Did The Brutalist Accurately Portray the Use of Wooden Planes?
Asked by RandomUser87@!
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!
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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.
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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.
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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!
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FilmBuff89: Totally agree! It makes sense that some craftsmen would stick to what they know best.