‘The Brutalist’ First Reactions: “Masterpiece,” “American Epic”
The Brutalist. Courtesy of TIFF.
One of the larger unknowns as we enter the fall festivals which mark the start of award season was Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, a three-and-a-half-hour epic about a Hungarian architect who escapes the Holocaust and comes to America, leaving fascism for capitalism.
Corbet, the filmmaker behind 2018’s Vox Lux, spoke of what he described as a “[daily urgency] for the better part of a decade” to bring this film to life.
Following The Brutalist’s Venice Film Festival premiere — where it was met by a 12-minute standing ovation, the longest of the festival so far — the film received rave reviews, praising Corbet’s direction, screenplay, and performances from Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce.
A notable aspect of the film’s festival screenings — thus far, at least — has been the 70mm printed celluloid projection. Given the runtime, that means 26 reels — and over 300 pounds of film — per screening.
The 70mm print is a partial blow-up — for sequences shot on Kodak 16mm, 3-perf 35mm, and 4-perf 35mm — and partial shrinkage — for sequences shot in the 8-perf VistaVision 35mm format, the same method of exposure as Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming The Battle of Baktan Cross.
The Brutalist, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival will screen in Toronto and New York in the coming weeks, as well as any other festival appearances, to be announced.
The film currently does not have U.S. distribution. Focus Features will distribute internationally.
See the first reactions to The Brutalist below.
