If you feel like you are experiencing a distinct lack of
'quirk' in your life at the moment, then Wes Anderson's 'The Grand Budapest
Hotel' will most likely give you enough quirkiness to last you until the end of
the year (most probably). It's a film
which is delivered with no certain amount of earnestness from some of its key
players, whilst at the same time delivered with a very deadpan humour in
others. Add to that the way the film is
delivered as a recounting of a story within a recounting of a story, then it's
clear this isn't a film that should be taken entirely seriously. And that's before you get to the use of
models/paper cut-outs and an anachronistic representation of fictional East European countries
(it's almost like a portmanteau of how Americans might perceive Europe during
the first half of the 20th Century)...
The film begins with a young woman offering a key ring at
the memorial to a writer, before sitting down to read his novel (which shares
it's title with the film) - who is then introduced, almost 30 years previously
(played by Tom Wilkinson), describing how he came to recount the story of the
titular Hotel's owner. This is
interrupted by the author's grandson shooting him with a potato gun. Yes, I told you it was quirky. The account then jumps back almost 20 years
to 1969, where the author continues the account - but as his younger self,
played by Jude Law.
Before I say anything else about this film, I should
point out that, yes, this is a Wes Anderson film. If you've ever seen Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums (which I love, by the way), Fantastic Mr Fox, or anything from the
rest of his oeuvre you'll be familiar with his fascination with slightly
eccentric characters, the rapid fire delivery of quite verbose exposition, and
unusual shenanigans. Well, if those are
the director's hallmarks, then this is a Wes Anderson film to the Nth
degree. Some are absent - petty
rivalries and child prodigies, but you'll find the rest of Anderson's hallmarks
here. Calling on a pretty spectacular
cast (including many cameos) from his most noted collaborators, the film is a
highly unconventional crime/whodunit adventure tale at its core, centred on
Zero Mustafa (who, played by F Murray Abraham as an older man, recounting his
story to Jude Law's author) and M. Gustave, played by Ralph Fiennes. There is a dark heart to this story, taking
in murder, greed and betrayal - and set against suggestions of an escalating
war and rising fascism. However, it is
all played out with such quirkiness, and even relatively straight performances
carry an undercurrent of a knowing deadpan humour to them. The stand out in this is Fiennes himself, in
his first collaboration with Anderson - indeed, in a rare 'comedic' role for
him - but he settles in to the director's world naturally. His character is at once pompous, compassionate, self-serving, honourable, charming - yes, there is a heightened
sense of reality with this character, yet between Fiennes' delivery and the plot
Anderson has given him, there is something recognisably human about him.
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| Ralph Fiennes (right) as M. Gustav: Concierge, man of honour, romancer of octogenarians. Yes, that is Tilda Swinton (definitely not an Octogenarian) under those prosthetics... |
This isn't a film which is going to appeal to, or be
enjoyed, by everyone. For a lot of
people the director's whimsical style - incorporating a lot of models and
anachronistic pastel colouring, as well as the vagueness of the film's setting
- will bemuse if not annoy them. And as
with Anderson's other films, deadpan performances will conceal the absurdity
and humour from some viewers. That
aside, much about the film curiously doesn't really stick in the memory for
long afterwards, apart from a few of particularly great lines ("she was
shaking like a dog having a shit") and some scenes which really amp up,
yes, the quirkiness, including a museum set murder (which has no real reason to
be in a museum, but offers a couple of amusing sight gags) and a ski &
sledge chase filmed using models & paper cut-outs. I
don't think this film hits the heights of the directors previous films,
especially 'Tenenbaums' - however it certainly cements him as quite the auteur,
and is probably the film people will point to as defining his style.
Ultimately, if you can go with the quirkiness and
slightly whimsical touches, then this film is no small amount of fun. Now, if you excuse me, I need to find my
L'Air de Panache, and read some obscure romantic poetry...
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