**Spoiler Warning** I'm going to give away parts from the movie The Darjeeling Limited, but like most Wes Anderson films, there isn't that much plot to give away, anyway.
I'm interested to see what other people think about The Darjeeling Limited. People often have strong opinions and things to say about Wes Anderson films. B. and I saw this movie this weekend, it was much-anticipated after the (to us) brilliant Tenenbaums and so-so Zissou. The movie stars Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, and Owen Wilson, three sort-of-estranged brothers on a "spiritual journey" train trip through India, planned by Wilson's character as a bonding opportunity after their father's death.
A few things to think about after the initial viewing of Darjeeling:
-Are Wes Anderson's films becoming precious? The last two movies seem obsessed with set and light on writing. The train itself is painstakingly detailed, almost like a dollhouse maintained by a bored and fastidious grandmother. Every scene seems to bear the mark of the same semi-cutesy graphic designer, from the initials on the characters' luggage to the building graphiti in the backgrounds to the airport signs. The same aesthetic pervades, sometimes invades, every scene. The credits reveal that Marc Jacobs for LV designed key props. Somehow the aesthetic seemed more appropriate in Tenenbaums, but now I find the aesthetic distracting, and well, ( I guess I'm answering my own question here) precious.
-The same thing that maybe makes Tenenbaums the best so far--a real confrontation with emotion and tragedy--is the stumbling block of this film. The scene of the drowning boy seems to have real promise as the three characters shed their signature Andersonian quirks, and react to a real situation in a genuinely human way. However, the funeral that follows reads like (yet another!) opportunity for set-dressing. Instead of lending gravitas, the scene capitalizes on exquisitely adorned animals, people, and of course a cool, old-fashiony looking car that only Anderson could locate, draped with garlands of flowers ala a Martha Stewart Weddings spread. And, more super-saturated shots of women and children in super-saturated clothing washing their hair and such.
-Is there significant symbolic meaning for: The fact that one brother loses his shoes, one buys new shoes, and one loses only one shoe; one brother suffers physical pain, one suffers heartbreak, the other suffers emotional distress (actually, they're all sort of grieving); the fact that the central literal vehicle of the film is a train; the fact that people are always missing a train and running to catch up with it; the man-eating tiger?
-Although it's almost like self-parody now, I still like the slow-mo shots of men walking/or running to an awesome soundtrack in WA's movies.
-What's the deal with always exploring relationships between men. Actually, that's another thing I like about WA's movies, and find it an odd juxtaposition as the set/prop aesthetic becomes evermore feminine. Also, it occurs to me that the mothers in these movies are either emotionally absent, absent, or dead. Lots of them are dead.
-I'm still not tired of the ensemble cast--esp Angelica Houston.
-I realized after watching the film that at the end of Tenenbaums, Luke Wilson's character slits his wrists and attempts suicide. After the making of this movie, his brother, Owen Wilson, really did slit his wrists and attempt suicide. That made me sad.
7 comments:
I haven't seen it yet (is it even playing in SLC yet?) but my curiosity is even MORE piqued than it was before. All that aesthetic business... I'm sort of a sucker for it.
And also, I think I read that Jason Schwartzman helped write this one. Interesting, no?
You made some great points that will make it more fun/intereting to watch.
I haven't seen it yet and probably won't until it comes on video or it will cost me about $50 in babysitting fees.
As soon as I read the first paragraph and his films becoming "precious" (great word choice), my first thought was is Wes Anderson coming out via his films? Express attention to detail, male-centric scripts, and now high fashion props and animals?
Maybe Liv could ask his brother.
It's not out yet here. Boo. Yet one more draw back to living in the West.
About all this precious business...we all know what a primadonna Wes is, right? So, realisitically, should this be a surprise?
I agree. It's precious. He's great at depicting over privileged east coasters. Which is great if the film is set in NYC. But when it deals with another, less privileged culture, it sorta makes you feel like you've had too much sugar. Also, Adrian Brody is SOOO Much better than Owen and Jason, that much as I love them, it hurts the film. And finally, yes, the leaving their father's baggage was just too too too blatant. And yet, I really did like the movie.
That is an excellent point about the aesthetic suiting the film location. A prissy set is one thing when the film takes place on the Upper East Side, or a private boy's academy vs. an impoverished country. I liked the "too much sugar" comparison.
I wish Wes would spend more time on writing, and maybe Owen should go back to the pen instead of acting alongside Academy Award winners :)
Even if Wes is a primadonna, you want to like him when you like his films :) btw, I wondered if Hotel Chevalier is where he kept his infamous apartment key??
You can see the minifilm at hotelchevalier.com I haven't watched it yet, but heard there is some nudity.
ps. that is too bad because I was just thinking how unusually chaste WA's films are.
I finally saw the film and pretty much agree with you on every single point. I love/adore/obsess over visuals, but this time I found them distracting.
Though I love a good soundtrack, nice set design, an attempt at branding, and zillions of camera angles, I realize that at the end of the day, what I want from Wes is a good story: one that will make me happy and sad--which is why Tenenbaums is the best in my book.
Anyway. I think you hit the nail on the head. But I'll still watch it again and probably memorize lines and quote them til the cows come home like everyone else.
Right now, my favorite line is "Look at those a**holes."
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