Wes Anderson

[Jeff]

Anderson talks about "Wes Andersony-ness" and his next project in this piece at Harper's Bazaar.

Anderson is halfway through another script but will not reveal anything apart from "it's a film I want to make in Europe, a Euro movie."

[mfunk9786]

Wes Anderson's Five Favorite Films

"I'll try to do it," Anderson says. "You may have to call it 'The five movies that I just say, for whatever reason,'" he laughs. "I don't know if I'll be able to stand behind them as my five favorites, they'll just be the five I manage to think up right now."

One movie that I often find myself going back to is Rosemary's Baby. This has always been a big influence on me, or a source of ideas; and it's always been one of my favorites. Mia Farrow gives a great, big performance in it, and I've read the script and it's a terrific script. So that's one I'd say.

I think A Clockwork Orange is one that springs to mind. A fully-formed Stanley Kubrick. It's a movie that's very particularly designed and, you know, conjures up this world that you've never seen quite this way in a movie before, but at the same time there's a great sort of spontaneity to it, and a tremendous energy. And both of those are very well adapted, good books.

[Trouble In Paradise is] a great Lubitsch movie. Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins. And Samson Raphaelson is the screenwriter; he did several Lubitsch movies. I don't know if anybody can make a movie like that anymore -- that perfect tone, like a "soufflé"-type of movie. A confection, I guess.

Well recently I watched Grand Illusion, which I haven't seen in several years -- no, I'll say another one instead: There's one called Toni, that's Jean Renoir before Grand Illusion, before Rules of the Game, and it's set in the south of France and they're Italian immigrants who're working, who're laborers working in the South of France. It's very beautiful, kind of lyrical and very sad; a great Renoir movie. I don't know if it's seen that much anymore. It's great.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? -- that's another one I rewatched recently. When I first saw that movie it made me feel bad. I didn't fall in love with it. I loved The Graduate when I first saw it, but [Virginia Woolf], I wasn't excited by it, because it seemed like there was a negativity about it. But when I watched it more recently I thought it was the most beautiful, inspired, exciting movie. Mike Nichols is one of the most inventive directors that we've had, and that's one of the great, you know, it's a great movie, and a stunning first film.

[Jeff]

Good interview with Scott Feinberg at The Hollywood Reporter

[domino harvey]

Kanye Wes

[Matt]

Michael Chabon on Wes Anderson (and Vladimir Nabokov and Joseph Cornell).

[colinr0380]

That's a wonderful piece. Although I like the way that the artificiality in Anderson's films is not only Anderson acknowledging the parameters and artificiality of any artist's creation but also the totally created nature of ambition and 'grand plans' of his main characters on display in everything from Max Fischer's hugely ambitious school play versions of blockbuster films or romantic ambitions, to the various family patriachs or bosses in Life Aquatic and Royal Tenenbaums, to the pilgrimage/iPod background music used by the brothers in Darjeeling Limited, the 'Swallows and Amazons'-style adventure in Moonrise Kingdom or the classic heist in Fantastic Mr Fox. (Although perhaps Anderson could be suggesting that the plans of these characters are a form of created art in themselves?)

It speaks to the ambition and control of the main characters in each film, but the beauty is the way that Anderson allows the messy nature of life - the failures and broken dreams Chabon talks about - to seep into the film (mostly through the addition of other characters outside of our lead who fail to, or have little interest in, following the plans mapped out for them) adding a sense of emotional truth and breadth to the (attempted) hermetically sealed environments, something which both gently exposes the need for a wider rather than narrower perspective and also allows for the most magical, touching, beautiful and revelatory moments to occur as well as the devastating ones. Moments that probably never would have occurred if everything had run like clockwork to the lead character's mapped out plans.

Perhaps the one exception would be the final discovery of the underwater creature in Life Aquatic, although the main action involves a quest started by a previous adventure turning tragic with the death of Seymour Cassell's character (an inciting incident which itself could be seen to be used as an event that horrifically spices up that otherwise rather dry Costeau-esque film at the beginning) rather than Zissou just deciding to travel off on a more whimsical mission. Also the final image is less interesting for the climax of the mission with the sighting of the beautiful creature than the counter-shot showing the whole troop sharing the event together inside the submarine.

[Jeff]

Matt Zoller Seitz's upcoming The Wes Anderson Collection includes a book-length interview with Anderson and new essays on each film.



larger front cover

[Arn777]

Three new commercials by Wes Anderson (and Roman Coppola) for Prada Candy fragrance, thought best to put them here than in the Commercials thread.

[flyonthewall2983]

Amazon says it's now listed to come out on October 1st.

[Jeff]

http://www.wesandersonbible.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Kauno]

So many people claim that book reading is boring and stressful, but I can't argue.

[mfunk9786]

Matt Zoller Seitz's extensive interview/archive book, The Wes Anderson Collection, is out today.

15 Things You Might Not Have Known About Wes Anderson's Films

I can't believe that Rushmore was going to be called The Tycoon. Considering some of the most heavy and memorable lines in the film, Rushmore may be the perfect title for it without anything else coming close.

[FakeBonanza]

Oddly enough, I actually received my copy of the book about two weeks ago. I haven't really taken much of a look at it yet, as my intention is to watch each of his films in sequence, and then read that section of the book after each viewing. It's been a while since I've watched many of Anderson's films, so I'm hoping this will be an effective way to interact with the book.

