and tells stories
behind some of the marks on the house. Kelly Lynch talks about James Taylor
visiting the house and loving the property.
There are also three short deleted scenes (totaling
approximately five minutes). In one of these scenes, both Oyler and Lynch talk about
how a lot of films were made in Long Pine. In another, Oyler talks about the
story of his brother at Iwo Jima.
The Oyler House:
Richard Neutra’s Desert Retreat was directed by Mike Dorsey, and is
scheduled to be released on DVD on February 25, 2014 through First Run
Features.
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