540 The Darjeeling Limited

[Steven H]

Historyprof, maybe I meant to say "assault"? That would make sense.

[Napoleon]

This movie is quite easy to poke fun at...I hardly see what there is to get worked up about in defense of it. It's just not very good.

Sorry for jumping in but come on!

If someone likes a divisive film (and plenty of people liked this film) they are more than entitled to work up a defense for it.

Just because one person decides that "It's just not very good" doesn't mean that every one else is going to agree. If they did we might as well pack up the forum.

Very poor show Prof.

[med]

Given the huff that HistoryProf got into in this thread over an innocuous "speak for yourself, pal," you'd think he'd show a little more sympathy over someone defending a film they felt strongly about against snarky derision.

[colinr0380]

The thing I like most about Darjeeling (and as knives says, this really applies to all the other films as well) is that for all the upsets, hurt feelings and conflicts the characters have with each other, Anderson himself never seems to be siding with any one character in particular against any other - even the abandoning mother figure is in some ways understandable and, like the assistant hired by the brothers, can be treated in a brief, sketched in manner due to the idea having been focused on more directly in previous films.

Everyone's flawed - trying to live up to impossible ideals and going on grand quests while not really understanding the basic kindnesses of daily life that are even more important, but less celebrated. But there is never a judgment made by the filmmaker that it is too late for the characters to get back to what is important and care for each other (though that could be a result of dealing mostly with a class of rather privileged and well off characters who have the means to be able to remake themselves and start over again. Although even these rareified characters are often found teetering at the edge of an abyss of potential failure, only just having the ability to claw themselves back to some kind of success)

[Steven H]

The thing I like most about Darjeeling (and as knives says, this really applies to all the other films as well) is that for all the upsets, hurt feelings and conflicts the characters have with each other, Anderson himself never seems to be siding with any one character in particular against any other - even the abandoning mother figure is in some ways understandable and, like the assistant hired by the brothers, can be treated in a brief, sketched in manner due to the idea having been focused on more directly in previous films.

I agree. As often as it's brought up that Anderson draws characters too broadly, he also imbues them with a lot of ambiguity and unpredictability. He plays off of types as much as he plays on them and Darjeeling may be the best example of this. The film seems very aware of what the actors have done in his other films and maybe he uses this as a shortcut to getting to know them, all the while being deceptive about their true natures until the time to reveal (and even then you feel like you're only getting part of their complicated stories.)

[HistoryProf]

Given the huff that HistoryProf got into in this thread over an innocuous "speak for yourself, pal," you'd think he'd show a little more sympathy over someone defending a film they felt strongly about against snarky derision.

well that didn't read all that innocuous to me, and seemed intentionally provocative, but whatever.

that said, it was flippant of me to be so dismissive, and I apologize. I frequently forget that the implied "in my opinion" in statements of quality or preference isn't always so obvious. 15 years later, I still learn lessons from my communicative short-cuts on line.

I actually read this entire thread last night as a point of reacquainting myself with the film, since I hadn't really thought about it since seeing it 3 years ago. I still recall it as entirely unremarkable, but am curious to revisit it having read some of the passionate defenses here. I loved BR, Rushmore (one of the great surprise theater experiences of my life), and RT...and perhaps more importantly think Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of the best films i've seen in years...so I'm hardly a Wes hater. I was profoundly disappointed by Zissou though, to the point that I've never bothered revisiting it, much like DJ. Fox was a revelation in that respect, but I think it was precisely because he finally let go of the quirky stock company of Wilson, Murray, et al. I also think the lack of comedy in DJ caught me off guard, so I wonder if going in with that knowledge will alter the experience. I'll have to check it out again and see.

[Brian C]

I frequently forget that the implied "in my opinion" in statements of quality or preference isn't always so obvious. 15 years later, I still learn lessons from my communicative short-cuts on line.

While you're learning lessons and all...

There's actually no difference between

I hardly see what there is to get worked up about in defense of it.

and

In my opinion, I hardly see what there is to get worked up about in defense of it.

I don't think anyone thought this was anything other than your opinion.

[justeleblanc]

Does anyone know why this film is now in 2.40:1?

[mfunk9786]

Huh?

[Arrow]

Huh?

Every film deserves an aspect ratio debate

[theflicker]

Fox was a revelation in that respect, but I think it was precisely because he finally let go of the quirky stock company of Wilson, Murray, et al.

Fox is definitely different, but it still has the vocal talents of Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Michael Gambon, and Willem Dafoe.

Anyway, looking to revisit this movie on bluray as I've not seen it since its initial release.

[HistoryProf]

but with Clooney and Meryl Streep in the main roles, which is what was refreshing in that sense.

[mfunk9786]

No offense to their charming performances, but Clooney and Streep are far from being what made Fantastic Mr. Fox the best film of 2009.

[knives]

Agreed Mfunk, if I had to choose a character dynamic/performance that really made me love Fantastic it had to be the rivalry between and general personalities of Kristoferson and Ash, both of whom were played by Anderson regulars. Every time I've tried to convince some one to watch I just talk about that aspect of the film.

