Wes Anderson: deeper than whimsy

A still from The French Dispatch, featuring some of the central characters

OK, this blog post will not be of much interest to some of you. But it's my blog and the choice of material is mine - so there!

Promotional poster for the 180 Studios exhibition on The French Dispatch

Many of my friends and family will already know that I am a bit of a cinephile. At various periods in my life I've been known to visit the cinema several times a week, and to return to the cinema two, three, even four times to re-watch a film I really, really love.

I have very fond memories of the entire family huddling in front of the TV and our living room's woefully inadequate two-bar heater on a winter's afternoon in the Sydney suburb of Panania in the 1960s and 1970s. The purpose was to enjoy movies from Hollywood's 'golden era' as well as fabulously kitsch Elvis classics like Viva Las Vegas and Double Trouble, and simple, entertaining fare such as Doris Day / Rock Hudson rom-coms. At some point during the film one of us would race backwards and forwards into the kitchen during the commercial breaks to cook fresh pikelets (a smaller version of American-style pancakes) and brew up a big pot of Bushell's tea.

In my teens I developed a taste for less commercial cinema, my eyes opened by the likes of David Lynch's Eraserhead and Julien Temple's The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. Maturing into my 20s, my preferences moved on to arthouse and foreign cinema, having only had fairly limited exposure to these previously. In case you don't know me well, I should probably mention at this point that one particular film - Wim Wenders' Der Himmel über Berlin (released with the title Wings of Desire in English-speaking countries) had such a profound effect on me that it actually changed the course of my life at the age of 24, for which I will forever be grateful.

My all-time favourite film, Der Himmel über Berlin, by Wim Wenders (1987)

Then, in my late 20s and early 30s, I was fortunate enough to study film theory at university, alongside my formal majors of German and Contemporary Europe. So for a number of years I delved deep into the world of the auteur, studied how novels had been turned into film, and examined world cinema from the Silent Era up to the modern day, under the tutelage of several lecturers including Roger Hillman, who taught me both German and Film History. One of my favourite units during this time was a collaboration between the Film History and English Literature departments, on the representation of vampires in both novel and film. At the time my university was fortunate enough to have a visiting American fellow, Rich Pascal, who was an expert on gothic literature and in particular vampires. *bliss*

All this is a preamble to explain my deep love of American filmmaker, Wes Anderson.

Texan-born Wes Anderson with one of his regular cast members, Bill Murray
[photo: gettotext.com]

My earliest memory of being introduced to Wes Anderson is in the late 1990s when Rushmore was released. I didn't get to see it until a couple of years later, on video (remember video?). This film was like nothing I'd ever seen before. Was it a comedy? No, because there were moments that were resoundingly sad. Was it a drama? No, because it had too many quirky characters that alternately made you laugh and cringe. Was that scene tragic or funny? (Is it OK to laugh here?) 

I would later discover that this mix of genre is part of Wes Anderson's formula, and I heartily recommend you watch this hilarious video which gives a very neat overview of the WA school of filmmaking (whoever created this video is a LIVING GENIUS).

Critics are divided over this director's films which are often criticised for their themes of nostalgia for WA's childhood, for their very distinct visual styling, and for being 'whimsical.' Well, this middle-aged lover of cinema is a big fan of whimsy, but in any event his films go far deeper than that.

Cracking soundtracks and a recurring cast of unique actors are further reasons for Anderson's formula resonating with me. Bill Murray, Owen and Luke Wilson, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Willem Dafoe, Angelica Huston and Jason Schwartzman have all appeared in numerous of his films.

Exterior of the 180 Studios exhibition for The French Dispatch, in London

Anyway, the reason for this blog post is that after 20 months of basically doing bugger-all due to Covid, yesterday I ventured into central London to attend an exhibition relating to the much-delayed (it should have been released in 2020) and highly-anticipated Wes Anderson film The French Dispatch. 

Editions of the fictional publication The French Dispatch, on display at the 180 Studios exhibition

The film itself, which Kevin and I had seen a couple of weeks previously in a nearly-empty cinema (another Covid era milestone; first cinema visit since February 2020), has been described by some fans as the 'most Wes ever.' By this they are alluding to the fact that every single WA predilection, theme and characteristic has been crammed into the film, x100, resulting in a cinema experience that requires several viewings to fully appreciate. There is such an intense level of detailed imagery, so many layers to the narrative, so many cultural references right from the opening scene which is a superb homage to Jacque Tati's Mon Oncle (1958). Kevin and I were a bit overwhelmed, but I'm aware that we are not alone in that view. It's probably not for everyone. 

All the same, I was agog at the exhibition at 180 Studios on The Strand in London, which just happens to be located directly opposite where I worked in Australia House for a couple of years. Original sets, props, costumes and artwork... fantastically detailed models of the town used in the film... the full-scale artwork that is the centrepiece of one of the film's vignettes (a series of 10 frescoes, each one at least 2 metres high and a metre wide). There is even a reproduction of the Le Sans Blague café where you can enjoy a beverage of your choice.

Wow. And I wasn't the only one impressed; every person wandering around had a look of awe on their face.

OK, those of you who speak French - I defy you not to giggle at the name of this fictional town!

Opening dialogue from the film, explaining the history of the publication The French Dispatch

Owen Wilson's character in The French Dispatch is Herbsaint Sazerac, 'the cycling reporter'
❤️I love Owen Wilson ❤️

❤️ Tilda  ❤️
Her portrayal of character J. K. L. Berensen was - as always - absolutely stellar 

*sigh*  I kind of miss typewriters

Model of the fictional French town, Ennui-sur-Blasé, where most of The French Dispatch is set
(see photo below for detail of the section circled in green)

A nod to one of WA's earlier films

The gigantic series of frescoes known in the film as Simone, Naked, Cell Block J, Hobby Room

The gorgeous Léa Seydoux plays Simone, a prison guard and the inspiration for the frescoes shown above
(and that is the full-scale electric chair used in the film)

Fantastic sectional view of the plane used to transport the frescoes in The French Dispatch
- this is the genuine model that was featured in the film... the detail was amazing!

If you're unfamiliar with Wes Anderson, I hope this blog post might encourage you to explore his work. The Grand Budapest Hotel is probably his most 'commercial' film, and perhaps a good one to start with. You can't go wrong with *swoon* Ralph Fiennes playing a camp hotel concierge from a bygone era.

My personal favourite? Oooh... (purses lips, narrows eyes, rubs chin). I do indeed love Grand Budapest but the WA film I return to most frequently - because naturally I have all the films on DVD, except for The French Dispatch which obviously hasn't yet been released on DVD - is The Darjeeling. This is controversial amongst WA fans but there is one particular, and quite 'non WA' scene that touches me very deeply. If I had to pick a Top Three, it would be The Darjeeling (2007), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).

Then again, next week I might have a different Top Three 😃

Coffee cups from the fictional café Le Sans Blague in The French Dispatch

Until next time,

- Maree  xo