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The Brutalist

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The Brutalist
Directed byBrady Corbet
Written by
Produced by
  • Nick Gordon
  • D.J. Gugenheim
  • Andrew Lauren
  • Trevor Matthews
  • Andrew Morrison
  • Brian Young
Starring
CinematographyLol Crawley
Edited byDávid Jancsó
Music byDaniel Blumberg
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • September 1, 2024 (2024-09-01) (Venice)
Running time
215 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom[2]
  • Hungary[2]
Languages
  • English
  • Yiddish
  • Hungarian
  • Hebrew
  • Italian
Budget< $10 million[3]

The Brutalist is a 2024 epic[4] historical drama film written and directed by Brady Corbet, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mona Fastvold. An international co-production between the United States, United Kingdom and Hungary, it stars Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn, Alessandro Nivola, Jonathan Hyde, and Guy Pearce.

The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2024, where it was awarded the Silver Lion for Best Direction.[5]

Plot

[edit]

The film chronicles 30 years in the life of László Tóth, a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust. After the end of World War II, he emigrates to the United States with his wife, Erzsébet, to experience the "American dream". László initially endures poverty and indignity, but he soon lands a contract with a wealthy client, Harrison Lee Van Buren, that will change the course of his life.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]

On September 6, 2018, Deadline reported that director Brady Corbet had chosen the period drama The Brutalist as his next project following the world premiere of his second feature film, Vox Lux.[6] New York-based Andrew Lauren Productions (ALP) developed the screenplay with Corbet and financed the film.[6] Corbet co-wrote the screenplay with his partner Mona Fastvold, with whom he co-wrote the 2015 film The Childhood of a Leader and the 2018 film Vox Lux.[7] The film was originally announced as a co-production between Andrew Lauren and D.J. Gugenheim for ALP, Trevor Matthews and Nick Gordon for Brookstreet Pictures,[8] Brian Young's Three Six Zero,[6] and the Polish company Madants,[9][10] and executive produced by Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler, and David Hinojosa of Killer Films.[8]

On September 2, 2020, Deadline announced that Joel Edgerton and Marion Cotillard had been cast as the film's leads, László Tóth and Erzsébet Tóth, respectively, and that Mark Rylance was cast in the role of László's mysterious client.[8] Sebastian Stan, Vanessa Kirby, Isaach De Bankolé, Alessandro Nivola, Raffey Cassidy and Stacy Martin were also announced in unknown roles.[8] Corbet described The Brutalist as "a film which celebrates the triumphs of the most daring and accomplished visionaries; our ancestors", and the project which is so far the closest to his heart and family history.[8] Filming was scheduled to begin in Poland in January 2021.[11][8] Protagonist Pictures presented the project to buyers at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.[8] The film takes place in Philadelphia and will be shot in English, Yiddish, Hungarian and Italian.[7][8]

Director of photography Lol Crawley, editor Dávid Jancsó, and costume designer Kate Forbes were announced on March 9, 2023.[12][13] Production designer Judy Becker was announced on April 11, 2023.[2] Daniel Blumberg will compose the film's score.[14]

On April 11, 2023, it was announced that Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Jonathan Hyde, Emma Laird, and Peter Polycarpou would star in the film, while Edgerton, Cotillard, Rylance, Stan, and Kirby were no longer attached.[2] It was also announced that the film would be co-produced by the US-based companies Andrew Lauren Productions and Yellow Bear along with the United Kingdom's Brookstreet and Intake Films, and Hungary's Proton Cinema,[2] and financed by Brookstreet UK, Yellow Bear, Lip Sync Productions, Richmond Pictures, Meyohas Studio, Carte Blanche, Cofiloisirs, and Parable Media.[2] CAA Media Finance handles US sales with Protagonist Pictures handling international sales.[2] Focus Features subsequently acquired international distribution rights to the film.[15]

Filming

[edit]

