Are there any Wes Anderson "fans" in here ?
some info:
Influences
Anderson has acknowledged that French directors François Truffaut and Louis Malle influenced his penchant for sympathetic tragicomedy, unconventional mise-en-scene, and personal approach to filmmaking.[citation needed] He often cites Mike Nichols' The Graduate as a recurring inspiration.[citation needed] He has stated that he is a fan of Hal Ashby. Anderson is also noted for drawing on famous works of American literature, particularly those of F. Scott Fitzgerald and J.D. Salinger.[citation needed] Fitzgerald's famous quote, "There are no second acts in American lives," applies to many of Anderson's characters, who tend to fall quickly from their initial success and renown (although many of them make limited comebacks). Salinger influences are seen in Bottle Rocket (Anthony and his sister's relationship parallels Phoebe and Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, and both girls have a friend named Bernice. Also, Anthony's sweater was red as was Holden's hunting hat. More poignantly, Anthony's time spent in a mental health facility-which is where Holden is supposedly telling his story from) and Rushmore (Max is expelled from his prestigious school, as is Caulfield).
The family structure in The Royal Tenenbaums also echoes Salinger's Glass family, each of the Glass children being renowned to some degree in the same way each of the Tenenbaum children achieve their respective success. Also, the scene in The Royal Tenenbaums where Etheline visits Margot who is soaking in the bathtub mirrors much of Franny and Zooey where Zooey is soaking in the tub, smoking and talking to his mother, Bessie[citation needed]. It is also worth noting that in Salinger's short story Down at the Dinghy we learn that the married name of the oldest Glass sister, Boo Boo, is Tannenbaum. However, the name Tenenbaum is purported to have come from Brian Tenenbaum, a close friend of Anderson's who appears in several of his films, including of course "The Royal Tenenbaums".
Anderson's stylized films also borrow youthful aesthetic qualities from comics such as Charles Schulz's Peanuts (The Royal Tenenbaums/Rushmore). A less well-known aesthetic influence is the French photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue: the name Zissou derives from Lartigue's brother's name, and his old photos reveal similarities with Anderson's visuals.[citation needed]
Anderson has recently acknowledged that he went to India to film his 2007 film, The Darjeeling Limited partly as a tribute to the legendary Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray, whose "films have also inspired all my other movies in different ways." He dedicated the movie to Ray's memory.[2]
Trademarks
Wes Anderson is known for making independent-type stylistic films which mix poignancy and dry humor. Examples of his humor includes malapropism and understatement. Andersons films, visually, often make use of close-ups, quick pans, and slow motion shots. He often uses folk and early rock as the background-music in scenes. His often damaged characters are viewed in a compassionate light. The depiction of escapism and companionship through chemicals seems to be one of his trademarks also. In each of his films, one or more of the main characters smokes cigarettes or marijuana, excessively drinks, takes pills, etc. Additionally, his films often feature a heavy-smoking female character. A recurring character in Anderson's films is a respected middle aged male who is essentially a fraud. All of Anderson's films, with the exception of The Darjeeling Limited, end with slow motion sequences - although The Darjeeling Limited's third to last shot is in slow motion. Also, with the exception of the independently financed Bottle Rocket, his films employ a similar visual style, primarily through the use of vivid pastel colors. He is known for deliberate, methodical cinematography, using 90 degree camera angles, parallel and perpendicular arrangement of forms, and frequent use of symmetry. All of Anderson's films utilize the font Futura Bold in either the opening credits, title sequences or closing credits and is also displayed in other printed materials used throughout his films. Each film also uses Futura Bold to display the main closing credits in a particular format where the first name is displayed in a title case and the last name is displayed in all caps. Furthermore, every Wes Anderson movie contains a shot of one or more characters under water.
Collaborators
Anderson's films feature many of the same actors, crew members, and other collaborators. For example, the Wilson brothers (Owen, Luke, and Andrew), Bill Murray, Seymour Cassel, Anjelica Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Kumar Pallana and son Dipak Pallana, Stephen Dignan and Brian Tenenbaum (Anderson's close friends), and Eric Chase Anderson (Anderson's brother).
Other frequent collaborators are writer Noah Baumbach, who co-wrote The Life Aquatic, and wrote/directed his own film, The Squid and the Whale, with Anderson as producer. Also cinematographer Robert Yeoman (A.S.C.), and composer Mark Mothersbaugh.
Recent work
In 2005, Anderson produced The Squid and the Whale, written and directed by Life Aquatic co-writer Noah Baumbach. It won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival.[citation needed] In 2006, he directed and starred in a "My Life, My Card" American Express commercial.
Owen Wilson reunited with Anderson on the 2007 film, The Darjeeling Limited. The script is written by Anderson, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman.[3] Anderson's stop-motion animation adaptation of the Roald Dahl book, Fantastic Mr Fox is slated for 2009 release.
Favorite movies:
1 The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
2 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
3 The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Don't really know why but I love everything he ever made !!
Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:40 pm
