As a cinephile with a soft spot for epic period dramas, I found myself utterly captivated by Brady Corbet’s masterpiece, “The Brutalist,” which had its world premiere at the prestigious Venice Film Festival. The three-hour, 35-minute running time felt like a fleeting moment as I was engrossed in the intricate narrative unfolding on the historic Sala Grande cinema screen.
Brady Corbet’s film, titled “The Brutalist“, generated a lot of buzz at the Lido on Sunday as it made its long-awaited debut at the prestigious Sala Grande cinema during the Venice Film Festival after seven years in production.
During the closing of the three-and-a-half hour movie at its premiere, the crowd burst into thunderous applause, offering an enthusiastic, record-breaking 13-minute standing ovation to Corbet and his acting crew – a feat that outshone all others at the festival.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, their top critic, David Rooney, showered praise on the film “The Brutalist,” likening it to a grand symphony that encapsulates the immigrant experience. Furthermore, he commended Brody’s acting as Tóth, stating it was exceptionally powerful and heart-wrenching.
Notable personalities from the movie industry attended the premiere, among them were actresses Julianne Moore and Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), along with renowned French filmmaker and artist JR, known for his work in “Faces Places”.
In this documentary titled “The Brutalist“, Colbert skillfully weaves together the weighty historical significance and intricate intellectual depth surrounding mid-century American Brutalist architecture. However, he doesn’t forget to provide moments of respite for his viewers. About halfway through the film’s duration, there is a 10-minute intermission, offering cinema-goers a chance to step out or take a moment to ponder over the movie’s evolving exploration of its themes.
This movie, titled “The Brutalist,” narrates the story of László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who immigrated to the United States in 1947 in pursuit of the “American dream.” Struggling in poverty at first, he eventually secures a contract from an enigmatic and affluent client, Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), which significantly alters the next three decades of his life. Felicity Jones plays Tóth’s wife, Erzsébet, while Joe Alwyn portrays the volatile son of the wealthy industrialist. Co-writers of the film are director Corbet and his spouse, Norwegian filmmaker and actress Mona Fastvold.
“In his writing, Rooney notes that ‘The Brutalist’ is more aligned with the turbulent thoughts on power and creativity in the director’s first film, ‘The Childhood of a Leader’, as opposed to the controversial exploration of modern fame in ‘Vox Lux’. However, it significantly expands upon both works, delving into heavy topics like creativity and compromise, Jewish identity, architectural preservation, immigration, the overbearing nature of privilege, and the lingering effects of history.”
Corbet and the cast of “The Brutalist” maintained an elegant and conventional style on the red carpet. The director was seen in a sleek black tuxedo, while Fastvold opted for a long, off-the-shoulder dress. Ivorian film icon Isaach de Bankolé, portraying Tóth’s friend Gordon, added a touch of flair with a stylish black jacket embellished with a large Angela Davis patch, paired with sleek white trousers and two-tone sneakers. Raffey Cassidy, playing Tóth’s niece Zsófia, went for a more gothic look with a layered black blouse and see-through headscarf that framed her face.
At its heart, The Brutalist is a testament to the director’s unwavering vision and an auteur piece through and through. Spanning over seven years in production, it overcame multiple setbacks and financial hurdles. The movie was filmed using 70mm film stock, in the mid-century VistaVision format, a vintage cinematographic style. This antique film format is said to have necessitated transporting 26 heavy reels of film, totaling approximately 300 pounds, to Italy for the film’s global debut at its premiere.
During an early morning movie press conference, Corbet became visibly moved as he talked about the difficulties he faced in bringing his creative vision to life on screen.
He remarked, “Making this movie proved to be an extremely challenging task.” He added, “Today, I find myself deeply moved as we’ve spent nearly seven years crafting it, and for the larger part of a decade, it seemed like an urgent project.”
The film was produced by Trevor Matthews and Nick Gordon from Brookstreet Pictures, along with Brian Young, Andrew Morrison of Kaplan Morrison, andrew lauren from Andrew Lauren Productions, and D.J. Gugenheim.
The showing marked a major return for Corbet to his regular stomping grounds in Venice. The actor-turned-auteur delivered his first film here, The Childhood of a Leader, and it went on to win best debut film. He returned with the Natalie Portman and Jude Law-starrer Vox Lux. He also directed episodes of the Tom Holland-starrer The Crowded Room for Apple TV+.
Corbet gratefully acknowledged the Venice Film Festival for “providing a platform for my movies when others wouldn’t,” expressing that Venice truly “brought my films to life.”
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2024-09-01 20:25