David Cronenberg Thinks ‘The Brutalist’ AI Backlash Was a Smear Campaign by Other Oscar Nominees: “A Harvey Weinstein Kind of Thing”

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David Cronenberg shares his views on the criticism faced by the Academy Award-winning movie, The Brutalist, during the award season.

At the London Soundtrack Festival, the longtime creative partners, who are both filmmakers from Canada, had an engaging conversation about various movies they’ve worked together on throughout their careers.

Two thoughtful individuals delved into the subject of the movie “M. Butterfly,” directed by Cronenberg in 1993. This film revolves around a French diplomat, portrayed by Jeremy Irons, who develops an intense affection for a Chinese opera artist named Song Liling, played by John Lone. Their relationship spans over two decades and they even get married, however, it is revealed that Irons’ character was oblivious or intentionally unaware of the fact that Liling is actually a man.

In his explanation, Cronenberg likened his editing process in the movie to the controversy stirred by Brady Corbet’s post-war epic when it was disclosed that artificial intelligence had been employed on the film’s main actor, Brody (who ultimately won an Oscar for Best Actor due to his performance), to refine the authenticity of his Hungarian accent.

To be honest, there was a controversy involving ‘The Brutalist’,” the director admitted at London’s Royal Festival Hall. “There were conversations about Adrien Brody… however, it seems they employed artificial intelligence to refine his accent. I believe it was a tactic orchestrated by other Oscar nominees targeting ‘The Brutalist’. It bears resemblance to the manipulative tactics of Harvey Weinstein, although he wasn’t present.

Director Cronenberg frequently alters actors’ voices, an aspect he demonstrated with John Lone’s character. When playing the role of a singer, Lone’s voice was raised to sound more feminine, but when his true identity as a man was revealed, it was adjusted back to his natural tone. Such manipulation is simply part of the filmmaking process.

Since 1979, Cronenberg and Shore have worked together on almost all of Cronenberg’s films, with the exception of one. During their discussion on Saturday, they delved into several movies like “The Fly” (1986), “Dead Ringers” (1988), “M. Butterfly” (1993), “Crash” (1996), and more recently, “The Shrouds” (1994).

As they steered clear of discussing politics, Shore shared insights about infusing a variety of sounds into Cronenberg’s movies, including jazz in “Naked Lunch” and electric guitar in “Crash.” Speaking about his approach, the Canadian composer stated, “I believe our aim was to craft music around the film’s boundaries. The music wasn’t focused on the main subject; instead, it was always the periphery. That’s where I concentrated my efforts, and I would do things to expand and enrich the narrative.

The twosome share a long history – they both hail from the same Toronto neighborhood, with Shore often observing Cronenberg navigate on his motorcycle during their childhood years. Today, they are in their late 70s (Shore) and early 80s (Cronenberg). Shore attributes his distinctive sound to the 16 films they have collaborated on together.

Following “The Fly,” I found myself growing quite accustomed to the distinctive opera-like soundscape, Shore expressed. Interestingly, this sound design also shared a similarity with the three-horn arrangement from “Dead Ringers,” reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s “Fellowship of the Ring.” Thus, there exists a musical link between David Cronenberg’s films and those of Peter Jackson during that era. As I worked on various projects throughout the late ’80s and ’90s, my compositions served as a continuous thread, forming a backbone that can be traced from the beginning to the end of David’s cinematic works.

Discussing the controversy surrounding his bold 1996 project “Crash,” David Cronenberg, alongside James Spader, reminisced about the film’s impact during the Cannes Film Festival that year. As Cronenberg stated, “The movie created a massive stir at the festival.” Alexander Walker, a well-known critic, declared it as “a film ‘beyond the boundaries of depravity,'” which Cronenberg found delightful and used in some promotional materials. Shore humorously recounted his experience, causing laughter among the audience: “After Cannes, I traveled to Spain and stumbled upon a newspaper clipping on a desolate beach. It had been blown there from somewhere. I brushed it off, and it read: ‘Crash: Ban this sex-crazed film.’

As a gamer, I’d say, “I’ve never felt the need for an Oscar nod in my vibrant gaming journey. After all, I hail from the Great White North, and the Oscars are more of an American game.” It’s all in good fun!

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2025-03-22 20:25