‘The Brutalist’ Director Brady Corbet on Making His 215-Minute 70mm Epic and Including an Intermission

As a movie critic with a deep appreciation for the art and craft of filmmaking, I find Brady Corbet‘s dedication to bringing “The Brutalist” to the big screen in 70mm an inspiring testament to the power and beauty of celluloid. Having covered numerous premieres and festivals throughout my career, I’ve seen the industry shift dramatically from a time when 70mm was the norm to one where digital has become the standard.

Brady Corbet, the filmmaker behind “The Brutalist,” is currently working out the most effective method to transport the movie’s print to the Venice Film Festival. This is due to the fact that the lengthy 215-minute film about a Holocaust survivor rebuilding his life in America will be screened in 70mm format, necessitating the transportation of all 26 film reels in four Pelican cases from Los Angeles to Italy. The combined weight of these cases is around 300 pounds.

As a film enthusiast, I find myself in an exciting predicament. Upon the recent announcement of Venice Film Festival’s lineup, I discovered that we might need to acquire a couple of airline tickets. The urgency arises from the necessity to personally hand deliver something in a timely manner after it has cleared customs.

Corbet has been defying the shift to digital filming for years, having made his last two films, “Vox Lux” and “The Childhood of a Leader,” using traditional celluloid. This approach is now uncommon as the industry favors more affordable and streamlined digital cameras. His choice stands out even more in the context of 70mm film, which has seen a resurgence in big-budget productions like Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two.” However, for independent filmmakers like Corbet, 70mm is seldom, if ever, an option. When Corbet initially began planning the movie seven years ago with his co-writer and wife Mona Fastvold, he believed that the format would suit a story set during World War II through the 1980s – an era when classic Hollywood films like “Vertigo,” “North By Northwest,” “The Ten Commandments,” “White Christmas,” and “The Robe” were commonly filmed in VistaVision, CinemaScope, and other widescreen formats.

Corbet explained that using film from the same decade as the depicted period seemed like the most authentic option. However, since our movie is longer than average, we needed twice as much film. This was a time-consuming process that forced us to be creative and find an affordable solution.

“The film titled ‘The Brutalist,’ originally captured on VistaVision, honors the past by incorporating a 15-minute break during its screening. This pause was typical of longer movies back then. However, times have shifted. Recently, directors such as Martin Scorsese expressed disapproval when cinemas inserted intermissions into lengthy productions like “Killers of the Flower Moon,” arguing it disrupted their creative intent. Nevertheless, Corbet intends for audiences to utilize this break to relax.”

He expresses his preference for this concept: a pause in the film that allows everyone a breather without worrying about missing crucial parts due to bathroom breaks, especially during longer movies. I’d label it as a continuous intermission – the movie keeps running but with notifications of remaining time.

‘The Brutalist’ Director Brady Corbet on Making His 215-Minute 70mm Epic and Including an Intermission

The makers of “The Brutalist” didn’t shrink back from Corbet’s desire to shoot in 70mm format, instead collaborating with firms such as Kodak to discover cost-effective methods without compromising on quality. The final product being filmed in 70mm ended up accounting for only around 1% of the movie’s budget. For comparison, this is roughly equal to what most films allocate towards cast incentives and other miscellaneous expenses above the line.

“According to Corbet, the future of going to the theater lies in large format presentations. He emphasizes the importance of making movie-going an exceptional experience, something akin to a night out. By offering unique and valuable experiences, he aims to encourage people to spend $20 or $25 on a movie ticket. Corbet also wants filmmakers to know that large format is accessible to them, even for independent productions.”

Corbet describes the gap between 70mm and digital photography as comparable to personally observing Michelangelo’s David sculpture in marble versus merely looking at a photograph of it.

In his own words, Corbet expresses that the final version of the film’s colors, which has been meticulously worked on by the director, colorist, and engineers, truly embodies the intended hue. The result offers enhanced clarity and distinct separation between the foreground and background elements, giving the illusion of a vivid image seemingly popping out from the screen.

In recent years, 70mm, a cinematic technique once known only to the most dedicated film enthusiasts, has gained widespread popularity. Filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson, Villeneuve, and Nolan have championed this format, resulting in high demand for films like “Dune: Part Two” and “Oppenheimer” being shown in 70mm. Consequently, theaters have added more screenings to meet the public’s interest, and fans from different states have traveled great distances to experience these movies in their directors’ preferred format.

Producers have argued for a long time that viewers couldn’t tell the difference in production quality, according to Corbet. However, viewers are more knowledgeable and discerning than people assume. They now pay closer attention to the production process than they did half a century ago.

Programmers at Venice collaborated with “The Brutalist” team to exhibit the film in 70mm format, and Corbet anticipates that other autumn festivals will follow suit. Featuring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce in lead roles, this movie has generated significant anticipation prior to its debut through exclusive industry previews. CAA is responsible for selling the domestic distribution rights, with the goal of screening the film in around 100 theaters that support 70mm. This might involve purchasing additional plane seats to transport the large-format “The Brutalist” prints to their next venues, but Corbet considers it a worthwhile investment for the authentic cinematic experience.

“Creating a movie for the big screen is an incredibly challenging and agonizing experience, as he explains,” he reveals, “with countless restless nights and numerous opportunities for errors. It’s like steering a bus through a perilous route. However, reaching the destination and holding the tangible outcome in your hands makes it all worthwhile. And there’s nothing more real than 300 pounds of film footage. The sense of accomplishment surpasses the disappointment of having it as just a digital file.”

2024-07-25 17:49

‘The Brutalist’ Director Brady Corbet on Making His 215-Minute 70mm Epic and Including an Intermission

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