Wes Anderson 's The Grand Budapest Hotel

This film goes in different directions from the setting to iconography. This is an interesting film that is intense and makes the viewer want to know what is going to happen

The star-studded romantic comedy Midnight in Paris is one of Woody Allen’s most recent films which he did both, wrote and directed. It is a film about a man named Gil (Owen Wilson) who travels to Paris with his fiancée’s parents in order to expand his imagination and he ends up embarking on a journey to the 1920s while walking the streets of Paris at night. Not only is this film engaging and witty, but it also manages to provide both, overt and covert examples of postmodernism in film. By analyzing Woody Allen’s 2011film Midnight in Paris, we can identify the presence of many underlying motifs in both the narrative and the characterization of the film when using some of Frederic Jameson and Jean Baudrillard’s concepts on postmodernism.

Throughout the term I have begun experiencing movies in a different way. The class has taken ideas of cinematography, theory, and film history and practically applied it to physically watching movies. By breaking down scenes and movies as a whole, the way I look at films in general has developed. A reflection on two of the films from this term, Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942) and North by Northwest (Hitchcock, 1959) will carry the bulk of the essay. Though, I will also be discussing how this class changed the way I saw a movie just a few weeks ago. Casablanca’s script and acting are of particular caliber, and North by Northwest unfortunately does not deliver with the dialogue and casting of lead actor Cary Grant. Though, overall, they both

The next thing we should consider about this film is Wes Anderson’s distinctive camera movement. As we see the movie, we can notice that most of the scenes are mainly composed of the frontal shot. By adopting the frontal shot, the film makes audiences to feel that every character in the film directly talks to them. It means that literally, audiences assume that they are also part of this film as an imaginary character in the film is part of the film. The other camera movement which makes certain mood is whip pan (Tom). In the grand Budapest hotel, this movement is used when the camera tries to change the view from one character to another character. For instance, when the writer has some dinner with Zero while Zero is telling his story, the

In Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel, I believe the movie's design has a unified feel. By understanding Anderson's approach to cinematography, we can tell that the costume and visual designs ensemble a true Wes Anderson's film. In fact, he is indulged with patterns and lively colors. His plot mainly reflects an old- fashioned, nostalgic feel and he is a bit playful with camerawork. On the other hand, the Grand Budapest really feel like a lively, happy hotel. The use of colors and contrasting hues made the setting almost looks like a painting. For example, the frame narrative where the Grand Budapest Hotel became the setting, the mise-en-scène and the lighting of the film become almost too symmetrical and mannered, especially during the

An excellently crafted movie filled with action, witty banter, and even romance, The Princess Bride is entertainment for the whole family. There’s sword fights for for action-inclined people and clever phrases riddled throughout the script for the intellectuals. Overall, the movie has become an American classic. The story itself is presented as a mere love story, but there is so much more to the movie than just the theme of love. Subplots are intertwined masterfully, and the ending leaves all the viewers satisfied and all the separate plots resolved. This movie has earned five stars, and should be seen by everyone at some point in their life.

This paper will discuss various elements of mise-en-scene, specifically; character development, lighting, performance, costume, makeup in the film "Casablanca".(Michael Curtiz,1942) The setting of the story sets the tone for the entire film. Shots of tanks and planes show the violence of war that coincides with the cutthroat city that is Casablanca. From there, those sentiments are reinforced when a man is shot in the street while another man pick pockets someone whom is distracted. The mood of the movie stays on the dark side of things when we enter Rick's Café, where we meet our protagonist played by Humphrey Bogart. In this scene we are treated to the jaded portrayal of night club owner. We see his utter disregard for a French woman

In classical Hollywood cinema, most films are voyeuristic in nature. This paper examines two films that explain the main characters’ relationships but in styles that contrast classical cinema. The two films analyzed have some similarities but primarily are different than what most American audiences are accustomed to seeing. Annie Hall is a romantic comedy from the United States that explores sexual relationships. The movie is focused on the relationship between two main characters -Alvy Singer played by Woody Allen and Annie Hall played by Diane Keaton. They had a tumultuous relationship that had many highs and lows that lasted for years. However, due to their different personalities and views on life, they finally break up and live their

