There are some directors whose work you’ll recognize almost instantaneously because of their style. You know that a Michael Bay movie most likely will have some explosions, lots of shots of barely dressed women and a saturated color palette. Quentin Tarantino is known for his dialog and homages to other films and I could name many other examples. If you watch one of their movies you will realize their hand eventually.
One of the most instantly recognizable styles is the one used by Wes Anderson. His movies have a very specific look, where the sets almost have a dollhouse quality to them, often with bright colors and a feel of another time. There are a couple of camera moves he also loves to do, like moving it along one axis….along with the action, often through walls, instead of cutting between faces during a conversation he will actually swing the camera around. The characters in his movies all seem to be unique as well, their clothes having some distinct features which make them stand out. I have to admit that initially I was not a huge fan of his style as I thought his movies were simply strange, but especially with his last couple of movies he has managed to win me over. The stories he tells seem to have become stronger and therefore I was very much looking forward to his new film: The Grand Budapest Hotel.
The movie opens with a quick succession of story elements, a girl at a cemetery who is reading a book of a deceased writer. Then cutting to the writer telling about how he got his stories, then to a 1960’s version of the Grand Budapest hotel. The Grand Budapest Hotel once was “an institution” amongst hotels which was frequented by the rich. In the sixties it is a former shadow of itself. Its owner (played by F. Murray Abraham) tells a young writer (Jude Law) how he came into possession of it. It’s a story within a story within a story. That might make you wonder if this is Anderson’s version of Inception, but it isn’t. It is just a unique and interesting way to quickly draw the viewer in, in typical Wes Anderson style.
The meat of the story is set in the twenties where Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) is running the hotel. He is a man who does everything for the guests in the hotel, especially the old and lonely women. One of them (an unrecognisable Tilda Swinton as Madame D.) frequents the hotel every year and is deeply in love with Gustave. Shortly after she leaves the hotel she passes away and Gustave, together with his bell boy Zero Moustafa (Tony Revelori), head on over to her estate to pay their respects. When the will of Madame D. is read it means the start of a long adventure for Gustave and Zero.
The Grand Budapest Hotel won me over in no time. It has all the things you’d expect from a Anderson movie and the result is stunning. When you look at the cast it is stunning how many well-known actors make an appearance here and it is a joy to see them, even in the smaller roles. Something which also stood out to me was the aspect ratio of the movie as most of the film is shown in a 4:3 ratio (except for the part set in the late sixties). It is something which stood out, but you never miss the extra screen space. The imagery within that small box simply is so well shot that you are drawn in. Wes Anderson love symmetry and it shows in almost every shot. It is beautiful to look at with characters often in the middle of the frame and everything in the scene perfectly aligned.
The movie somehow reminded me a bit of Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, but that might be because the story is set against an imaginary war (where instead of the SS it is the ZZ who appear on-screen). It is filled with humor and great performances and already one of my favorite movies of the year. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a hotel you’ll want to visit, even if it is just for the running time of the movie as you will enjoy you stay there.
Nice review Nostra. I have to admit I am a little tired / bored by the look and feel of Anderson’s films, despite having enjoyed several of them in the past, but I can’t deny that the guy makes a lot of effort applying his distinctive style to each picture. With Moonrise Kingdom it started to grate with me a little unfortunately, but I will still watch this.
Thanks, I managed to catch it during an early premiere at a film festival and it was one of my favorite movies of the day. I can understand that you might become tired of the style he uses, but I have grown to love it. You should watch it as the story is really interesting and is filled with humor (and a little drama).
Great to see you enjoyed this one Nostra! This looks like an absolute delight. Looking forward to seeing it!
Yeah, it really was a delight to watch. Hope you will think the same!
I just skipped to your score which REALLY excited me. As folks will see later this week, “Budapest” is one of my most anticipated flicks of the year. LOVE seeing it meets my high expectations!
I always try to write without spoilers, but like you in general I don’t read reviews either if I have not seen a movie yet. I hope you will like it as much as I did!
I just saw it last week and was quite entertained. Not sure I’ll give it as high a score as you though. I do agree about Wes Anderson love for symmetry, it’s interesting to see it displayed on nearly every shot like you said. I think the color scheme is a bit brighter than his previous films though, perhaps because of that pink color of the hotel.
It certainly is brighter compared to his previous movie. I loved the symmetry…which I also am a big fan of so it stood out to me. Nice to hear you were also entertained by it.
Superb Nostra. You’re quick off the mark with this one. This is the first review I’ve read and I’m happy to see you rate it so highly. Love me some Wes Anderson. Can’t wait.!
Normally I have quite a backlog of reviews I want to write, but knowing this one hasn’t had a general release yet I thought I should prioritize reviewing it a bit 🙂
I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did, but if you are a Wes Anderson fan I am sure you will because it has all the things you expect of his movies.
Awesome review Nostra! I can’t wait to see this one. It’s high on my list of films to see this year, and the fact that it is releasing early has me all the more excited.
The fact that Moonrise Kingdom was a masterpiece also has me stoked.
I thought Moonrise Kingdom was great and if I remember correctly ended up in my top 10 list of the year it came out. This one will probably appear on the 2014, but I do not know what kind of amazing movies it will bring.
Hope you will enjoy it as much Andrew!
Great review! I’ve always been a fan of Anderson’s films, so I’m definitely looking forward for this one.
Thank you Beatrice. If you are a fan of his work I think you will definitely enjoy it.
Great write-up my friend. Man, it’s good to see Anderson back and this looks great.
Thanks, yeah he is back and delivered something worth watching.
Really looking forward to this one, looks like a bunch of fun! Glad you liked it mate!
Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did Chris.
Can’t wait to see Grand Budapest Hotel, the early reviews have been very positive.
It seems Wes Anderson keeps getting better and better, I don’t love everything he’s done, but Moonrise was really good.
And for good reason. I have the feeling he keep getting better as well as I was not a fan of his early movies. Maybe I should give some a rewatch…