Wes Anderson period film: The Grand Budapest Hotel

[Two Types]

One nice detail was the decadent posh 1930s vs soulless 1960s eastern block decor.

That was one of the first things that struck me. The production designer made a good job of that (although every eastern european hotel of that period needed a broken water feature in the middle of the lobby and a group of prostitutes accompanied by fat men with shaved heads, wearing leather jackets).

 

[LizzieMaine]

The two things that deeply bugged me about this picture were the usual Anderson animal-cruelty scene, a joke which was never funny and becomes less so every time he pulls it, and the jarring 21st-century sensibilities in the dialogue. If you're going to go to all that trouble to make a picture look period, would it kill you to try and make it *sound* period? The word "bisexual" in 1932 referred to a hermaprhodite, not a person of ambidextrous inclinations, and hearing it crop up in the 1932 scenes was bizarre and out of place.

 

[BriarWolf]

I in fact very much enjoyed this film. It was delightfully quirky in a way only Mr. Anderson could deliver.

 

[Blackthorn]

I'm looking forward to catching it when it's available on Netflix.

 

[Edward]

I watched it last night. I enjoyed it! In my opinion the best out of his most recent films, in that the marriage of plot/setting and art direction is very harmonious.
Some of the more slapstick moments were a bit reminiscent of the Marx brothers, the fictional but familiar setting reminding me of Tintin.
Great fun.

Tintin is a great reference point on that. I loved the sequences of the train going over the bridge, clearly done with models. Reminded me of a lot of twenties/early thirties cinema. I very much enjoyed the fairytale quality it had; put me in mind of a less gothic Burton. It was also very refreshing to have a character in a Hollywood(ish) picture who happened to be non-heterosexual and that to be treated as completely coincidental rather than their sole raison d'etre.

That was one of the first things that struck me. The production designer made a good job of that (although every eastern european hotel of that period needed a broken water feature in the middle of the lobby and a group of prostitutes accompanied by fat men with shaved heads, wearing leather jackets).

Hey, I resemble that remark!

 

[herringbonekid]

saw it and enjoyed it.

the sheer fastidiousness of the art direction, camera movement, and whimsical fantasy / story-book quality reminded me of Jeunet & Caro (though i still prefer their 'Delicatessen'. as a piece of period comic-book cinema i don't think it's been bettered - especially in the visual comedy department - and it was made in 1991 !)

i do also wonder how long Wes anderson can keep going with the central compositions before it's time for a change.

 

[Texfield]

I have traveled to many parts of eastern Europe to teach former Soviet Bloc forces and I could swear I have stayed in that hotel! I know it really was a mall in Germany but there have been several I stayed in that would have served well for the soul less modern version. Still, I enjoyed staying in them. It was like having dinner with a faded old aunt. You look past the faded flowers and too many layers of paint to see the elegant young lady that was. Moldova and Slovakia were great but the real winner was a fady lady of a hotel in Kiev, Ukraine with 1970's plastic over 1870's plaster.

Loved the film. Quirky, odd, never sure where it was going but what a ride! I have seen it half a dozen times on Netflix now and you gain more detail with every viewing.