I have long held a tumultuous disposition towards Wes Anderson's unique cinematic style. Cutting when the camera should pan, panning when the camera should cut, splitting his movies into chapters, and choosing distractingly vibrant color pallets, Wes tends to be a bit too flashy for my taste. Nevertheless, despite it still sporting all of these Wes-isms, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is an undeniable gem.
Anderson's eighth feature, "Budapest Hotel" is a (double) framed narrative told over a 1968 dinner at the titular establishment. Aging hotel owner Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham) tells an unnamed visiting writer (Jude Law) the tale of how he first came to the Grand Budapest in 1932 and served as a bellboy under the hotel's infamous then-owner, M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes).
After M. Gustave's late mistress (Tilda Swilton) leaves him a priceless painting in her will, the family suspects him of manipulating or even murdering her. Rather than wait for the will to be verified, Gustave and a young Zero (Tony Revolori) decide to steal the artwork. What follows is a wild adventure involving bounty hunters, prison breaks, romance, friendship, and tobogganing down an enormous European mountain.
For everything wonderful about this film, it is Fiennes who steals the show. Gustave is an enigmatic anti-protagonist. At times he is admirable and at others appalling, but for the audience, he is wholly entertaining. It is nonstop fun to watch Fiennes break from his regular villain roles to play this larger-than-life hotel manager, who nevertheless delights through comedic subtlety.
Fiennes also has wonderful chemistry with the reserved yet stellar Revolori. It is not a funny-straight man match up, but rather a burlesque master-apprentice relationship where the master (Gustave) is undeniably the more ridiculous. Both characters are "straight," but Gustave gets himself in more outlandish situations where watching him retain his squeaky-clean demeanor becomes a source of laughter.
Outside of Fiennes and Revolori's dynamic duo, the regular Wes Anderson actors makes appearances. Willem Defoe, Ed Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, and Owen Wilson all pop up as expected. Meanwhile, Harvey Keitel has a brief cameo while Adrian Brody and Saoirse Ronan play more integral parts. It feels like a big, all-star Anderson reunion surrounding freshmen Fiennes and Revolori at the story's center.
Moreover, I must admit that I even came to like the style in "Budapest Hotel." Unlike many of Anderson's other movies, this one takes place in the fictional country of Zubrowka. Therefore, I had an easier transition into Wes's Wacky World, willing to suspend disbelief and appreciate that I am somewhere outside of the familiar universe.
With that in mind, I could better appreciate the film's artistry. Despite its rich colors and sounds, it actually reminded me of early silent pictures from F.W. Murnau or even Georges Méliès. The sets are unapologetically fabricated with miniatures, and the aspect ratio is archaically square. Given that the film's bulk takes place in the 1930s, this felt tellingly transportive. For the first time in a live action Wes Anderson film, I found myself deeply relishing in the director's artistic liberties.
Anderson's eighth feature, "Budapest Hotel" is a (double) framed narrative told over a 1968 dinner at the titular establishment. Aging hotel owner Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham) tells an unnamed visiting writer (Jude Law) the tale of how he first came to the Grand Budapest in 1932 and served as a bellboy under the hotel's infamous then-owner, M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes).
After M. Gustave's late mistress (Tilda Swilton) leaves him a priceless painting in her will, the family suspects him of manipulating or even murdering her. Rather than wait for the will to be verified, Gustave and a young Zero (Tony Revolori) decide to steal the artwork. What follows is a wild adventure involving bounty hunters, prison breaks, romance, friendship, and tobogganing down an enormous European mountain.
For everything wonderful about this film, it is Fiennes who steals the show. Gustave is an enigmatic anti-protagonist. At times he is admirable and at others appalling, but for the audience, he is wholly entertaining. It is nonstop fun to watch Fiennes break from his regular villain roles to play this larger-than-life hotel manager, who nevertheless delights through comedic subtlety.
Fiennes also has wonderful chemistry with the reserved yet stellar Revolori. It is not a funny-straight man match up, but rather a burlesque master-apprentice relationship where the master (Gustave) is undeniably the more ridiculous. Both characters are "straight," but Gustave gets himself in more outlandish situations where watching him retain his squeaky-clean demeanor becomes a source of laughter.
Outside of Fiennes and Revolori's dynamic duo, the regular Wes Anderson actors makes appearances. Willem Defoe, Ed Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, and Owen Wilson all pop up as expected. Meanwhile, Harvey Keitel has a brief cameo while Adrian Brody and Saoirse Ronan play more integral parts. It feels like a big, all-star Anderson reunion surrounding freshmen Fiennes and Revolori at the story's center.
Moreover, I must admit that I even came to like the style in "Budapest Hotel." Unlike many of Anderson's other movies, this one takes place in the fictional country of Zubrowka. Therefore, I had an easier transition into Wes's Wacky World, willing to suspend disbelief and appreciate that I am somewhere outside of the familiar universe.
With that in mind, I could better appreciate the film's artistry. Despite its rich colors and sounds, it actually reminded me of early silent pictures from F.W. Murnau or even Georges Méliès. The sets are unapologetically fabricated with miniatures, and the aspect ratio is archaically square. Given that the film's bulk takes place in the 1930s, this felt tellingly transportive. For the first time in a live action Wes Anderson film, I found myself deeply relishing in the director's artistic liberties.
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