Films from director Wes Anderson are not to everyone's liking. Until recently, they weren't completely mine either. They've slowly been growing on me and his latest, The Grand Budapest Hotel has made me a convert!
Wes Anderson is a darling of the indie film world with his unique storytelling style. Since his days as a student at the University of Texas, he's been making films; many with his good pal Owen Wilson. Their first collaboration was on a short film called Bottle Rocket (1994) which did well enough at the Sundance Film Festival that they turned it into a full length film which was released in 1996.
Minor successes followed with Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and The Darjeeling Limited (2007). He started getting even more critical and audience attention with the animated Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and Moonrise Kingdom (2012).
His latest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, stars Ralph Fiennes in one of his finest performances. He plays M. Gustave, the concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel, the finest and grandest hotel in Eastern Europe just before the start of the Second World War. He is well loved and respected by the guest and co-workers alike. Young Zero, the new lobby boy, comes to Gustave's attention and he takes the young man under his wing. Gustave plans on grooming Zero to be his successor some day.
Before that can happen, Gustave ends up in jail for the murder of a rich and titled widow who was quite found of Gustave. He must rely on Zero and Zero's girlfriend Agatha, the town baker's assistant, to free him. What follows is a mad cap and zany adventure of jail breaks, shoot outs and a wild race down a ski slope in a sleigh.
Family is a recurring theme in any Wes Anderson film, and this film is no exception. Gustave and Zero form a tight family unit, although more like brothers than father and son. This bond will help them through a few tight spots.
I don't claim to understand the technical aspects of making a film, but I know a unique vision when I see one and Wes Anderson sure has it. An Anderson film has a visual style all its own. He intertwines many different film making techniques into almost everyone of his films, such as stop motion animation, which is used frequently in The Grand Budapest Hotel.
I have to admit I'm not very familiar with Anderson's early films. I started to become a fan with Fantastic Mr. Fox and my admiration for his uncommon way of telling a story has continued to grow. The Grand Budapest Hotel, has made me a firm fan of Wes Anderson.
Request Bottle Rocket [DVD] from the Catalog.
Request Rushmore [DVD] from the Catalog.
Request The Royal Tenenbaums [DVD] from the Catalog.
Request The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou [DVD] from the Catalog.
Request The Darjeeling Limited [DVD] from the Catalog.
Request Fantastic Mr. Fox [DVD] from the Catalog.
Request Moonrise Kingdom [DVD] from the Catalog.
--Post by Tracy
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