David O'ConnellThe Darjeeling Limited
September 1st 2008 05:44
The idiosyncratic vision of Wes Anderson has been revived in The Darjeeling Limited, his highly enjoyable follow-up to his only disappointment so far, his meticulous but strangely hollow fourth film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
His latest is a reasonably conventional tale on the surface about the three Whitman brothers, apart for a year since burying their father, and who, through the instigation of oldest brother, Francis (Owen Wilson), set out on a spiritual quest through India by train aboard the Darjeeling Limited.
Peter (Adrien Brody), and Jack (Jason Schwartman) are in tow, leaving behind their own personal turmoil to appease their sense of family and memories of when they were 'real brothers', though Francis’s secret motive of tracking down their mother Patricia (Angelica Huston) remains hidden from them for a while.
Anderson’s approach is anything but conventional however – a true auteur and craftsman who approaches the medium of film like a painter addressing a canvas on which to affix his eccentric and droll creations, he continues to leave a distinguishing mark with his uniquely enigmatic dialogue and absurd situations, given a painterly beauty by an exquisite attention to detail.
The interaction between the brothers is stilted at first but a peculiar rhythm quickly begins to develop and these three fine actors are perfect choices, with Anderson and his regular cinematographer Robert Yeoman maneuvering the camera around them with creative abandon; every set-up is painstakingly created and framed and then rarely still – it’s almost like moving through a series of panels in a graphic novel as the story unfolds, with its vivid and riotous choice of colours, the camera whipping back and forth in the midst of often unusually long takes.
Sentimentality and other easily-bought emotions have never featured heavily in Anderson’s fiction, they’re foreign lands dealt with only on their fringes. There’s something much more complex at work in his worlds and through their creations, the resolutions they seek but are denied through aloofness and detachment.
There are the requisite Anderson moments here – the slow-motion shots, the eclectic musical choices (for the first time eschewing a traditional score and not using regular composer Mark Mothersbaugh), the odd but endearing deadpan humour, the colourful minor characters and…………….Bill Murray! (In an amusing cameo in the opening scene and another towards the end.)
Owen Wilson, life-long friends with Anderson, has long been the director's muse, appearing in all five of his films and collaborating on the screenplays of the first three, and he’s the perfect choice for Francis, the eldest brother who basically raised his siblings, and takes charge of their entire tour, wrapped in bandages after a near-fatal accident, the catalyst for sequestering his brothers on this journey to save their relationships.
The Darjeeling Limited is an inspired return to form for one of America’s leading young independent-minded filmmakers, with his distinct stylistic flourishes, his artistic signature evident in every frame - a film which satisfies on every level, perhaps a notch below the level set with Rushmore and Bottle Rocket, but surpassing even that of his sublime third effort, The Royal Tenanbaums.
His latest is a reasonably conventional tale on the surface about the three Whitman brothers, apart for a year since burying their father, and who, through the instigation of oldest brother, Francis (Owen Wilson), set out on a spiritual quest through India by train aboard the Darjeeling Limited.
Peter (Adrien Brody), and Jack (Jason Schwartman) are in tow, leaving behind their own personal turmoil to appease their sense of family and memories of when they were 'real brothers', though Francis’s secret motive of tracking down their mother Patricia (Angelica Huston) remains hidden from them for a while.
Anderson’s approach is anything but conventional however – a true auteur and craftsman who approaches the medium of film like a painter addressing a canvas on which to affix his eccentric and droll creations, he continues to leave a distinguishing mark with his uniquely enigmatic dialogue and absurd situations, given a painterly beauty by an exquisite attention to detail.
The interaction between the brothers is stilted at first but a peculiar rhythm quickly begins to develop and these three fine actors are perfect choices, with Anderson and his regular cinematographer Robert Yeoman maneuvering the camera around them with creative abandon; every set-up is painstakingly created and framed and then rarely still – it’s almost like moving through a series of panels in a graphic novel as the story unfolds, with its vivid and riotous choice of colours, the camera whipping back and forth in the midst of often unusually long takes.
Sentimentality and other easily-bought emotions have never featured heavily in Anderson’s fiction, they’re foreign lands dealt with only on their fringes. There’s something much more complex at work in his worlds and through their creations, the resolutions they seek but are denied through aloofness and detachment.
Brothers Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody), and Jack (Jason Schwartman)
There are the requisite Anderson moments here – the slow-motion shots, the eclectic musical choices (for the first time eschewing a traditional score and not using regular composer Mark Mothersbaugh), the odd but endearing deadpan humour, the colourful minor characters and…………….Bill Murray! (In an amusing cameo in the opening scene and another towards the end.)
Owen Wilson, life-long friends with Anderson, has long been the director's muse, appearing in all five of his films and collaborating on the screenplays of the first three, and he’s the perfect choice for Francis, the eldest brother who basically raised his siblings, and takes charge of their entire tour, wrapped in bandages after a near-fatal accident, the catalyst for sequestering his brothers on this journey to save their relationships.
The Darjeeling Limited is an inspired return to form for one of America’s leading young independent-minded filmmakers, with his distinct stylistic flourishes, his artistic signature evident in every frame - a film which satisfies on every level, perhaps a notch below the level set with Rushmore and Bottle Rocket, but surpassing even that of his sublime third effort, The Royal Tenanbaums.
Director Wes Anderson on set with his three stars
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Comment by Cibbuano
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Didn't hear much about this, though... and I missed it when it screened here!
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