Filming was originally set to start in 2020,[16] but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] It was then scheduled to start in January 2021,[11] but it was postponed to August 2021,[17] then it was postponed again to late spring 2022.[16] In an interview for the podcast The Sync Reporter on August 11, 2022, Brady Corbet said that filming was postponed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also because there were pregnancies and deaths in the families of the film's cast and crew in the meantime.[18]

After several delays, filming finally began in Budapest,[19][2] Hungary on March 16, 2023.[20][21] Production then moved to the city of Carrara in Tuscany, Italy on April 29, 2023,[22][23] and wrapped on May 5, 2023.[24]

The film was shot using the VistaVision process and cameras, which involved shooting sideways on 35mm film stock, which was then rotated and scanned at a resolution equivalent to 70mm, with the intention of having a 70mm film release.[25] Corbet explained: "It just seemed like the best way to access that period (1950s) was to shoot on something that was engineered in that same decade." In addition, the film is presented in two acts with a 15-minute intermission.[26]

Release

[edit]

The Brutalist had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2024, where it competed for the Golden Lion and won the Silver Lion for Corbet.[27] It also played at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024.[28] A week after its premiere at Venice, A24 acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film for "just under $10 million" in what was described as a competitive situation.[29]

Reception

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Critical reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 40 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 9.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Structurally beautiful and suffused with Adrien Brody's soulful performance, writer-director Brady Corbet's immaculately designed The Brutalist is a towering tribute to the immigrant experience."[30] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 89 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[31] The film received a five star review from Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian who called it "an amazing and engrossing epic." He continued: "The Brutalist obviously takes something from Ayn Rand, but also from Bernard Malamud and Saul Bellow in its depiction of the US immigrant adventure and the promise of success – but maybe Corbet and Fastvold go further and faster into how dizzyingly sensual and sexual it all is." Bradshaw concluded: "It is an electrifying piece of work, stunningly shot by cinematographer Lol Crawley and superbly designed by Judy Becker. I emerged from this movie light-headed and euphoric, dizzy with rubbernecking at its monumental vastness."[32]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Award Ceremony date Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Venice International Film Festival 7 September 2024 Golden Lion Brady Corbet Nominated [33]
Silver Lion Won
ARCA CinemaGiovani Award for Best Film of Venezia 81 Won [34]
Premio CinemaSarà Won
FIPRESCI Award for Best Film from Venezia 81 Won
UNIMED Award for Cultural Diversity Won