[mfunk9786]

I ordered from Amazon with Prime and they didn't ship until yesterday, it's waiting for me at home. The package (which also included a PS3 game which can't be more than a few scant ounces) was 5.7 lbs, so this must be some book!

[jindianajonz]

Amazon lists the shipping weight as 4.7 lbs. It also states the book has 336 pages and is 10x12 inches, which honestly seems a bit small to me for that weight.

[Jeff]

It is large and heavy and beautiful. I want to sleep with it under my pillow tonight. There are so many wonderful illustrations and behind-the-scenes set photos. More importantly though, the normally cagey Anderson is really forthcoming in the interviews, especially about his influences. I was looking forward to this book, but it's much better than I expected -- something like Hitchcock/Truffaut or Cameron Crowe's Conversations with Wilder. No, I'm not remotely putting Anderson in the company of those two masters (yet), but it's pretty great to have that kind of comprehensive interview with a director who is still in his prime.

I haven't had time to delve into the book in depth yet, and should probably take FakeBonanza's route of rewatching each film before really exploring its section. I'm really looking forward to spending time with it, and based on my first impressions I'd recommend it highly to anyone on the fence. It may be a little coffee-table-booky for some, but there's at least as much substance as fluff, and the fluff's pretty great.

[flyonthewall2983]

I'm wondering if Criterion is going to just wind up releasing every Wes film. Past, present, future. If it were anyone else it would be an obnoxious precedent, but since I love his work I won't mind.

[knives]

They've already been doing that pretty much. They've even released his commercials.

[mfunk9786]

The Life Aquatic is still so desperately in need of a Blu upgrade, hoping that's announced in conjunction with this.

[FakeBonanza]

Really surprised to hear that Criterion is releasing this -- pleasantly surprised, I guess, since I seem to have (d)evolved into the board's resident Wes Anderson fanboy. I had assumed this would be the one Anderson feature not to be picked up by Criterion for a variety of reasons.

Despite its relatively abysmal box-office performance, animated family films are usually cash cows for their studios on home video. I suppose though, that Fox's royalties from a Criterion release are probably at least as good as their margins on their own now bargain-priced DVD and Blu-ray releases. That release will be about four years old by the time the Criterion streets. Also, unlike most of Anderson's studio-released discs, the Fox Blu-ray had a 45-minute "making of" piece and a couple of other short featurettes. I guess those could end up on this release too. Surely the Criterion disc's new supplements will be aimed more squarely at the adult collector's market. There was some controversy upon the film's release when cinematographer Tristan Oliver complained to the press about Anderson's lack of involvement in the day-to-day shooting. It all seems like nonsense in retrospect, since the finished film clearly couldn't have been made by anyone else. I thought that hubbub might have squelched any chance of more serious supplements, like a commentary or interviews with the film's technical staff. I'll be curious to see if it is mentioned at all. I suspect Anderson and Baumbach have done a commentary, and I hope that one of the British TV docs about Dahl (perhaps Roald Dahl's Revolting Rule Book or There's Something About... Dahl) is included. Anderson's method for directing the animators was to shoot videos of himself acting out the scenes and emailing them to the team. It would be nice to see some of those included.

This movie has always ranked it the middle of the Anderson pack for me (fourth or fifth out of eight features), but I always come to appreciate his films more on further viewings, and this is the only one I haven't bothered to re-watch since its theatrical release. There is a lot of potential for a really great release here. The film always seemed destined to become something of a cult classic, and a Criterion release won't hurt that process. It's a fitting first animated feature for Criterion to release on five-inch disc.

I was just as surprised as you to hear that Criterion will release the film. Given the period of time that has lapsed since Fox's initial release, and the relative lack of discussion of its potential as a Criterion release, it seems odd to have this news dropped so nonchalantly.

That being said, I think that the reason I never expected it to be released is essentially the same reason that now is the appropriate time to release it. As Jeff points out, it's likely that, at this point, Fox has gotten the most of their in-house home video release (a crucial source of revenue for a "family film"), so a Criterion release will generate far more interest than their now bargain-priced edition. The Criterion release also allows them to target a different market, a portion of which will happily double dip after having purchased the previous edition.

I would also place Fantastic Mr. Fox in the middle of the pack, though only below my beloved trio of Rushmore, Tenenbaums, and Darjeeling. I actually haven't seen Fox since its theatrical release, which is odd given the number of times I've watched some of Anderson's other films. I've been looking forward to revisiting it in accompaniment to Matt Zoeller Seitz's new book, and the announcement of a Criterion release has only reinforced my enthusiasm. I'll be particularly interested to find where this film places once I've watched all of his releases in succession.

[flyonthewall2983]

I'd put it more towards the bottom of the list. Not that I dislike it so much, more that I like his other films more. My personal top 5 would be Rushmore, Tenenbaums, Darjeeling, Life Aquatic and Moonrise.

[Matt]

Huh. I didn't think I'd be in the minority, but it's easily my #2 Wes Anderson film.

[swo17]

I'd like it more if it didn't have so much cussing.

(Seriously though, if all of the "cusses" were actual swears, you would think this was a Tarantino movie.)

[cdnchris]

Huh. I didn't think I'd be in the minority, but it's easily my #2 Wes Anderson film.

I'm with you. It's my second favourite after Tenenbaums, and it's a pretty close second. Plus it's even more special to me since my daughter loves it and it's one we watch together often.

[domino harvey]

Huh. I didn't think I'd be in the minority, but it's easily my #2 Wes Anderson film.

It's #2 on my Wes Anderson list too, only on the other end of the spectrum