{"id":3667,"date":"2024-10-04T13:37:54","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T13:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/?p=3667"},"modified":"2026-09-30T16:21:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:21:22","slug":"filmed-in-hungary-the-brutalist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/?p=3667","title":{"rendered":"Filmed in Hungary: The Brutalist"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the past, we\u2019ve written about examples of <\/strong>Brutalist<\/strong><\/a> architecture to be found in Hungary. But now we\u2019re looking at The Brutalist<\/em>, a Brady Corbet film about a Hungarian architect and immigrant filmed in Hungary that garnered a twelve-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival this year.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

In a recent interview with Brent Lang for Variety<\/em><\/a>, the writer-director Brady Corbet compared movie making with constructing a skyscraper. It makes sense; both endeavours require infrastructure, collaboration and compromise on an immense scale. Corbet\u2019s film is an extension of the analogy as it examines the complex relationship between art and commerce through the lens of an architect\u2019s struggle to bring his vision to life. <\/p>\n

The architect in question is the film\u2019s main character, played by Adrien Brody: L\u00e1szl\u00f3 T\u00f3th. He\u2019s a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor who emigrates to the United States after World War II. The film explores T\u00f3th\u2019s complicated relationship with a wealthy industrialist, Harrison Lee Van Buren (played by Guy Pearce), who commissions T\u00f3th to design a starkly modern community centre. But T\u00f3th\u2019s desire to remain true to his artistic vision, despite personal and financial costs, contrasts with Van Buren\u2019s power-hungry manipulation. The film highlights the tension between artist and benefactor, which Corbet sees as reminiscent of Hollywood and other creative industries.<\/p>\n

Critics at the Venice Film Festival hailed the three-and-a-half-hour movie as a “masterpiece,” likening its dark exploration of power and capitalism to Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s There Will Be Blood<\/em>. With a current rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film is also predicted to become a classic in the vein of Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s The Godfather<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The story of The Brutalist<\/em> speaks to universal themes of ambition, sacrifice, and the elusive \u201cAmerican Dream.\u201d The title character\u2019s journey is both personal and allegorical, representing the struggle many immigrants have when seeking opportunity abroad, only to find themselves navigating complex (and often exploitative) power dynamics. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite being filmed in Hungary for a very sensible $10 million (a fraction of what a studio blockbuster usually costs), the film reportedly has an aura of painstaking craftsmanship. Shot on 70mm film using VistaVision (a technique popular in the 1950s), The Brutalist<\/em> is clearly designed to replicate the grandeur of classic Hollywood epics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"
Adrien Brody. Picture via Wikipedia<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brody brings an additional personal touch to his role in that his mother is herself a Hungarian immigrant who fled during the 1956 Hungarian revolution to start anew in the U.S. The actor has said that he felt an instant \u201ckinship and understanding\u201d for his character. <\/p>\n

Felicity Jones plays Brody\u2019s wife in the film. The cast also includes an impressive ensemble of Hungarian actors and industry veterans.<\/p>\n

The Brutalist<\/em> will be released December 20th, 2024. <\/p>\n

Sources and further information:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Variety<\/a><\/p>\n

Hungary Today<\/a><\/p>\n

Flatpack Films<\/strong> has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.<\/p>\n

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the past, we\u2019ve written about examples of Brutalist architecture to be found in Hungary. But now we\u2019re looking at The Brutalist, a Brady Corbet film about a Hungarian architect and immigrant filmed in Hungary that garnered a twelve-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival this year. In a recent interview with Brent Lang […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3667"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4017,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3667\/revisions\/4017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}