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Biennale Cinema 2024 | The Brutalist". La Biennale di Venezia. July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiseman, Andreas (April 11, 2023). "Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn & Alessandro Nivola Among Cast Confirmed For Brady Corbet's 'The Brutalist', Filming Underway In Hungary". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  3. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (September 9, 2024). "The Brutalist: Venice Winner Brady Corbet Opens Up About the Tireless Seven-Year Journey Behind His Buzzy Epic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  4. ^ "'The Brutalist' Review: Director Brady Corbet Breaks Through in His Third Feature, an Engrossing Epic Starring Adrien Brody as a Visionary Architect". September 2024.
  5. ^ Tartaglione, Andreas Wiseman,Nancy (September 7, 2024). "Venice Winners: Pedro Almodóvar's 'The Room Next Door' Wins The Golden Lion; Also Wins For Nicole Kidman, Brady Corbet, 'I'm Still Here' & More". Deadline. Retrieved September 7, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b c White, Peter (September 6, 2018). "'Vox Lux' Director Brady Corbet Sets Artist Drama 'The Brutalist' As Next Project". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Keslassy, Elsa (November 22, 2018). "'Vox Lux' Director Brady Corbet on His Next Project, 'The Brutalist'". Variety. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiseman, Andreas (September 2, 2020). "Joel Edgerton, Marion Cotillard, Mark Rylance, Sebastian Stan & Vanessa Kirby To Lead Brady Corbet's Sweeping Immigrant Drama 'The Brutalist'". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  9. ^ Hundic, Stjepan; Roxborough, Scott (July 8, 2021). "The Streaming Age Has Turned Poland Into a Deep-Pocketed Production Paradise". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  10. ^ Kemp, Stuart (May 15, 2022). "The Euro 75: Madants (Poland)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "The Brutalist - Production List". productionlist.com. November 16, 2020. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  12. ^ "Lol Crawley, Dávid Jancsó & Kate Forbes on The Brutalist". Lux Artists. March 9, 2023. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  13. ^ "Dávid Jancsó". Lux Artists. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  14. ^ Ottewill, Jim. "Daniel Blumberg on scoring The World To Come & how Cafe Oto shaped him". Spitfire Audio. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  15. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (February 17, 2024). "Focus Features Buys International Rights to Brady Corbet's 'The Brutalist,' Starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c Titze, Anne-Katrin (December 9, 2021). "At the heart of the character | Alessandro Nivola on his upcoming projects, The Many Saints Of Newark, and Gay Talese". Eye For Film. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  17. ^ Film Updates (July 16, 2021). "EXCLU: Production on Brady Corbet's #TheBrutalist starring Joel Edgerton, Marion Cotillard, Sebastian Stan, Vanessa Kirby, Mark Rylance, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin and Isaach De Bankolé will begin this August". Twitter. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  18. ^ "The Sync Report | Brady Corbet". audioboom.com. August 11, 2022. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023. Corbet starts talking about The Brutalist at the 1:11:48 mark.
  19. ^ "The Brutalist Is Currently Filming in Budapest". Budapest Reporter. April 17, 2023. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  20. ^ "Gemma Hoff's Instagram story from March 16, 2023: "The Brutalist" Call Sheet | Shooting Day 1 | Thursday, 16 March, 2023". Imgur. March 16, 2023. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023.
  21. ^ Ruimy, Jordan (March 16, 2023). "Brady Corbet's 'The Brutalist' FINALLY Starts Production". World of Reel. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  22. ^ Lombardini, Eleonora (April 30, 2023). "Ciak si gira! Carrara attrice protagonista di un nuovo film americano: The Brutalist" [Action! Carrara protagonist of a new American film: The Brutalist]. La Gazzetta di Massa e Carrara (in Italian). Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  23. ^ "Carrara protagonista di una grande produzione internazionale" [Carrara protagonist of a big international production]. Toscana Film Commission (in Italian). May 2, 2023. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  24. ^ "Gemma Hoff's Instagram story from May 5, 2023: "Last shoot day of The Brutalist! What an adventure we'll never forget." | "The Brutalist" Call Sheet | Shooting Day 34 | Friday, 5 May 2023". Imgur. May 15, 2023. Archived from the original on May 15, 2023.
  25. ^ "How Directors of Indie Movies Like Venice's 'The Brutalist' Have Been Helped to Shoot on Film". September 3, 2024.
  26. ^ Lang, Brent (July 25, 2024). "'The Brutalist' Director Brady Corbet on Making His 215-Minute 70mm Epic and Including an Intermission". Variety.
  27. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (July 23, 2024). "'The Brutalist' First Look: Brady Corbet's 215-Minute, 70mm Epic Stars Adrien Brody in a 'Fountainhead' Homage". IndieWire.
  28. ^ "The Brutalist". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  29. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (September 8, 2024). "A24 Nabs Brady Corbet's Historical Epic 'The Brutalist' in Reported $10 Million Sale After Venice Film Festival Premiere". Variety. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  30. ^ "The Brutalist". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  31. ^ "The Brutalist". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  32. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (September 5, 2024). "The Brutalist review – epic Adrien Brody postwar architectural drama stuns and electrifies". he Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  33. ^ Vivarelli, Nick; Shafer, Ellise. "Venice Film Festival Lineup: 'Joker 2' With Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie's 'Maria' and Luca Guadagnino's Daniel Craig-Led 'Queer' to Debut in Competition". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  34. ^ "Collateral awards of the 81st Venice Film Festival". Retrieved September 6, 2024.
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