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The spirit of Ernst Lubitsch lives on inWes Andersonsfast-quipping screwball caper The Grand BudapestHotel, a chase extravaganza set over severaldecades in a fictional Eastern European country.Here, the director talks about the writing process,how he maintained the plots frantic pace andwhysadness and tragedy haunt the films atmosphereBy Isabel Stevens

How would Lubitsch do it? was a prompt that BillyWilder had framed and hung over his desk in ornatecalligraphyby Saul Bass. If theres one directorworkingtodaywhomight have the samemotto displayed in hisoffice, it isWesAnderson.The influence of Ernst Lubitsch alongwith Alfred

HitchcockandJ.D.SalingerloomlargeoverthefilmsofAnderson,adirectorwhoworkssomewhatlikethegiantof the studio era.Well known for his industrious pre-planning, he storyboards all hismovies; has a penchantfor intricate staging, madcap scenarios and imaginaryworldsinfusedwithopulenceandartifice;andhelikestomarshalthepowerofanensemblecast.LikeLubitsch,hewrites screenplays that prioritisewit and charmandhisflawedbut endearing fast-quippingprotagonists fromRushmoresMax to the FantasticMr. Fox are bundlesof energyhisfilmsare ina rush tokeepupwith.TheGrandBudapestHotel, Andersons latest, is a screw-

ball comedy chase extravaganza andhismost Lubitsch-likefilmyet. Set in thefictional EasternEuropean coun-try of Zubrowka (recalling theMarshovia and Sylvaniaof Lubitsch-land) asWorldWar II breaks out, it centres,naturally, on a palatial hotel (one similar to the plushHotelClarence in1939sNinotchka) and the escapades ofitsdebonair concierge.Monsieur Igo tobedwithallmyfriendsGustave(RalphFiennes)hasthatscandalouspre-codeairabouthim,withthefriendsinquestionbeinghisadoring,wealthy,elderlyfemaleguests.AswithLubitsch,the convoluted plot here comes second to the thrill andingenuity of the ride:M. Gustave is on the runwith histeenage lobby-boy sidekick ZeroMoustafa (newcomerTonyRevolori) after inheriting apriceless painting fromfriendMadameD(TildaSwinton),whohasclearlybeenoffed byher greedy sonDmitri (AdrienBrody). Aidedbyhis henchman (WillemDafoe) and a band of Nazi sol-diers (led by Edward Norton), Dmitri is after Gustave,whointurnis tryingtofindDmitrisbutler,SergeX. (Ma-thieuAmalric), whoknows the truth behind thewholeaffair. In themeantimeGustave has lifted the paintingfrom under Dmitris nose, just as any light-fingeredcharmer froma30s romantic comedymight.WhenIarrivetointerviewAndersonathissurprising-

lysparselydecoratedbutunsurprisinglyimmacu-late Paris office, there is no Lubitsch sign which

THEANDERSONTOUCH

CANDID CAMERAThere are a thousand waysto point a camera, but reallyonly one,was a Lubitschmaxim thatWesAnderson(above), whose camera ispermanently fixed at right-angles to the action in TheGrand Budapest Hotel (left),would no doubt endorse

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THE GRAND BUDAPESTHOTELWESANDERSON

onemighthave imaginedwouldbewritten inhisbeloved Futura, a font used for the titles in all his

films until he substituted it with a custom typeface inMoonrise Kingdom andwith Archer in The Grand Buda-pestHotel.Paintingsandbookstheobjectshischaracterslovemostandwhicharealwaysmore thanmerepropsarealsonowheretobeseen.Theonlycluethatthisapart-mentbelongstotheinventorofsuchdelectableillusionsis a baby pinkMendls confectionery box resting on themantelpiece,eyecandythatcomesinusefulinTheGrandBudapestHotelwhenGustaveneedstobreakoutofprisonand thatwouldnt lookoutofplace inMatuschek&CoswindowinLubitschsTheShopAround theCorner.In a self-reflexive nod, thefilmbeginswith an author

(TomWilkinson)ruminatingonthesubjectoftheimagi-nation, declaring that ideas never comeout of thin air,andthatcharactersandeventsare inspiredbythepeopleand situations one experiences in life. What Im goingto donormally takes shapewhen I havemore than oneideamixing together, saysAnderson. Usually the ideashavenothing todowith eachother. In this case Iwas in-terested in doing a European story set at that time andwhichhada EuropeontheHollywoodbacklot feel to it.I had this character inmind and then therewas a shortstory thatHugo [Guinness, a graphic novelist] and I hadbeenworkingontogether.AndI justmixedthem.Thatswhen I thought, Theres amovie in this.ItsbecomeatruismthateachAndersonfilmismorein

lovewith storytelling than the last.With itsRussiandollstructureandtheWWIIcaperrelayedtousviatwonarra-tors,TheGrandBudapestHotel topsthemall.Thiscomplexframework for the story was borrowed fromAustrianwriter StefanZweig,whosedistancing structuresAnder-sonhas admired ever since hefirst readhimeight yearsago. The story has nothing to dowith Zweig, says thedirector, but the frame for thefilmcomes directly fromhis only novel Beware of Pity. Theres an introductionwhichisverysimilartowhatTomWilkinsonsays [inthefilm]. Then it flashes backwith the author as a character[played in the filmby Jude Law]whomeets someone [F.MurrayAbrahams elderly, lonelyZero in thenow fadedhotel of the 1960s]who eventually tells him the story ofthewhole book. I dont know atwhat point it ceases tobeZweig andbecomes afictional versionofhim.Neverone for straight appropriation, Anderson adds a furtherlayerwith thefilms opening scene inwhich a girl look-ingatastatueofM.Gustaveintheparkisalsoreadingtheauthors book about the dandy concierge. When I readBewareofPity, saysAnderson, IhappenedtobewalkingintheLuxembourgGardenshereinParisandfoundasortof abandonedbronzeofZweig.M.GustavewillseemafamiliarlyLubitschiancreation

