I find this really difficult to admit, mostly because I am highly embarrassed and feel as though I have been trapped under a large figurative rock…How is it that until today, I have never seen a Wes Anderson film? I have heard of all of them (the most popular beingThe Royal Tenenbaums and The Fantastic Mr. Fox), yet somehow managed to move along aimlessly through the cinematic world that swathes me without stopping, sitting, and soaking up the artistry of Anderson’s work.
I finally watched The Darjeeling Limited (2007) and am overwhelmed with this sense of wonder and contentment, even though the central themes of the film are that of abandonment, death, sibling rivalry, and unfulfilling love. The film follows three brothers on a spiritual journey through the intimidatingly vast country of India and they are in search of their mother (Angelica Huston) who conveniently did not make an appearance at their father’s funeral. The narrative is witty, the colours are soothing as well as uplifting, and the music is simply on point. Each song fits neatly into this brilliant cinematic puzzle and sparks the desired emotions, mostly that of irony which instigates laughter. My favourite song is the final one, which flows into the credits. It is titled “Les Champs Elysees” and you cannot help but feel an urge to laugh because the brothers are on a train in the middle of the Indian desert and you are hit with a French song that transports your mind to a more glamourous destination, Paris. This song is also a good piece of trivia, as the singer is French musician, Joe Dassin, who is the son of black listed American film director, Jules Dassin (who made Naked City, which I wrote about in a previous post). Neat, n’est pas?
Frame by Frame 