Brady Corbet, the director known for his Brutalist aesthetics, has come forward to justify the deployment of AI in tweaking Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones' Hungarian accents in his critically acclaimed film. In a statement to Variety on Monday, January 20th, the 36-year-old filmmaker asserted, "Adrien and Felicity's performances are purely their own creation." He elaborated, "They painstakingly worked with dialect coach Tanera Marshall for months to hone their accents. The Respeecher technology, an innovative tool, was utilized solely for refining specific vowels and consonants in the Hungarian dialogues, ensuring precision. No alterations were made to their English lines."
Corbet further emphasized, "This was a meticulous, manual endeavor undertaken by our sound team in tandem with Respeecher during post-production. Our aim was to uphold the authenticity of Adrien and Felicity's acting in a foreign tongue, not to supplant or modify it, all the while paying the utmost respect to their artistic craft."
In 'The Brutalist', Brody, 51, portrays László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor who seeks refuge in America post-WWII, with Jones, 41, essaying the role of Tóth's wife. The controversy surfaced after RedShark News, a tech publication, released an interview with the film's editor, Dávid Jancsó, on January 11th. During the interview, Jancsó disclosed the use of Respeecher, a Ukrainian software firm, to enhance the authenticity of Brody and Jones' Hungarian dialogue.
"We coached them, and they delivered brilliantly, but we aimed for perfection, to the extent that not even native Hungarians could discern any difference," the Hungarian editor revealed, adding that he, along with the lead actors, recorded their voices for the AI program. "A part of me is embedded in most of their Hungarian dialogues," Jancsó acknowledged. "We were diligent in preserving their performances, merely tweaking letters occasionally."
Jancsó also informed RedShark News about the integration of generative AI in the film's conclusion, depicting architectural drawings belonging to Brody's character. However, Corbet clarified in his Monday statement, "[Production designer] Judy Becker and her team did not resort to AI to devise or render any structures. Each image was meticulously hand-drawn by artists."
Earlier this month, 'The Brutalist' triumphed at the Golden Globe Awards, bagging three prestigious honors: Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director for Corbet, and Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for Brody – 23 years after he secured an Academy Award for 'The Pianist' at the age of 29.
"I am deeply appreciative," Brody expressed to Us Weekly and fellow reporters in the Beverly Hilton Press Room following his victory. "I've had a fortuitous career, but as you can see, finding work as meaningful as this remains a challenge. To experience another triumph in life is profoundly healing and fulfilling," he added, noting that the film resonates with his family's struggles and hardships.
