The Grand Budapest Hotel

Well hello all!
 As many of you may know the nominations for the BAFTAS 2015 have recently been announced with The Grand Budapest Hotel picking up 11 nominations including the nominations for best picture and best actor for Ralph Fiennes' portrayal of Monsieur Gustave H. Therefore, I thought it would only be appropriate to kick off my little project with a recent film which many already consider to be one of their favourites. The film was released in March of last year to critical acclaim and as the awards season comes to a climax it is tipped to be extremely successful. I think what attracted me most to film at first was the stellar cast, with Fiennes leading the predominantly male line-up and actors such as Edward Norton and Jude Law bringing up the rear. I was also interested to see how newcomer Tony Revolori faired up against the big guns in this prolific role as lobby boy 'Zero'. Although lacking in female members of the cast Saoirse Ronan of The Lovely Bones and Atonement performs very well. Needless to say I had high expectations for this film.

What hit me hardest about the film was the incredible story-telling methods used by Anderson as a means to move the plot along and increase the dramatic effect of the film itself. The almost random use of narration provides a way of increasing or decreasing the pace of the story. Often I find the use of narration a cheap way of moving the plot along and nowadays films tend to steer away from using it but here it was a delight as it was not regular and so it was more a surprise when the narration kicked in rather than a hindrance. The almost 'robotic' or perhaps 'emotionless' (though not in a bad sense) way in which the narration was delivered echoed the tone of the film perfectly. Overall I found this to be very clever. Another aspect I found interesting was right at the beginning when 'Young Writer' (played by Jude Law) was narrating and he used phrases such as 'he said' and 'he asked' which obviously much more prolifically suggests story-telling. Also the use of different times zones created an aspect of timelessness which is often very difficult to portray in a film. The story which is being told has clearly transcended the decades and so as a viewer one automatically understands this to be a story of great stature and therefore right from the beginning one is already enticed by the prospect of an enthralling adventure. The mixture of these techniques produces a work of pure genius, and the plot itself is ridiculously fast paced leaving my Mum and I on the edge of our (sofa) seats. However it is not over-complicated and although the film almost flashes by in a heartbeat I still feel like I've experienced the film completely which is a rare achievement in cinema. It is without a doubt an exhilarating journey. 

The characters themselves are just wonderful with Fiennes' portrayal of Gustave H. an absolute delight to watch. He is extravagant and also hilarious and he delivers his dialogue at a fast, unwavering pace, almost without emotion, yet filled with passion and excitement at the same time. During the course of the film Gustave H seems to become more and more flustered and occasionally the audience sees him crack, even so, unbelievably he is able to retain his humour. It is very difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes this character 'tick', I personally enjoy the way in which he uses the word 'darling' to address anyone in any situation, even though this is only a small detail it is things like this which make a character memorable. Gustave H. is an intricate character brought to life by the fantastic acting of Fiennes. The relationship between Gustave H. and his lobby boy Zero is heartfelt and genuine as they both embark on this ridiculous adventure together. Zero sticks by Gustave H. in all circumstances and their bond surpasses a simple work-based relationship and what you have is a friendship of sorts. That said, newcomer Tony Revolori did extremely well in portraying Zero the lobby boy. I also enjoyed the random cameos from some more famous actors such a Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman, and of course I absolutely loved (probably because I'm quite biased in this sense) the performance of Edward Norton. Norton brought an otherwise dull police official to life and almost made him humorous. 

Now, I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on film, however the next thing that I'm going to talk a bit about is more a technical aspect (so you may have to bear with me) and that is the camera shots and angles which Anderson uses. What struck me was the extreme use of 'front on' shots i.e. when the character is sitting down or speaking to someone else and it almost seems as if you are the other person the character is speaking to due to the camera shot. It definitely adds an incredibly interesting aspect which creates a sense of being part of the film as a member of the audience. As well as this I found the use of levels very effective, it was obvious that Anderson had thought about every shot with utmost precision because each shot was very artistically and perfectly shot.

Overall I have to admit that I really enjoyed this film. For me it was a breath of fresh air, it was something completely different and utterly original and definitely deserves its nominations in the BAFTAS, I have high hopes for this film when it comes to the awards season due to its brilliant storytelling, rich and intricate characters and a wonderful authenticity surrounding the film as a whole. An utter delight to watch.

Liv out.