46/24
When a visionary architect and his wife flee post-war Europe in 1947 to rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of the modern United States, their lives are changed forever by a mysterious, wealthy client. This film has a time-out built into the actual 70mm film that counts down from the fifteen-minute mark. Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr.: When dogs get sick, they often bite the hand of those who fed them until someone mercifully puts them to sleep. Featured on The 7PM Project: Episode December 10, 2024 (2024). Greetings from the Dark Again. Too many see World War II as just another page in the history books, when in reality, so much changed around the world because of this war. Almost 80 years later, war still provides filmmakers with stories, and when it comes to storytelling, few do it better than this latest script from writer-director (and actor-turned-filmmaker) Brady Corbet and his co-writer (and romantic partner) Mona Fastvold. They previously collaborated on THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER (2015) and VOX LUX (2018). This is an old-school, grand-scale epic with a few special features that deserve to be highlighted. At 3 hours and 35 minutes long, Corbet has included a flashback (with a 15-minute countdown on screen). The opening credits run horizontally from right to left, while the closing credits run diagonally. For true cinephiles, the film was shot in VistaVision to capture the feel of the era. Part 1 covers the years 1947-1952, while Part 2 covers the years 1952-1960, with an epilogue taking us to Venice in 1980. Oscar winner Adrien Brody plays Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian architect who comes to America after World War II after taking heroin “for the pain” during a ship journey. Due to administrative and government bureaucracy, Laszlo had to leave before his wife and niece, to whom he wrote regularly. Upon arrival, he is greeted by a familiar face from home. Attila (Alessandro Nivola, FACE/OFF, 1997) has already been Americanized to the point of being married and running a custom furniture company. He offers Laszlo a room to sleep in and a chance to help design furniture. When Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn, THE FAVORITE, 2018), the son of a wealthy Pennsylvania tycoon, signs a contract to redesign his father’s library, Laszlo gets a chance to show off his genius. It turns out that Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. (Guy Pearce) doesn’t like surprises and is firing his employees. The tycoon soon regains his composure and seeks out Laszlo for a much larger project – a massive monument on a hill overlooking the city. The project forges an odd bond between the wealthy Harrison and the brilliant Laszlo – although the wealthy guy remains anything but stable, and his son flaunts his arrogant and irritating tendencies (Alwyn’s specialty). Laszlo maintains one true friendship. He bonds with Gordon (Isaach de Bankole) after meeting him in line for a shelter. Despite the New World, Laszlo continues to struggle with poverty; However, one of Van Buren’s lawyers is willing to help with the paperwork involved in bringing Laszlo’s family to the States. Part II brings his wife Erzsebet (Felicity Jones, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, 2014) and mute niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy, THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER, 2018) to America. Erzsebet is confined to a wheelchair after nearly starving to death due to the war. She is an intelligent woman married to a creative genius, and yet the land of opportunity still throws obstacles in their way (not the least of which is Laszlo’s constant drug use). Moments of hope include a trip to the stunning Carrara quarry to find the perfect piece for Van Buren’s project. It should be noted that despite the protagonist’s name, this is a fictional story about the period, and the journey is both physically and emotionally exhausting. This also applies to the audience, as I was exhausted by the end. Corbet uses the Epilogue to take us to Venice in 1980 for the first Architecture Biennale.
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