The Brutalist facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Brutalist |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Brady Corbet |
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| Written by |
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| Starring |
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| Music by | Daniel Blumberg |
| Cinematography | Lol Crawley |
| Editing by | Dávid Jancsó |
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| Release date(s) | September 1, 2024 (Venice) December 20, 2024 (United States) January 24, 2025 (United Kingdom) |
| Running time | 215 minutes |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $9.6 million (net) |
| Money made | $50.2 million |
The Brutalist is an exciting 2024 historical drama film. It was directed and produced by Brady Corbet. He also helped write the story with Mona Fastvold.
The movie stars Adrien Brody as László Tóth. He plays a Jewish-Hungarian architect who survived the Holocaust. He moves to the United States hoping for a new life. The film shows his journey to achieve the American Dream.
Other famous actors in the movie include Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, and Joe Alwyn. The Brutalist is special because it brought back an old filming style called VistaVision. This makes the movie look very unique.
The film was made by teams from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hungary. It first showed at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2024. There, Brady Corbet won an award for Best Direction.
The Brutalist was released in the United States on December 20, 2024. It received many good reviews from critics. The movie earned $50.2 million worldwide. It also won several awards, including three Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.
Contents
Exploring the Story of The Brutalist
The film tells the powerful story of an architect's journey. It covers many years of his life. The story is divided into different parts.
László's New Beginning
László Tóth is a talented architect from Hungary. He survived a very difficult time during the war. He was separated from his wife, Erzsébet, and his niece, Zsófia. He travels to the United States, hoping for a fresh start.
When he arrives in New York Harbor, he sees the Statue of Liberty. This symbol of freedom gives him hope. He wants to build a new life in America.
Challenges in a New Land
In 1947, László goes to Philadelphia to stay with his cousin, Attila. He finds that Attila has changed his name and way of life. Attila tells László that Erzsébet and Zsófia are still alive in Europe. This news makes László very happy.
Attila offers László a job in his furniture business. Soon, a wealthy man named Harry Lee Van Buren asks them to renovate a library. This project goes wrong, and László faces trouble. Attila blames him, and László has to leave.
Three years later, László is struggling. He works hard as a laborer. One day, the wealthy Harrison Lee Van Buren, Harry's father, finds him. Harrison has heard about László's amazing library design. He pays László for the past work. He then asks László to design a huge new building. This building will be a community center called The Van Buren Institute. László is excited and hires his friend Gordon to help. Harrison also helps László bring his wife and niece to America.
Building Dreams and Facing Hardship
In 1953, László is finally reunited with Erzsébet and Zsófia. Erzsébet uses a wheelchair because of her wartime experiences. Zsófia cannot speak for a while due to her trauma.
As the Van Buren Institute is built, László faces problems. The contractors try to change his designs to save money. He even works for free to keep his vision alive. Harrison's son, Harry, is often unkind to László. After some setbacks, Harrison stops the project and fires everyone.
By 1958, László and Erzsébet live in New York City. He works as a drafter. Zsófia has recovered and is starting her own family. She plans to move to Jerusalem. Harrison then decides to restart the building project and hires László again.
László faces more personal challenges. He feels unwelcome in America. Erzsébet confronts Harrison about his bad behavior. Harry reacts angrily and pushes her. Harrison's fate is not clearly shown.
A Legacy Revealed
In 1980, Erzsébet has passed away. An exhibition of László's work is held in Venice. It shows many buildings he designed around the world. The Van Buren Institute was finally finished in 1973.
Zsófia, now an adult, gives a powerful speech. She reveals that László designed parts of the Institute to look like places from his past. She suggests the building helped him deal with his difficult memories. Zsófia ends her speech with a message László used to tell her: "No matter what the others try and sell you, it is the destination, not the journey."
Meet the Cast of The Brutalist
The film features a talented group of actors who bring the characters to life.
- Adrien Brody plays László Tóth. He is a Hungarian-Jewish architect and a survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp. He moves to the United States.
- Felicity Jones plays Erzsébet Tóth. She is László's wife, a journalist, and a survivor of the Dachau concentration camp.
- Guy Pearce plays Harrison Lee Van Buren. He is a rich industrialist who hires László.
- Joe Alwyn plays Harry Lee Van Buren. He is Harrison's son.
- Raffey Cassidy plays Zsófia. She is László's niece who survived the Holocaust.
