The Grand Budapest Hotel dir Wes Anderson
Introduction
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Directed by Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel (TGBH) is a 2014 film that recounts the adventure of Monsieur Gustave H, a legendary concierge of TGBH played by Ralph Fiennes, trying to prove his innocence when he was framed for murder, with the help of his lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend, Zero Moustafa played by Tony Revolori. In the 1930s, the Grand Budapest Hotel is a popular European ski resort, presided over by concierge Gustave H.
Zero becomes Gustave's friend and protege. Gustave prides himself on providing first-class service to the hotel's guests, including satisfying the sexual needs of the many elderly women who stay there. When one of Gustave's lovers dies mysteriously, Gustave finds himself the recipient of a priceless painting and the chief suspect in her murder. In short, the story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune, all against the backdrop of a suddenly and dramatically changing continent.
TGBH has clinched several Academy awards and is described to be Anderson’s most successful film yet, having attained both critical and commercial success. This review highlights on the reasons for choosing this film, characteristics and also significance of the film through the narrative structure, cinematography, mise-en-scene, sound and director’s style involved in TGBH. All of which are elements that contribute to the artificiality of the world constructed by Anderson.
Reason for this film
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During my free time, i will pick up movies that are usually more popular such as action-packed and comedy films. Some examples include The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Deadpool, etc. Therefore, I decided to watch something which is more unique and i chanced upon the reviews of TGBH which seem pretty interesting. Unlike mainstream films, TGBH is not trying to emulate reality, but it has embedded bits of history within. On top of that, i am impressed by Wes Anderson as a director who has a distinct filmmaking style. I really like the idiosyncrasy and humorous storytelling and the way he made the film continually coincide with a very specific color pattern used throughout the film which creates a unique and pleasing combination.
Characteristics of this film
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One of the first thing i noticed in this film is the changes in the aspect ratio of the film. The film moves between three different aspect ratios – 1.85:1, 2.35:1 and 1.37:1. It started with 1.85:1 with scenes taking place in the 1980s, moved back in time to the 1960s (a period that is historically known for the once popular cinemascope widescreen format and its gradual decline) which led to the change of 2.35:1 and lastly, the central story that took place in 1930s is shown in 1.37:1 ratio which is also known as the academy ratio (Monaco 1994), which is what we view most of the film in. Each aspect ratio is a popularized cinematic format that reflects a certain time period, which thus simultaneously establishes different periods of time in the film’s narrative. By using this aspect ratio, it is a way to transit from one scene to another. Anderson successfully facilitates the movement of time of the multiple flashbacks.
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Three different aspect ratios used in the film to portray the different times.
One of the very unique characteristics about this film is the use of literary device, a story within a story. The film started with a teenage girl who was reading the memoirs of the author. It then jumps to the author having a conversation with the main lead, Zero Moustafa at TGBH in 1968. And lastly, goes into the story of Zero recounting his adventures with Gustave in the early 1930s. This way will continuously changes who the audience is.
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Author at TGBH in 1968.
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Camera movement is another trademark of Wes Anderson style and some very distinctive ones can be seen in TGBH such as whip pans is used to change the view from one character to another. In TGBH, we can even see a 180 degrees pan between two characters on the opposite ends. There are also zooms during critical moments of the film which bring the audience right into action. Sideway dollies is also used when character on screen is followed. Panning is used through the dialogue scenes and ends. When he cuts the scene, he usually use straight-on and point of view(POV) shots. Another interesting visual component is the distancing effect between audience and the characters which was something that Anderson created through certain cinematography techniques. This caused the film to be viewed in a 3rd person POV. One example is the ‘frame-in-frame’ shots which can be done using a window as a barrier between the action on screen and the audience. This gives the idea that the audience are merely bystanders of the film’s actions.
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Frame-in-frame kind of shots.
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Framing throughout the film is consistent and unique to Wes Anderson. There are a lot of symmetrical shots and compositions constructed to reflect the perspective of a specific character in a film. Another interesting group of shots is the low and high angle shots captured in wide angle which create a specific point of view which is repeated for many times throughout the film.
Low and high angle shots using wide angle lens.
Sound
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Sound in film consists of three major components which are dialogue, music and sound effects. In TGBH film, the most noticeable use of sound is the music – it has an overall whimsical, upbeat sound with recurring parts. Desplat’s music score played an important role in establishing the setting of a fictitious European country, Zubrowka. It’s beautiful yet non-melancholic as it keeps the overall tone comedic even in the darkest moments. For dialogue wise, there is a sense of urgency in the speech throughout some parts where the characters has no time to waste in the situation. Lines are well rehearsed. Punchlines are also well-timed to negate the sombreness of the movie when it’s approaching the dark segments. Even though the film is trying to portray artificiality, artificial sound effects are not added to it. Instead, it relies on non-synchronous sound to create an illusion of space, and provide sound bridges for transition.
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Alexandre Desplat - Mr. Moustafa (TGBH OST)
Mise-en-scene
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Mise-en-scene refers to the totality of expressive content within the image. In TGBH, colours undeniably play a critical role, whereby it is very obvious to viewers that there is a colour palette to TGBH. Colours not only bring meaning to characters in the film, but they also drive emotions in viewers and add effects to settings.
The use of colour palette, camera movements and settings are visible elements that Anderson uses to create a recognizable mise-en-scene experience. He uses long takes, limited camera movements and unconventional filming techniques to enhance the theatricality of the world that he has created. Each piece of set in the production along with the costuming and furniture used shows the times that this film was made between the first and second war. The use of bright colours and colour coordination on the costume enhances the make-believe setting of Anderson’s films. The pictures below depict one of the many shots where the costume complements the setting and another shows how the director make use of the contrast in colours to bring out the actor's character in film.
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A balanced colour scheme between the setting and costume.
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Contrast of disparate colours from one of the scenes (highlight the incongruity of the character).
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His attentiveness to detail and blocking everything out before filming begins, in the clip below represents the example of the way Anderson puts everything into place and rehearses before filming a shot.
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Conclusion
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All in all, i would recommend everyone to watch one of the films directed by Wes Anderson, be it TGBH or others as it really differs from other mainstream films based on the elements such as cinematography and what’s most impressive about The Grand Budapest Hotel is the fact that Wes Anderson created the whole world in and out. Everything that we see onscreen is his creation. Starting with the newspapers, currency, bus lines and all the way to the pastry box designs.
TGBH is like a road trip movie, where you meet a bunch of fascinating characters and witness a lot of strange things happening. The pace of the film is fun and the sense of humour is pleasing and hilarious which I enjoyed very much. This acclaimed film, among many others, shows how Anderson’s creation of fantasy-like worlds, eccentric characters and his storytelling craft has had a lasting impact on audiences worldwide.
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References
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278388/reviews-593
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/mar/06/the-grand-budapest-hotel-wes-anderson-review
