It’s like a doll’s house! A really, really, fancy doll’s house in which the people come alive through a retelling of its past. The tales of those who work and pass through the Grand Budapest Hotel being so incredible that you’d have to live a hundred lifetimes to have such rich stories: daring escapes, romance, love, murder, and the weaving thread of a stolen painting and its retrieval. All of which encircle the adventures of Monsieur Gustave H – the famous hotel’s concierge, and his sidekick Zero Moustafa – the lobby boy, whom Gustave H comes to trust more than anyone else. Mentoring him in the ways of the hotel and the nuances of life in general, although Zero seems the far more responsible one of the pairing. Their friendship is quirky and delightfully unexpected, the bond of which only grows stronger and more hilarious as the story progresses.
The film’s characters are fantastically eccentric, with the plot really taking flight when Gustave H is framed for the murder of a wealthy dowager, and thus begins the pairing’s escapades as they try to prove his innocence and save a priceless painting that everyone wants. If this isn’t enough, the film has more serious outlying stories of war and prejudice, but the lines are treated with great wit and humour – reducing those who act in cruelty to imbeciles, or to have their scenes delivered with such ‘moronicness’ that the point is made clear about their matching character. All this is done while still retaining a darker message in their presence.
Ralph Fiennes plays Gustave H and no one else could be imagined in this role after having seen his performance; the lines are delivered with a superbly straight face, and yet there is a twinkle of mischievousness through-out. It’s like watching a tight-rope walker in that its beautiful, but at any moment you can imagine the character’s daring will end with his own undoing. Gustave H’s partner in crime, Zero, is played by Tony Revolori who has the ability to camouflage himself into any part he plays – I still can’t believe it’s the same actor that appears in the latest Spider-Man movies. In The Grand Budapest Hotel there isn’t a character miscast, including a list of cameos that’s far too long to name, and many of which appear repeatedly in Wes Anderson’s films.
The initial starting point for The Grand Budapest Hotel came from a character based on a mutual friend of the writers, with Anderson taking further inspiration from the writings of Austrian novelist Stefan Zweig, and from a tour of Europe. In later research, hotel staff were interviewed in order to have a greater idea of the involvement in running a hotel, and in particular the concierge’s role. In fact, when producing the film, the owner of the hotel they were staying in was enlisted as an extra.
The Grand Budapest Hotel is a cinematic joy full of colours and cameos, much in keeping with the script’s remarkable plotline, but this is no surprise for after all this is a Wes Anderson film. If you’re not familiar with his other films, then prepare yourself to be fully immersed within his worlds. And to soon be online buying the rest of his movies – for you’ll be left wanting to watch them over and over again.
Director & Writer: Wes Anderson
Other notable works:
- The French Dispatch 2021
- Isle of Dogs 2018
- Moonrise Kingdom 2012
- Fantastic Mr. Fox 2009
- The Squid and the Whale 2005
- The Royal Tenenbaums 2001
- Rushmore 1998
- Bottle Rocket 1996
Writer: Hugo Guinness
Other notable works:
- The French Dispatch 2021
Inspired by the writings of novelist Stefan Zweig.
