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In the brutality of 'The Brutalist,' a misunderstanding of the Jewish architect's experience

Summarizing Benjamin Ivry in Forward · Published Wednesday, February 12, 2025
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JL;DR SUMMARY Benjamin Ivry critiques Brady Corbet's film "The Brutalist" for its portrayal of Jewish architects and misconceived interpretation of brutalism. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Holocaust Survivors  Adrien Brody  Brady Corbet  László Tóth  Jewish Architects  Brutalism  Louis Kahn  Marcel Breuer  Ernő Goldfinger 

Places mentioned

Hungary
"Brodys portrayal exudes a certain hysteria that belies the ultra-refined Marcel Breuer, a Hungarian Jewish architect whose story, along with some furniture designs, are echoed in the film, Corbet has acknowledged."
Minnesota, United States
"Commissioned to design Saint Johns Abbey (1961), a Catholic institution in Minnesota, Breuer was the epitome of refined diplomacy, as recounted in a study of the project."
Pennsylvania, United States
"More troublingly, the screenplay has Tth hired to design a cultural center and chapel overlooking a Pennsylvania town."
Jerusalem, Israel
"Not long after the attack, Tth agrees to move to Jerusalem with his wife."
Beer-Sheva, Southern District, Israel
"the Monument to the Negev Brigade designed by Dani Karavan in the 1960s in memory of the members of the Palmach Negev Brigade killed during the 1948 Arab Israeli War. It is located on a hill overlooking the city of Beer-Sheva, where its concrete suits the desert landscape, accentuating the impression of a lunar setting."
London, United Kingdom
"which also include the Hungarian Jewish architect Ern Goldfinger, who prospered in London as a specialist in so-called brutalism."
Berlin, Germany
"In these pages, Daniel Liebeskind, whose projects include the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco stated that the film resonated with him, adding that in his view, Tth was a mensch who has prevailed without selling his soul."
San Francisco, California, United States
"In these pages, Daniel Liebeskind, whose projects include the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco stated that the film resonated with him, adding that in his view, Tth was a mensch who has prevailed without selling his soul."
United Kingdom
"Similarly, the UK film critic Peter Bradshaw even lauded The Brutalist for drawing upon the literary works of Bernard Malamud and Saul Bellow in its depiction of the U.S. immigrant adventure and the promise of success."
Israel
"One further example, Israels Moshe Safdie, sought to establish a more equitable society by using relatively inexpensive concrete."

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Cairo Item ID 44169
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Retrieved 2025-02-13 05:30:40 UTC
Curated 2025-02-13 08:30:51 UTC