What makes for a classic Hollywood film? Increasingly, films have evolved to the point where the standard by which one calls a “classic Hollywood film” has evolved over time. What one calls a classic film by yesterday’s standards is not the same as that of today’s standards. The film Casablanca is no exception to this. Although David Bordwell’s article, “Classical Hollywood Cinema” defines what the classical Hollywood film does, the film Casablanca does not exactly conform to the very definition that Bordwell provides the audience with in his article. It is true that the film capers closely to Bordwell’s definition, but in more ways than not, the film diverges from Bordwell’s definition of the typical Hollywood film.

The film that made an impression on me because of its techniques was The Great Gatsby. The director, Baz Luhrmann presents certain themes and ideas for the viewers. To do this, Baz Luhrmann proficiently uses a range of techniques to demonstrate these ideas. The Great Gatsby is about a man who orders his life around one desire: to be reunited with Daisy, the love he lost five years earlier. Gatsby's quest leads him from poverty to wealth, into the arms of his beloved, and eventually to death. The techniques I write about that illustrate the themes of the film are; camera shots, setting, lighting and symbolism. The scenes I will be concentrating on are the final scenes which feature the Great Gatsby.

The film, other than being extremely entertaining with it’s impressively well done graphics (especially for the time) and it’s amazing sense of suspense, raises questions that have been in the back of philosophers’ minds since the Pre-modern era. The most prevalent of these concepts is that of “Ontology”. Ontology asks the question of what is real? and depending on what time-frame you are born

The Prestige is a 2006 film directed by Christopher Nolan. The background is set in London in the late 19th century. Rupert Angier (played by Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (played by Christian Bale) originally are the shills of a magician. Angier’s wife is drowned in a show and he blames Borden for that. Since then they are rivals and start their own careers as magicians. Angier becomes ‘The Great Danton’ while Borden becomes ‘The Professor’. They try to sabotage each other’s show. Borden loses two fingers in a bullet catch trick while Angier loses some reputation in bird cage trick.

No Exit, a play written by Jean-Paul Sartre that debuted in 1944, has many similar themes to the movie The Breakfast Club, written and directed by John Hughes. The play No Exit is perceived as taking place in literal Hell and describes the interactions between those who have died and have been placed in a room together. In The Breakfast Club, students have been put in a metaphorical “hell,” detention, and spend a full day together in the school’s library. For characters in No Exit, trying to deal with other creates a living hell and ends with each of the characters hating one another because they do not help each other; while in The Breakfast Club the characters end up accepting each other after going through the same “hell” because they learn and accept each other.

‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ (Wes Anderson, 2014) combines a perfect mix of nostalgia and history. The film explores the themes of war as it recreates history through mise-en-scene. Anderson also incorporates other themes such as racism and elitism during pre-war Europe. The film widely explores Europe from many viewpoints, one of which is of Mr Moustafa. His nostalgia is seen through flashbacks of when he was a lobby boy that went by the name of Zero. As an audience the depth of his nostalgia is seen through mise-en-scene. With the help of cinematography and props we see can see the time and place that Moustafa acknowledges. Anderson shows how history is reimagined through ones nostalgia. Mr Moustafa recalls events, which he was not present in yet he explains them as if he were there. This also shows how one reimagines history from another due to emotions and personal attachment. Despite the outcome being the same there are many viewpoints it can be seen from.

As I sat in my room with my best friend, ready to watch The Grand Budapest Hotel, I knew I was about to experience an artistic masterpiece. Just viewing the previews and behind-the-scenes shots made me excited to enjoy another one of Wes Anderson’s films. I’d previously only seen Moonrise Kingdom, a movie I thoroughly adored. Anderson has a distinct style that never fails to transport the viewer to a nostalgic, pop-up-book-like world that revolves around a classic plotline. The Grand Budapest Hotel delivers a classic crime and action plot disguised as an artistic, romantic, humorous, artistic film. The film’s fantastic cinematography, plotline, and soundtrack appeal to a broad audience.