Venice Contenders ‘Maria,’ ‘Brutalist’ and Blockbuster ‘Dune’ Among Global Productions Fueled by Hungary’s Artisans
variety.comChristopher Vourlias At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much common cause between Pablo Larraín’s anticipated Maria Callas biopic, “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie as the titular opera singer, and Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” a 215-minute epic about a Holocaust survivor forging a new life in America.
Though both films will premiere on the Lido at this year’s Venice Film Festival, where they’re competing for the Golden Lion, they are in most ways worlds apart.
Yet both owe a good deal to the contributions of Hungarian talent, joining a roster of recent awards bait and blockbusters to film in the Central European country that includes Yorgos Lanthimos’ multi-Oscar winner “Poor Things” and both chapters of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi tentpole “Dune.” While an attractive 30% cash rebate is undoubtedly part of the draw, it’s also a testament to a long history of artistry and technical craftsmanship in the Magyar industry — something Hungarian film commissioner Csaba Káel praises as the country’s “special film DNA.” For his sprawling period drama, Corbet opted for the suddenly in-vogue 70mm format, continuing a renaissance sparked by films including Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two.” “It feels grander and more accurate to the color that a director and colorist and all the engineers are working to achieve.
It’s the most accurate representation of the film as a final product,” Corbet tells Variety ahead of his film’s premiere. The film stock for “The Brutalist” — 26 reels in total, weighing approximately 300 pounds — was processed at Budapest’s NFI Filmlab, which recently received a spate of investment to upgrade its post-production facilities.
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