- Ariane Labed plays the adult Zsófia.
- Stacy Martin plays Maggie Van Buren. She is Harry's kind twin sister.
- Alessandro Nivola plays Attila Miller. He is László's cousin in Philadelphia.
- Emma Laird plays Audrey Miller. She is Attila's wife.
- Isaach de Bankolé plays Gordon. He is László's friend.
Making the Film: Production Details
Creating The Brutalist was a long and detailed process.
How the Film Was Developed
Director Brady Corbet decided to make The Brutalist after his earlier film, Vox Lux, in 2018. He worked with his partner Mona Fastvold to write the story. They had written other films together before.
Corbet said that The Brutalist is a film that celebrates brave and talented people from the past. He felt it was a very personal project. The film was planned to be shot in different languages, including English, Hebrew, Hungarian, and Italian.
Many talented people joined the team. These included cinematographer Lol Crawley, editor Dávid Jancsó, and production designer Judy Becker. Daniel Blumberg composed the music for the film.
Over time, some actors changed. In 2023, Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce were announced as the main stars. The film also got support from several production companies in the US, UK, and Hungary.
Corbet dedicated the film to Scott Walker, a musician who had scored his previous films.
Writing the Story
Corbet has always been interested in architecture. His uncle is an architect, and Fastvold's grandfather was a designer. Corbet explained that the film explores how art and immigration are similar. He felt that Brutalist architecture was a perfect way to show the feelings of people who had been through difficult times after the war. Fastvold's own experience as an immigrant also helped shape the story.
The character of László Tóth was inspired by several real architects. These included Marcel Breuer and Louis Kahn. Corbet and Fastvold researched a lot for the film. They learned about how buildings were designed during and after the war.
Filming Locations and Techniques
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Filming for The Brutalist began in September 2020 in Venice for the ending scene. The main filming was delayed due to various reasons, including the global pandemic.
Eventually, filming started on March 16, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary. Hungary was chosen because of its film benefits and the director's familiarity with the country. Budapest and the nearby countryside were used to look like 1950s Philadelphia. The Andrássy Castle was used for the Van Buren mansion.
The production then moved to Carrara, Italy, in April 2023. They filmed in quarries and the town itself. A small team also filmed scenes in New York City, including the Statue of Liberty. Filming finished on May 5, 2023, after 34 days.
The film was shot using a special technique called VistaVision. This involves shooting on 35-millimetre film horizontally. This method was popular in the 1950s. Corbet wanted to use it to capture the feeling of that decade. Cinematographer Lol Crawley said it helped them film architecture without making it look distorted.
The Van Buren Institute building was designed by production designer Judy Becker. She used notes from the writers and looked at real brutalist buildings and concentration camps for inspiration. She also looked at works by famous architects like Marcel Breuer.
The Film's Music
The music for The Brutalist was created by English musician Daniel Blumberg. He had worked with Brady Corbet before. They worked on the film's music for seven years. The soundtrack album was released on December 13, 2024.
Blumberg and Corbet wanted the film to have continuous music at the beginning. This meant the opening scenes were filmed to match Blumberg's early music ideas. The music features different instruments, including piano, trumpet, and saxophone.
One of the first songs Blumberg wrote was called "Construction." He used a special piano to make sounds like construction noises. Another important song, "Erzsébet," was played live on a piano during filming. This helped the actors feel the music while they were performing.
Post-production and Technology
The film's editing was done by Hungarian editor Dávid Jancsó. During post-production, some advanced technology was used. A Ukrainian software company helped to improve the Hungarian dialogue spoken by Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones. This was done to make their pronunciation perfect. The filmmakers wanted the dialogue to sound very natural.
There was some discussion about whether artificial intelligence (A.I.) was used to create architectural designs in the film. Director Brady Corbet clarified that all images of buildings were hand-drawn by artists. He stated that the film was made with human effort and creativity.
Film Release and Reception
The Brutalist first premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2024. It won the Silver Lion award for Best Direction there. The film also played at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and other festivals.
A week after its Venice premiere, A24 bought the rights to distribute the film in the U.S. for a large sum of money. The movie was released in the U.S. by A24 on December 20, 2024. It was also released in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2025.
The film was shown in IMAX theaters before its wider release. It was also featured at the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam in February 2025.
See also
In Spanish: The Brutalist para niños
