Is Wes Anderson the creative mastermind critics uphold him to be? Or are his films more baffling than brilliance?
Until recently, I’d never seen a Wes Anderson film. His work had always intrigued me despite not being entirely sure what it was. His directorial career from an outsider’s perspective seems void of criticism in an age where critics are increasingly hard on even the greatest directors of our time. So, I decided to find out why.
In this article I’ll take a look at a selection of Wes Anderson’s best films (that are available on streaming services) to find out once and for all, what makes a Wes Anderson film a Wes Anderson film? And hopefully answer the question: is Wes Anderson a directorial deity, or a cinematic car crash?
The Grand Budapest Hotel
For my first dive into the world of Wes Anderson, I decided on The Grand Budapest Hotel. It still stands as Wes Anderson’s highest-grossing film 8 years after its release and arguably his most popular film to date, so it felt like a natural place to start.
Immediately from the opening, The Grand Budapest Hotel burst to life and I suddenly understood what I’d signed up for. The movie’s stylised aspect ratios and pastel colour scheme made every shot feel more like a painting than a movie, while a strange concoction of camera shots and panning made scenes feel like a parody of human life rather than a depiction of it. And still, every detail felt meticulously crafted to create a stunning piece of both cinema and art.
Despite its strange directorial choices the movie still manages to pack in a fantastic, intriguing story. One of my favourite jokes in the movie was when Zero (Tony Revolori) knocks on M. Gustav’s (Ralph Fiennes) door frantically to show him a newspaper, he points to an article on the front page. The camera then pans down to a headline reading “WILL THERE BE WAR? TANKS AT BORDER” before panning again to a tiny report below on the death of a Countess. While the deadpan exchange from both actors throughout the scene adds to the humour, Wes Anderson’s own directing skills brought the scene to life and created something special out of what otherwise would have been merely a piece of plot building dialogue. The biggest surprise, however, didn’t come from Anderson’s assortment of cinematic techniques but instead from lead actor Ralph Fiennes.
While I’m more familiar with Ralph Fiennes for his role as M in Daniel Craig era Bond films, Fiennes is an actor who has been at the heart of many beloved franchises. He is possibly most famous for his role in Harry Potter as Lord Voldemort and now recently The king’s Man series. However, his portrayal of the charismatic grandeur of M. Gustav allows Fiennes to prove his acting range. Despite his years in the industry, The Grand Budapest Hotel allows Fiennes to prove his skill far more than any other film in the long list of blockbuster movies he’s starred in so far.
The French Dispatch
The French Dispatch (of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun) is Wes Anderson’s latest film at the time of writing and felt like a cornerstone in Anderson’s filmography I couldn’t miss. So, when I heard it was coming to Disney plus, I was delighted. The film’s renowned for the vastness of talent; and when it came time for me to watch The French Dispatch, I wasn’t disappointed.
More than anything The French Dispatch proves Wes Anderson’s experience and dedication to the film industry through the sheer quantity of household names. It would be hard to find anyone today who hasn’t heard of anyone in this star-studded cast. By the end of the Movie for me, I had forgone watching for the storyline but instead spent most of the penultimate act playing a kind-of who’s who with the best of Hollywood.
In regards to the Movie Itself, this was by far the most baffling, colluded movie that I watched for this article, and essentially, the purest “Wes Anderson” film to date. The French Dispatch brings together a series of short stories culminated as articles in the titular newspaper. From a travel blog of the gritty nightlife of a picturesque French town to a food review turned hostage retrieval mission The French Dispatch manages to create large fleshed out storylines despite the loose overarching narrative threads. As with The Grand Budapest Hotel, I have to acknowledge another actor. Although this one hasn’t been in the public eye for quite so long.
To admire Timothée Chalamet’s acting feels redundant given his critical acclaim in countless films to date, but to not give praise to any actor, who can stand out from the crowd among Hollywood’s best would be a discredit to them, especially an actor so new to the film industry.
Chalamet is the definition of a rising star, from the epic sci-fi ‘Dune’ to ‘disastrous’ comedy ‘Don’t Look Up‘ he has spent the past 5 years jumping from success to success – and his role in The French Dispatch is no different. Playing a French Revolutionist, whose battles are applied on a chessboard (bare with me) instead of a battlefield as he tries to write a manifesto in the middle of political and romantic turmoil. Like Fiennes in The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson’s direction allows Chalamet to prove his talent far more than any film in his impressive back catalogue, showcasing further Anderson’s extensive knowledge of filmmaking from both sides of the camera.
Fantastic Mr Fox
For my final Wes Anderson film, I had to go for an animated film, while Wes mainly focuses on live-action filmmaking, his small yet influential selection of stop motion films are a crucial part of Anderson’s filmography I couldn’t miss.
Compared to the two movies I’ve talked about so far, Fantastic Mr Fox is about as different as it gets when looking at Wes Anderson films. Based on the children’s book of the same name Fantastic Mr Fox skims the line between children and adult entertainment. While the film is still rooted in its Roald Dahlian origins, more mature themes about topics like platinum credit cards risk alienating the film’s younger audiences. However, the risk pays off.
Earlier I mentioned the picturesque feel to all scenes in Wes’ films. But Fantastic Mr Fox takes this one step further. Every detail of the film, down to the finest element is planned. While researching further for this article I discovered that Wes’ insisted on using real fur instead of model fur to create a more realistic movement and add to the aesthetic of the film. Speaking of the aesthetic, to further add to the autumnal setting, the colours blue and green are completely removed from the movie, resulting in a cosier style to the whole movie. From his dedication to the original illustrations by Donald Chaffins to basing coffee cups off real items from Roald Dahl’s house, Fantastic Mr Fox encapsulates everything that makes Wes great.
To conclude…
In The French Dispatch, Adrien Brody’s character explains the brilliance of modern art, and I feel his words apply to Wes’ artistry as well. He says,
“The point is he could paint this beautifully if he wanted but he thinks this is better, and I think I sort of agree with him”
Adrien Brody -The French Dispatch
Andersons’ work is the film industry’s version of modern art, it’s often overtly complex and confusing and yet still an ornate masterpiece at its core. I believe Wes “thinks this is better”. And like Brody’s character’s view on modern art, “I think I sort of agree with him”. We have entered an age of cinema dominated by blockbusters and box office revenues, and the fact that movies like these still manage to find a place on the big screen is more beautiful than anything Wes Anderson could ever create.