Wes Andersons 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel is a comedic/dramatic adventure film, told through a sequence of stories within one narrative. Wes Anderson used a range of colours, symmetry and multiple framing devices in creating this unique and engaging movie which follows the adventures of M. Gustave, a hotel concierge at the famous Budapest hotel in the fictional country, Republic of Zubrowka and the lobby boy Zero who becomes his trusted friend. This essay will discuss the different components employed in the films cinematography and mise-en-scene, and how theses specific elements were used to visually portray the characters and the environment through the different parts of the film. Firstly looking at how Cinematography which is described as the “act of capturing photographic images in space through the use of a number of controllable elements,” (College Film & Media Studies, 2018) is used to direct focus using framing, and camera movements and in what way aspect ratio are used to depict the different eras in the film. Followed by an analysis of the mise-en-scene “The arrangement of everything that appears in the framing – actors, lighting, décor, props, costume,” (Elements of Cinema, 2014) and how it established the location, represented the role of characters through costume alone and the use of props as motifs.
The aspect ratio refers to the ratio of frame width to frame height. Unlike other films which are usually displayed in one aspect ratio, The Grand Budapest Hotel is displayed in three different aspect ratios throughout the movie, which represents the multiple overlapping stories that’s narrated. Wes Andersons use of the different aspect ratios is used to depict the specific period in that moment. The film begins and ends in the present time, it opens with a young reader holding a book titled “The Grand Budapest Hotel” then flashbacks to 1985. This entire part of the movie is filmed with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, which was the standard format most familiar from that time till this current day. When the movie goes back further in time to the year 1968, the aspect ratio changes to 2.35:1, a much wider ratio popular in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The large majority of the film is set in the 1930’s which is filmed in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio also known as the Academy ratio, which became the standard film format in the early 1930’s. The different aspect ratios worked well in reflecting the multiple narratives, and added authenticity representing the film techniques and aesthetic of the different eras.
Framing refers to the edges of the film frame and deals with the composition of a shot, specifically what’s on screen. The mise-en-scene of The Grand Budapest Hotel was formed in a careful and purposeful style, in way that formed symmetry throughout the entire film, Bordwell & Thompson mention that “for filmmakers working with narrative form, camera placement is central to visual storytelling” (Film Art, p.192). The symmetry is consistent and captivating, Wes Anderson carefully composes shots using wide angle lenses placing a character or characters and their surroundings in a specific way that keeps the viewer’s eyes focused on the action rather than be distracted by what’s occurring in the background. This symmetry can be seen in the scene of M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) in prison, where he is positioned in the centre, with prisoners to his left and guards to his right, symmetry can also be seen when Agatha (Saoirse Ronan) and Zero (Tony Revolori) are hanging from the outside of the grand Budapest hotel. Both scenes were well balanced, and included either one or a mix of interesting characters, peculiar objects or rich colours, aiding in keeping the audience engaged and drawn to the storyline. Wes Andersons use of space in each frame was very creative, to allow for a larger amount of people in each shot, he would arrange them in layers and made great use of both his vertical and horizontal space. There were many high and low angled shots where the camera would be looking down or up at the subject, captured using wide-angled lenses. The high-angled shots often made the subject appear tiny and vulnerable, and was frequently used in scenes where a character was hanging off the edge of cliff or building. The low-angled shots have the effect of making the things appear large and dominant. In the Grand Budapest Hotel, the low angle shots were often of the hotel, making it the largest thing in the shot as it covered the entire frame, and made it feel as if the audience was looking up at the building.
Wes Andersons constructed unique and hypnotizing visuals, the use of camera movements throughout The Grand Budapest Hotel were simplistic yet mesmerizing. With some of the more distinctive camera movements he utilized being the sideways dolly, tilts, whip pans and zooms. Anderson remarkably uses whip pans in this film to transition between clips, there’s a lot of panning between two character engaging in a conversation, usually cutting to a point of view shot as they speak. Whether that was between scenes or characters, according to cinematographer of The Grand Budapest Hotel “the idea was to keep the rhythm of the scene very quick when the characters are speaking.” (Robert Yeoman) The different camera angles used in this film provided the audience with a sense of movement through time and space with a character or the feeling of being present in the scene, it also controlled the delivery and flow of the shot.
The costumes from much of the film stays true to the 1930’s style, Zero the lobby boy works with the hotel concierge Gustave. All the hotel workers are dressed in royal purple uniforms which symbolizes the luxuriousness of the hotel, and allows them to stand out against the pink tones and other brighter and softer colours of the hotels interior and exterior. Zero and Gustave’s costumes are similar but still distinctive from each other, Zero’s outfit is a lot more military inspired with gold button detailing and wears a hat stitched with ‘Lobby Boy’ on the front. Having Zero’s and Gustave’s characters dressed similarly created a connection between them. As the film is set in a fictional country, some of the costumes are not completely historically accurate, like with the uniforms of the soldiers in the movie which are grey and black and not the typical green. The hotel attracts a very wealthy clientele, Madame D. (Tilda Swinton) being one of them, and can easily be identified by her lavish coat or eccentric, vintage gown. The prison costume Gustave wears was commonly worn by convicts in the 19th century in Europe, the design was intended to symbolize prison bars, having block horizontal stripes. Bordwell and Thompson suggest that “costumes can play important motivic and casual roles in narratives,” (Film Art, p.125) the costume worn by Dmitri (Adrien Brody) allows the audience to recognize him as the antagonist, his black clothing and pencil mustache assists in his performance as the greedy villain who only seeks his mother’s fortunes. The costumes in the film enabled viewers to easily identify the role of the character, they aided in telling the different character stories as well as added to the depth and richness of the film.
Most of the main filming occurred in different parts of Germany, the setting of The Grand Budapest Hotel takes place in a fictional Eastern European county, The Republic of Zubrowka. The design of the hotel itself was inspired by a department store in Gorlitz, from the exquisite colours, staircases, elevators to the unique architecture. For the establishing shots of the exterior of the hotel in the in both 1968 and 1930, Wes Anderson relied on 9-foot tall miniature models that were handmade, Bordwell and Thompson insinuated that “Through much of the history of the cinema, filmmakers have used miniature buildings to create fantasy scenes or simply to economize” (Film Art, p.123). The model of the grand Budapest hotel colours echo’s the historical time, the colour scheme of the 1968 miniature model is surrounded with muted and dull tones of orange, yellow and green, whereas the 1930’s model is surrounded by vibrant and bright colours such as pink, purple and red. The film uses many historical buildings such as Mendl’s confectionary shop, the bakery in the movie which is set in an over 100-year-old neo-Renaissance style creamery in Dresden. Although a fictional narrative, the use of real longstanding buildings and the creation of realistic ones aided in visually depicting the multidimensional storyline of The Grand Budapest Hotel.
“A property (commonly shortened to prop) is an item used on screen or stage to help enhance a performance. It can make a scene feel more authentic or help actors play their role more adequately.” (Spur Creative, 2015) The props used in the film sometimes subtly supported or played a key role in the storyline they also helped build the world created by Wes Anderson. The Mendl’s pink pastry boxes were a prop that had an ongoing function throughout the movie. They not only held delicious treats, but were also used as tools to smuggle things into the prison. The pastry boxes also helped in the disguising of Zero and Gustave when they pretended to be Mendl’s employees so they could sneak into the hotel. “Over the course of a narrative a prop may become a motif,” (Film Art, p. 123) The Boy with Apple painting also has an ongoing function in the narrative and serves as a motif to a series of events. The props in this film drew you in to the scene and added to the believability of the fictional country of Zubrowka.