[mfunk9786]

Blu-ray.com review.

I'll be receiving this on Tuesday, and I hope this 'blue bar' thing isn't an issue with my copy. However, it sort of looks to me like it could be light hitting the lens? I just hope it's not an issue only with review copies, because I'm, you know, not technically supposed to be getting a copy early. So they might give me a big ol' fuck you if I ask for a replacement.

[dwk]

I just checked the scene that the screencap above is from on the fox dvd and the blue lines are there, so it may be a source issue.

-edited again to remove pointless screencap from the Fox dvd-

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

That isn't a problem with the source print. It's definitely the light reflecting off the lens. The blue streaks with it slightly fading away is common when light is reflected strangely and thus you get the blue lens flare. Look at a film like Punch-Drunk Love that does it intentionally for style to get an idea of it. You usually get is with anamorphic lenses which Wes Anderson always uses.

[mfunk9786]

I have no idea if my feelings for Rushmore remain the same. I saw it when it first came out more than a decade ago and that was when I didn't know who Wes Anderson was. All I know that I was consumed by the film's bittersweet melancholy. I never forget Miss Cross' eyes as she longs for her dead husband in Max.

I was reading through the thread and found this description particularly beautiful, Michael.

But on another note: I'm actually receiving Darjeeling today - so I'll post a quick evaluation of the picture quality and photos of the packaging later on if anyone cares to see it.

I'm looking forward to rewatching this film. I've liked it more and more each time I've seen it, which is the case with every [live action] Anderson film aside from Rushmore (love at first sight, that). There are still flaws, including the Huston character, who pulls the taffy that is the Owen Wilson character's schtick to its breaking point, causing the floor to get all sticky and the machinery to become all bound up (sorry, going to the Jersey shore this weekend...). But there are some truly lovely setpieces, and it's fun seeing Anderson try to make the most of his wide, wide Cinemascope frame in such a small space for the first half of the film. If you shut off your mind a bit and watch it under the guise of it being a standalone film rather than another effort in Anderson's canon, its bright spots really come through.

[Napier]

Beaver

[Rupert Pupkin]

got mine this week. I already owned the DVD zone 1 but the Blu-Ray transfer is sooo gorgeous....
Already watched it twice (sanyo full HD videoprojection) and the Criterion packaging is great...

I have a big crush on Rita (Amara Karan (rhâ lovely...)

I've started to watch the bonus yesterday : there are very nice photo gallery...
if someone who own this blu-ray can grab and post a link to the jpg/png of the 26 photo on the first photo gallery which features Amara Karan (looks like a photo from a unused scene/outtake in the train) (too bad that there are only 2 photos of Rita)- I really would like to use it for a wallpaper. Thanks...

[cdnchris]

Blu-ray

[domino harvey]

So after all my riotous witticisms against it, I finally got around to seeing this film (Apologies for those who read my Fantastic Mr Fox take-down-- I must have been distracted, because I meant to single out the Life Aquatic, not this film, and I've edited my earlier post accordingly) and it succeeds alternately because of and in spite of Anderson's stylistic defaults. It's hard to approach a film like this without crossing off a mental checklist of his rote touches-- hey, if nothing else, he's living, breathing proof of the auteur theory! But, uh, can Anderson give the slow-motion a rest by now, you think? I recently revisited Demy's Lola, which features what must be the finest use of the technique, and was struck by the novelty and joy and appropriateness of its employment there. And it works in earlier Anderson films, too, but by the time of the Life Aquatic and here, it's definitely a case of "Oh yeah, there it is again." And poor Bill Murray, why is he here at all?

On the pluses, though, and there are more than minuses, there is surprisingly more narrative thrust here than in either of his films that bookend it, and its surface wayfaring nature is illusory. True, I don't find any of these thin sketches to be characters, but that's not important if the film doesn't need them to be, and thus they function perfectly fine within the confines created for them by Anderson, Coppola, and Schwatzman. And my earlier fears of cultural superiority proved baseless, as while India takes on a position of cultural other here, but not to the detriment of the land or its people. If anything, the characters interact within this new environment a mite bit too well... Overall, The Darjeeling Limited gives me hope that Anderson can one day come close to balancing his indulgences with his inspirations at the level of the Royal Tenenbaums yet again.

Oh, and one existent element I noticed more in this film is Anderson's laissez-faire approach to his character's substance abuse-- I wonder if this contributes in part to his continued appeal to that early-20s "enlightened stoner" tangent (and from personal experience, there are maybe too many to even be called a "tangent")?

[manicsounds]

Watching the conversation with Anderson and James Ivory, seeing clips of Satyajit Ray's Charulata, The Music Room, etc was nice on the disc (hopeful Criterions), but surprise to me, Merchant Ivory's "The Guru" has never been on disc? I know it's on VoD in the US, but I'm surprised given the Merchant Ivory and Fox relations with Criterion.

[flyonthewall2983]

The soundtrack to get a vinyl release for Record Store day

[ordinaryperson]

You missed it, because I got it on record store day. It was on April 18th.