Though the Oscars 2015 were lambasted for being the ‘whitest’ this year, if it’s one thing they got right, it was to give Wes Anderson’s deliciously opulent ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ four awards (woop woop!). I was rooting for it to take the Best Picture award, which went to Birdman (no surprises there).
For those of you who’ve seen it or who would like to, ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ serves up equal doses of comedy and gravitas. What makes it so relevant in today’s world is the fact that it’s dealing with the Holocaust. According to this article in The Atlantic, Anderson includes three characters who are representative of the victims of the war: the bisexual Monsieur Gustave, Zero who represents the ethnic minorities and Deputy Kovacs, who’s Jewish.The film does not play out a particular episode based during the time of the Second World War, but it has pretty obvious references to the Nazis, fascism, victimization and death, all hallmarks of that time period. I do understand why people haven’t been too receptive to a comedic treatment of a horrific set of events. But the film clearly isn’t a retelling of the events that transpired during the War nor has Anderson, in any way, justified the antagonists’ behavior or the fascism shown.
The comedy is nuanced, often dark at times, and has the underpinnings of a deeply tragic history. That’s precisely it’s victory right there. As pointed out by Chris Barsanti, “Like all great absurdist comedies, The Grand Budapest Hotel is ultimately a tragedy where the laughs signal doom as much as joy.”
So what makes the Grand Budapest Hotel grand? Why did this film pick up the technical awards that night, and rightfully so?
With Wes Anderson’s delicate mise en scenes, it’s hard to go wrong. His carefully crafted frames, a playfulness with colours, linearity and composition and a wonderfully endearing cast of characters may have something to do with it as well. Every frame has been judiciously arranged like a multi-layered cake culminating in a rather sweet taste. I have not seen a film make use of stop-motion animation and miniatures the way ‘Budapest’ has. The choice of colours, the use of lighting and aspect ratios help set the tone for each of the three eras shown in the film. The music features Russian overtones that add an additional layer of whimsicality.
Another thing the Oscars got right: the Best Foreign Language Film for ‘Ida’.
Directed by Pawel Pawelikowski, ‘Ida’ is quiet, meditative and evocative. Delicately composed and exquisitely nuanced, this film shows tremendous technique and skill. And I cannot talk highly enough of the cinematography. The film on the whole becomes an emotional experience for the viewer, simply through an austere style. I am in awe of Lukasz Zal’s and Ryszard Lenczewski’s cinematography for this film. Words really can’t seem to express how impactful the images of this film really are. So I’m going to keep this post short and link you to this: http://nofilmschool.com/2015/02/composition-costuming-color-clever-ways-ida-expresses-turmoil
The reason I mentioned these 2 particular films is to demonstrate how they moved me. And quite frankly, they’re the best films of 2014. Both films play with notions of time, history, memory, identity whilst displaying two very different and striking aesthetic styles and narratives. Where ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ is a palette of colours, ‘Ida’ is a monochrome portrait. Both exhibit a musicality in the use of sound, music and editing, in different ways. And both deal with the effects of the Holocaust. Where ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ is a tragicomedy with a mad-cap chase amid hijinks and whimsical characters, ‘Ida’ is a solemn and serious contemplation on identity, war and religion. And where ‘Budapest’ ends on a slightly happier note, ‘Ida’ hits home with a stronger and darker point.
Thought Doodles 