Hey everyone! I just watched The Brutalist and I thought it was a fantastic film, though a bit on the long side for my taste. There's a scene early on where they show the construction of furniture prototypes in 1947, featuring Hungarian emigrants as the designer and shop owner. During this part, I noticed something interesting: they were using a wooden handplane. I'm curious if anyone else picked up on this. I have a few thoughts: 1. Shouldn't they have used a metal plane to stick with the period's accuracy? It wasn't clear if it was a small wooden coffin smoother or another style. 2. Or does this detail suggest that the craftsman favored the old-world wooden-bodied planes, like Frank Klausz prefers? 3. Am I overthinking this whole thing? Would love to hear your thoughts!
3 Answers
From what I know, 1947 is still pretty early for wooden planes to be in use. Sure, they were considered old-fashioned, but many craftspeople still favored them for bespoke work. I think it's more about personal choice in craftsmanship!
I think you’re onto something with option 2! Wooden planes were quite common in Central Europe for a long time, even well into the 20th century! Plus, the design often includes that charming front horn you mentioned, which might explain the choice in the film.
In my experience from the late 90s, we still had wooden planes being made, like the ones from E.C. Emmerich. They were actually quite user-friendly! So, wooden planes being around in 1947 isn’t too far-fetched at all. I've not seen the film yet, but I'm just saying wooden planes aren't necessarily out of style for that time.
Totally agree! It makes sense that some craftsmen would stick to what they know best.