The Grand Budapest Hotel
In 2014 , Wes Anderson released one of the most acclaimed films of his career – The Grand Budapest Hotel – following a framing tale inside a framing narrative in which a former lobby boy recount the tragicomic saga of a mountainside resort in a fictional easterly European country .
Grand Budapestexemplifies the changes that Anderson made to his live - action filmmaking after dabbling in stop - question vivification . Not only does the moving-picture show stand by to classical Andersonian trademarks like symmetrical framing and a heist plot line ; it also established a handful of raw Anderson tropes , like transfer aspect ratios .
Tragicomedy
Anderson has always mix blithesome comedy and torturesome tragedy . The Darjeeling Limitedhas both the theft of a bum and the death of a nipper . The Royal Tenenbaumshas both the slapstick hilarity of a priest being pushed down a staircase and the heartache of a suicide attack .
The Grand Budapest Hoteladheres to Anderson ’s typically tragicomical flavor . The movie has pile of hilariously dry one - lining , but also plenty of heartbreaking turns .
Sprawling Ensemble Cast
Ever since he assemble the genius - studded line - up ofThe Royal Tenenbaums , Anderson has filled most of his pic with sprawling ensemble cast of characters . With its sexual story of chum traveling across India , The Darjeeling Limitedis the exception .
From Team Zissou to the Khaki Scouts , there are plenty of giant ensembles full of scene - slip support players in Anderson ’s filmography . The Grand Budapest Hotelhas one of Anderson ’s most star - studded casts , admit Ralph Fiennes , F. Murray Abraham , Saoirse Ronan , Willem Dafoe , Jeff Goldblum , Edward Norton , Tilda Swinton , and , of course , Bill Murray .
Symmetrical Compositions
Anderson is renowned for his planimetric framing , put the camera perpendicular to his subject to center them on - screen . On top of that , the frame tend to be meticulously symmetrical .
InThe Grand Budapest Hotel , M. Gustave is seen read out his letter from prison house with guard and fellow inmates line up behind him . There ’s even a proportionate shootout with one host of shooters on one side of the hotel , manoeuvre to the right of the frame , and another legion on the other side , pointing to the left .
Chapters
Since novels are written by a single author and movies are made by tons of cast and crew member , there tends to be more authorial statement in lit than movie house . As a result , idiosyncratic cinematic auteurs like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson tend to use chapters to break up their stories ( and to revel the originative freedom of a novelist ) .
Anderson start out splitting his motion-picture show into chapter withThe Royal Tenenbaums , which is constructed quite literally like a novel . Similarly , The Grand Budapest Hotelis rive into distinctive “ parts ” with their own statute title cards .
Meticulous In-Camera Editing
WhenAnderson deviated into stop - motion life , he clear took a liking to the chance present by the sketch medium to control every aspect of the characters ’ movements and comedic timing .
punctilious in - camera redaction was one of the post - animation alteration to Anderson ’s live - military action filmmaking . The actors ’ line deliveries are timed to meet carefully plan tv camera drift .
Regular Anderson Collaborators
From the many concierges affiliate with the Society of the Crossed Keys to the shady employees of Madame D. ’s family , the straggle ensemble cast of characters ofThe Grand Budapest Hotelpresented Anderson with plenty of opportunities to cast his regular collaborators in scene - stealing supporting office .
The list ofAnderson regulars in theGrand Budapestcastis much endless : Bill Murray , Owen Wilson , Jason Schwartzman , Tilda Swinton , Adrien Brody , Jeff Goldblum , Willem Dafoe .
Mixing Animation And Live-Action
Due to budgetary limitation , Anderson used a mixture of animation and live - action to bring action scenes like the ski chase and the rooftop rise to life inThe Grand Budapest Hotel . The picture intersperses live - action close - ups with conventionalised animated wide of the mark scene .
Anderson has been blending animation into his alive - action work since before he made his first animated movie . The ocean brute inThe Life Aquaticwere clearly 2D animations , despite the semi - grounded hot - action aesthetic of the rest of the photographic film .
Voiceover Narration
Like Martin Scorsese , Anderson has often made use of voiceover narration . Sam and Suzy ’s lovemaking missive are presented as voiceovers inMoonrise Kingdom , while Alec Baldwin ’s rich , thick vox narratedThe Royal Tenenbaums .
The Grand Budapest Hotelis narrated by Jude Law in the role of a writer who meet an aging Zero at the dilapidated hotel and learns his taradiddle over the grade of a fateful dinner .
Aspect Ratio Changes
Changing aspect ratios became a new trope of Anderson ’s filmmaking inThe Grand Budapest Hotel . The director used unlike aspect ratios to reflect the unlike historical eras in which the story claim place . The majority of the movie is in Academy ratio ( 1.375:1 ) , which is inherently cinematic , despite its boxlike expression .
Anderson afterwards recycle his changing aspect ratio figure of speech inThe French Dispatch . The French Dispatchalso borrowedGrand Budapest ’s penchant for switching between color and black - and - ashen .
Heist
Sincehis debut featureBottle Rocket , many of Anderson ’s movies have revolved around heists . The titular dodger plots to pluck local farm of their farm animal inFantastic Mr. Fox . InThe Life Aquatic , Steve Zissou rifle his unaired rival ’s labs ( although he promises to give it all back when his documentary is finished ) .
InThe Grand Budapest Hotel , M. Gustave decides to slip the house painting “ Boy with Apple ” after he ’s move over it in an old lover ’s will and her son refuses to permit him take it .
NEXT:10 Wes Anderson Trademarks In The French Dispatch
