architect: William Pereira
photo by Erik Jepsen
It’s really nice that film distributor A24 is going to extra effort to make sure THE BRUTALIST, shot by director Brady Corbet in 70 mm film format, can be seen not just by elites but by a wide-spreading audience projected on the big screen as intended.
This emphasis on cinematic scale and spectacle, Sarah Atkinson, a professor of screen media at King’s College London, told The Guardian, “is part of a larger effort to preserve film’s status as a unique medium, distinct from home streaming and on a cultural par with theatre”.
The movie was filmed in VistaVision—a high-resolution format with a wider field of view—allowing for extraordinary clarity when projected in 70mm. Audiences will be immersed in a truly cinematic experience, watching over four miles of celluloid film (weighing 259 pounds).
The story centers on a fictional character, a Hungarian-born architect László Toth (Adrian Brody, right above) as he attempts to rebuild his life in Post-War America. Initially forced to toil in poverty, Toth soon wins a contract that will change the course of the next 30 years of his life. THE BRUTALIST world premiered to critical acclaim at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival, where the jury awarded Corbet the Silver Lion for Best Director. The film went on to play both the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival.
The program will kick off at the Village East Cinemas in New York City and the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz. Attendees will receive a collectible brochure and postcard set showcasing the work of László Toth, the visionary architect at the heart of the story. In addition to the 70mm presentation, theater lobbies will feature exclusive displays. All tickets come with a commemorative poster to mark the occasion.
THE BRUTALIST in 70 mm projection | theaters in New York, L.A. | December 19