Source: amherstwire
Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel is a comedic murder mystery that plays out brilliantly. There is a star-studded cast whose delivery and comedic time could not be more on point. And owing to who it is directed by, it is a treat for the eyes
Introduction
Movie Name: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Directors’ Name: Wes Anderson
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Based on: Beware of Pity
Language: English
Synopsis
The movie has a nonlinear narrative and jumps between 4 different timelines. The story begins with a girl in a graveyard holding a book titled ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ by the Author. Then we cut to an old Author talking about his book and narrating how it came to be.
We then go back to 1985 when a young Author stayed in the almost ruined Grand Budapest Hotel where he met its owner- Zero Moustafa. They both have dinner together where Mr Zero narrates a story from 1932 when he had just started working at the hotel as a lobby boy.
Young Zero works for a formidable and strict Monsieur Gustave H. who is the star of the hotel. All the rich guests adore him and come specially to meet him. Gustave often does more than just serve the guest. He finds lovers in his guests. One day, one of his lovers dies. He goes to see her off.
When he reaches there, he meets the evil Dmitri family (relatives of the deceased) who care about nothing more than their inheritance. To his shock, Gustave finds that the dead lady has bequeathed an expensive artwork called boy with apple upon him. Before any of the Dmitri family members take it, Gustave steals the artwork and runs away.
Upon his arrival back to the hotel, he finds police waiting to arrest him on the charges of murdering the lady. He goes to jail where he meets a few other inmates who have a ready escape plan.
Gustave, with the help of Agatha who works at a patisserie, smuggled weapons into the prison so that he could use them to dig an escape route. When he succeeds, he meets Zero and then flees with the help of a fraternity of concierges: the Society of Crossed Keys. There, they come to know that the dead lady had a second will that would take effect should she be murdered.
Meanwhile, Dmitri's hired assassin J. G. Jopling trails their whereabouts, murdering Kovacs, dead lady’s butler Serge X, and Serge X's sister in his pursuit to kill Gustave. Following a chase, Zero pushes Jopling off a cliff to save Gustave, and the two men continue their escape from swarming Zubrowkan troops led by Henckels.
Gustave, Zero, and Agatha arrive back at The Grand Budapest. Agatha sneaks in to retrieve Boy with Apple to sell but is spotted with the painting by Dmitri. Gustave and Zero rush to save Agatha from harm as she flees from Dmitri. He shoots at them, initiating a confusing shootout with Zubrowkan troops; the police stop the fight.
Madame's second will, making Gustave the beneficiary of her fortune, is found attached to the back of Boy with Apple; he succeeds her as the owner of the Grand Budapest Hotel, He travels by train and Agatha to celebrate, before encountering hostile soldiers that destroy Zero's refugee documents. Gustave tries to fend off the soldiers but is shot dead. Zero inherits his fortune and maintains the Grand Budapest in memory of Agatha, who died of flu with their infant son.
About the director
Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and distinctive visual and narrative styles. Cited by some critics as a modern-day example of the work of an auteur, three of Anderson's films – The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – appeared in BBC Culture's 2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000.
Anderson was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), as well as the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for the stop-motion films Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) and Isle of Dogs (2018).
With The Grand Budapest Hotel, he received his first Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Picture and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay. He currently runs the production company American Empirical Pictures, which he founded in 1998. He won the Silver Bear for Best Director for Isle of Dogs in 2018.
Self Analysis
Wes Anderson has a distinctive, meticulous style of filmmaking. Every frame of his is beautifully lighted and symmetrical and looks like a painting. The dialogues are fancy as if prose from an actual novel. The acting is brilliant with cameos from well-known stars.
Here, to distinguish the different timelines by using a different colour palette and aspect ratio for each as if reminiscing the film style of that particular era.
Meticulousness can be a virtue or a vice depending upon the viewer. Though it makes the film cinematic it can also be tiring or even seem pointless.
Still Cuts
Conclusion
If you want a break from the usual style of filmmaking and need a refreshing perspective, you should go for this film. Besides, it also offers a thrilling and adventurous murder mystery.
My rating for the film: 4 on 5
You can watch this film on Disney+Hotstar.
Written by- Anika Sharma
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
0 Comments