The Grand Budapest Hotel: A Dissection of Colour & Style

There are so many titles that can be used to dub Wes Anderson’s style of work: A VSCO filter slideshow (let’s face it, it absolutely is!), an OCD hipster’s dream (the symmetry, the neatness, the colours) and overall an elaborate painting in motion. The only other Wes Anderson film I have seen before Grand Budapest is Moonrise Kingdom, which I liked much better. Perhaps because I saw that first. But then again, I do have a thing for young love. Now I have made it a point to watch some of his other famous work:

The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Darjeeling Limited.

^Posting this shot because it totally reminded me of Hitchcock, only that Hitchcock does the linear zoom in slow-mo which works very well for suspense.

I realised while watching The Grand Budapest Hotel, that Anderson does have his formulae which is not only limited to his style of direction and cinematography but also storylines and themes. I found a lot of similarities between GBH and Moonrise Kingdom:

1. There is a narrator, an elderly gentleman.

2. Imprisonment and eventual escape with the help of loyal friends and inmates.

3. Family and figures of authority prove mostly detrimental to the protagonists. Rather, the films portray deep loyalty, friendship and companionship, especially between men.

4. Edward Norton plays a sympathetic figure of authority with no real authority.

5. Young individuals, especially women displaying high levels of maturity, bravery, strength and an overall sense of precociousness. Agatha and Suzy are both vivacious heroines and taller than their boyfriends.

6. Young love!

7. Literature. Gustave’s obsessions with poetry are similar to Suzy’s fascination with story books.

8. Tilda Swinton! Okay, that’s actually the least formulaic thing but I would watch Anderson’s movies just for them Tilda cameos. She absolutely nails her role in GBH being the cutest chicest old rich lady in film history.

9. It’s safe to say that Anderson loves typography and especially typewriter fonts and old stationery.

10. Noir film elements with interludes of profanity and graphic language which are just so very endearing.

She was a dynamite in the sack, by the way.

11. The movies is basically an animated scrapbook, especially due it its epistolary nature.

As far as aesthetics are concerned, of course, nothing needs to be said. Each frame is like a painting that needs to be captured in a screenshot and preserved.

Now, a list of things that I loved about The Grand Budapest:

1. Tilda Swinton ❤ SO MUCH LOU.

2. The Red Elevator. I WANT THAT RED ELEVATOR.

3. Vampire Dafoe. Seriously, I didn’t realise it’s William Dafoe until I looked it up in Wikipedia. I was wondering, who is this and why is he so big?

4. The black comedy.

Did he just throw my cat out the window?

5. Them delicious pinks and purples.

6. Them imperials red and golds.

7. Them cold grays and blues.

8. Them sunny chromes and browns.

9. Mendl’s.

10. The Lobby Boy. Let’s give it up to Tony Revolori!

11. The whole art deco extravaganza. Also the architecture of the hotel. The first thing I thought of was The Overlook Hotel, of course. I’m sure I’m not only one who sees the resemblance. A once-glorious destination surrounded by pine trees, now abandoned. I am often reminded of Kubrick, Tarantino and Hitchcock while seeing Anderson’s work. I frankly thought GBH is a horror film when I looked at the poster.

11. The Society of the Crossed Keys

After all this, I need not say how eagerly I’m waiting for Wes Anderson’s next offering.

Originally published at bizzare-bazaar.tumblr.com.