August 13, 2024
'The Grand Budapest Hotel'
The Ringer's Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Andy Greenwald apply a few squirts of L'air de Panache before rewatching Wes Anderson's 2014 hit comedy adventure 'The Grand Budapest Hotel,' starring Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, F. Murray Abraham, and Adrien Brody.
Cast
Ralph Fiennes as M. Gustave H.
Tony Revolori as Zero Moustafa (young)
F. Murray Abraham as Mr. Moustafa (older Zero)
Saoirse Ronan as Agatha
Tilda Swinton as Madame D.
Adrien Brody as Dmitri
Willem Dafoe as Jopling
Jeff Goldblum as Deputy Kovacs
Edward Norton as Henckels
Harvey Keitel as Ludwig
Jude Law as Young Author
Bill Murray as M. Ivan
Owen Wilson as M. Chuck
Jason Schwartzman as M. Jean
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Written by: Wes Anderson
Music by: Alexandre Desplat
Notes
- Budget of $25 million, grossed $174 million worldwide. Did very well in Germany. Released March 2014, premiered at Berlin Film Festival.
- Nominated for 9 Oscars including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Cinematography. Won 4: Costume Design, Makeup, Production Design, and Original Score (Alexandre Desplat).
- Ralph Fiennes was not nominated for Best Actor, which the hosts found extremely disappointing. That year's Best Actor went to Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything.
- This is the second Wes Anderson movie on The Rewatchables (after Royal Tenenbaums) and his biggest commercial hit.
- The hotel was actually a department store called the Gorlitzer Warenhaus – they built two different facades for the different eras. The Zwinger Museum in Dresden doubled as the Kuntz Museum.
- Wes Anderson wrote the part of Gustave for Ralph Fiennes, telling him 'choose what part you want to play, but Gustave is for you.'
- Fiennes improvised an entire backstory for Gustave – performing his life story from Dickensian street urchin through East London youth – but they couldn't find a place for it in the film.
- Tony Revolori was untrained as an actor; this was his first feature film. Harvey Keitel slapped him approximately 40 times for the 'Good luck, kid' scene.
- Angela Lansbury was originally cast as Madame D. but dropped out due to a scheduling conflict with Driving Miss Daisy on stage. Tilda Swinton replaced her.
- Jeff Goldblum hung out for the majority of the shoot despite finishing in about a week. The entire crew lived in a Berlin hotel together with a production-hired chef.
- The chase scene between Jopling and Kovacs is largely lifted from Hitchcock's Torn Curtain. The film uses multiple aspect ratios for different time periods.
- The painting that replaces Boy with Apple is called 'Two Lesbians Masturbating.' Inspired by the writings of Stefan Zweig, particularly The World of Yesterday.
Categories
Most re-watchable scene
- Sean and Andy: The Alpine chase sequence – cable cars, monastery confessional with Mathieu Amalric, skiing/bobsledding chase.
- Chris: The lobby boy training sequence – Gustave showing Zero the ropes.
- Other contenders: reading of the will, Gustave in jail, the 'Not agreed' Kovacs scene, prison break, Society of Crossed Keys, the Grand Budapest shootout.
What aged the best?
- Confirmation of Wes Anderson as a historically important filmmaker – this may be the first movie mentioned in his obituary.
- Ralph Fiennes' performance – one of the best of the 2010s. His career since has been extraordinary ('Skyfall', A Bigger Splash, Conclave).
- How every actor squeezes the most out of limited screen time.
- The color palette – hugely influential on graphic design, menswear, and women's fashion.
- Tony Revolori's debut performance. Senior citizen Tilda Swinton (top-quality old-age makeup).
What aged the worst?
- Hotel service is not as good as depicted in the film. The concierge profession generally diminished by the internet.
- The suggestion that modern medicine quickly cures pandemics ('the Prussian grippe') – aged poorly given COVID.
- Working 6.5 days from 5 AM to midnight.
Most cinematic shot
- Chris: Close-up of Saoirse Ronan with carousel lights in the background – the 'Letterboxd king' shot.
- Andy: Zero and Agatha in the truck with pink Mendl's boxes; also the ghostly shot of the entire hotel staff after learning Gustave has been shot.
- The pull-back to F. Murray Abraham and Jude Law at the table with spotlight.
Best needle drop
- Chris: The yodeling at the beginning (a Swiss folk song).
- Andy: The 'Spatkanto at Gablemeister's Peak' music during the Alpine chase. Praised Anderson for NOT using anachronistic music – keeping the film aesthetically consistent.
Weak link of the movie
- The love story between Zero and Agatha is somewhat thinly developed, though Andy argues this is intentional.
- The Serge X. subplot could use one or two more scenes.
- No single actor identified as a true weak link.
The hottest take award
- Chris: Dmitri was right about Gustave being a con artist – if a guy like Gustave showed up in your mom's life, you'd be suspicious.
- Sean: You can put Owen Wilson in the lead of every Wes Anderson movie and it's actually better – except this one. This is the only one where the repertory player can't replace Fiennes.
- Andy: The movie should have ended at the 17-minute mark when they get Boy with Apple (joke). Also questioned whether the Author is actually a good writer.
Casting what-ifs
- Angela Lansbury was originally cast as Madame D. – a major what-if.
- Johnny Depp rumored for Gustave (denied by Anderson). Edward Norton would have pursued Gustave if not for Fiennes.
- Andy suggested Tom Wilkinson's Author role might have been better with John Hurt, Michael Gambon, or Terence Stamp.
Best "that guy"
Winner: Larry Pine (from Succession). All three hosts agreed.
Best "heat check" performance
- Winner: Lucas Hedges as the gas pump attendant. He was also in Moonrise Kingdom, suggesting Anderson knew early he was special.
- Nominees also included Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, and Bill Murray.
Apex Mountain
- Wes Anderson: Possibly – the success rubber-stamped another 10 movies. 'Most juice' even if not definitively his best work.
- Ralph Fiennes: Possibly, though English Patient may have created more career opportunity. This is likely his best performance.
- Tony Revolori: Discussed but 'Spider-Man' (as Flash) may be bigger.
Cruise or Hanks?
Hanks wins
Hanks – because Tom Hanks has actually been in a Wes Anderson movie. They noted Cruise as Dmitri or Gustave would be fun.
Picking nits
- The lamb is not in the original dinner order (continuity error).
- Wish there was more Agatha and Zero relationship content, though Andy argues this is intentional.
- 'Are we sure Boy with Apple is that big a deal?' (Sean).
Over-acting award
- Willem Dafoe identified as the closest to overacting, but he's being asked to do it. Adrien Brody also 'dining out.'
- General consensus: hard to overact in a Wes Anderson film because the style doesn't allow it.
Best (or worst!) life lessons from the movie
'The cheaper cuts are the most flavorful.'
Best double feature for this movie
- Chris: Ingmar Bergman's The Silence or Hail, Caesar!
- Sean: The Lady Vanishes (Hitchcock) and The Earrings of Madame de... (Max Ophuls) – a huge influence on Anderson. Also Grand Hotel (1932).
- Andy: Remains of the Day (Anthony Hopkins) – about an institution persisting through global political changes.
Who won the movie?
Wes Anderson. All three agreed, though Ralph Fiennes deserves the (hypothetical) Oscar.