UPDATE: I’m not one to cover the clocking of standing ovations, but can you just imagine applauding a film for 13 freaking minutes? That’s what happened this evening at Venice for Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist.”
THR’s rave review describes “The Brutalist” as “a monumental symphony of the immigrant experience” with a “devastating” performance by Brody as Tóth.
EARLIER: Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” is being hailed as a “masterful” and “monumental cinema,” according to multiple people I’ve spoken to. As one France-based critic is telling me, “I’d be shocked if this doesn’t win the Golden Lion.”
The embargo isn’t supposed to drop until tomorrow, so we’ll have to wait another 24 hours for reviews to come in, but rest assured, and without question, this is the film to beat at Venice. The reactions out of this afternoon’s press screenings, which simultaneously took place at Sala Darsena and Sala Perla, have been incredibly positive.
“The Brutalist” clocks in at 3 hours 35 minutes, includes an overture, a 15-minute intermission and is shot in 70mm. Adrien Brody’s performance is being hailed as the best work of his career, and the raves will probably result in him getting Oscar nominated. Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones are also said to deliver standout work.
In terms of story, scope, attention to detail and ambition, comparisons are being made to Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” and Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon A Time in America.” Corbet’s film is said to be classicist in nature, but also remarkably unique and unlike any film that came before it.
“The Brutalist” tells the story of a visionary architect (Brody) and his wife (Jones). They flee post-war Europe to rebuild their legacy and at the same time manage to witness the birth of modern America. However, their lives are changed forever by a mysterious and wealthy client (Pearce).
The film, which Corbet co-wrote with Mona Fastvold (“The World to Come|”), was shot in VistaVision by cinematographer Lol Crawley. The main thematic reference for “The Brutalist” is said to be Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead.”
NOTE: This post will get updated when reviews start trickling in at 3PM PT tomorrow. In the meantime, there are a few leaked reactions on Letterboxd.