‘The Brutalist’ Director Brady Corbet on Why 70mm Matters

I’m still buzzing from seeing The Brutalist in IMAX. It was almost a religious experience.

Now, part of my attachment to the movie could be that Doylestown, where it takes place, is just a short drive down the road from where I grew up, but a huge part of what I loved about it was seeing the film in 70mm.

The director of the film, Brady Corbet, is urging everyone to see the movie that way. He spoke to TIFF Originals about why he thinks it matters.

I’d like to dive into his reasoning below.

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I really loved watching this video and seeing the passion that Brady Corbet has for his film and film as an artform.

So why is he so passionate about seeing his movie in 70mm?

In the video, Corbet explains that VistaVision is a format where the film runs horizontally through the camera, resulting in a wider field of view and higher image quality. 70mm is the only way to fully appreciate the detail captured in VistaVision, as a 35mm print would result in a loss of quality.

Corbet emphasizes that 70mm offers a truly immersive viewing experience, far surpassing digital projection.

So of course he wants people to see his movie in the highest possible quality.

I’ve seen the movie in both 70mm and digital and I so think seeing it projected on film adds a specific layer of appreciation. there’s just something about the flickering light in a dark theater that transports you.

Corbet’s passion for film is evident throughout the interview, and he expresses his belief that large format film is the future of cinema.

Corbet compares watching a movie on 70mm to digital in this way: “It’s the difference between seeing the Mona Lisa in person versus a lithograph,” he said at the TIFF Advance Screening.

I have to agree with him.

Let me know what you think in the comments.