tomany: utterly unflappable, he seduces and controlsladieswith all the ease and charmofMauriceChevalierinTheMerryWidoworThe Smiling Lieutenant, even chid-ingthemontheirmake-upchoicesasHerbertMarshallsGastondoes toMmeColet inTrouble in Paradise. ButAn-derson insists that the poetry-quoting, perfume-lovingcharacter ismore closelymodelled on someone he andGuinness knowpersonally. He had Fiennes notwell-known for his comic roles inmind before even start-ing the script: Seeing him on stage in [Yasmina Rezassatire]God of Carnage, hewas so great and funny, hewasa reasonalone tomake themovie.

Ever since he penned his debut, Bottle Rocket, withOwen Wilson, Anderson has chosen to co-write hisscriptswith others: I likewritingwith friends. Its usu-ally a matter of talking through the story with them.Then I do most of the actual physical writing myselfseparately. Crafting the dialogue andGustaves poetry,hesays,wasoneofthemostenjoyableelementsthistime as was dreaming up the characters elaborate names.I like to have a goodname for a character, he says. Itssomething to latch on to. You can sometimesmake thecharacter liveup to thename.Thefinal storywas not sketched out from the start: I

dont always have a plan aboutwhats going to happennext. It sort of just happens spontaneously when Immaking it up. But often I do have some scene or part ofa scene or a section of dialogue thats waiting some-where but I dont knowwhere its going to go. And atsome point I realisewhere that fits. Usually it feels likesomebody[else]hasthegranddesignforthiswholethingand Imwaiting for them to tellme, but no one does. Itis conceivable that if I could be hypnotised early in theprocess that Icouldgiveyouanoutlineof themovie,butImcertainlynot in touchwith ituntil it happens.

LAWSANDDISORDERIn themid-1920s, novelist Vicki Baumworked under-cover as a chambermaid in two famous Berlin hotels togathermaterial forherbookMenschen imHotel,which inturnbecame thebasis forEdmundGouldings 1932filmGrandHotel. Anderson didnt go that farwhen research-ingM.Gustavebutgotveryinterestedinhotels. If Ihavea character that Ive latched on to, he says, I start to beinterested inwhatever theyre interested in. I travelledaround Europe trying to get backstage and Imet a few[concierges].Like the prestigious RushmoreAcademy, the animal

world in FantasticMr. Fox or scout life inMoonrise King-dom, theGrandBudapestHotel isauniverseof strict rulesand secret codes that contrast starkly with the gleefulmayhem that ensues. Another useful research toolwasthememoirHotel BemelmansbyLudwigBemelmans, theAustro-HungarianwriteroftheMadelinechildrensbookswhogrewupin theBudapesthotelhis fathermanaged.The hotel becomes more of a character than any of

his prior locations. Its extravagant interior and colourschemearerevampedthreetimesduringthefilm:purpleand red in the art deco 1920s period; a sugary pink andgrey in theNazi era; orange and green in the 1960s. Re-flecting historical changes in the hotels designwasntpart of the script, but came from time spent investigat-ing locations. Hotels have changed so radically sincethatperiod.Wehadtocreateourownastheonewewerelooking for didnt exist and becausewehad gathered somanyideaswewantedtogetin.Therewasoneparticularresourceweused: the Library of Congresss huge collec-tionofphotochromesof landscapesandcityscapes fromtheAustro-Hungarian Empire and Prussia black-and-whitephotosfrom1885to1910thatwerecolourisedandmass-produced. I compare it toGoogleEarthof 1900. Itsquite amazingandyoucan justperuse themonline.Meanwhile the stateofZubrowkawas inspiredby the

directors thoughts about themany Eastern Europeansand Germans working in Hollywood in the 30s.I was as influenced by the Hollywood idea of

Like the RushmoreAcademy or scoutlife in MoonriseKingdom, theGrand BudapestHotel is a universeof strict rules thatcontrast starklywith themayhemthat ensues

ROGUESGALLERY(Clockwise from top left)Adrien Brody as Dmitri,Tilda Swinton asMadameD.,Edward Norton as Henckels,Jeff Goldblum as Kovacs,WillemDafoe as Jopling,Tony Revolori as Zero,MathieuAmalric as Serge,Bill Murray asMonsieur Ivan

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THE GRAND BUDAPESTHOTELWESANDERSON

the interpretation of that culture as I was by thereal one, he says. In contrast to Lubitschs fond-

ness for studios summedup in his quip, Ive been toParis, France, and Ive been to Paris, Paramount. I thinkI prefer Paris, Paramount Anderson always has hisdoll-house-style sets built on location. I like artificialthingsinrealplaces,hesays.ZubrowkawasconstructedinGrlitz, a smallcityontheborderbetweenPolandandGermany, close to theCzech republic. Its a place that isin a bit of a timewarp. Theres lots of abandoned build-ings. But theoldmiddleEurope is still there.Weworkedat a prison in a nearby city andwe did a bit in Dresdenbutwediscovered everythingweneeded in a very smallspace and then we adapted things. I like that way ofworking. Itmakes ahuge difference if the cast and crewcanlivetogether.Youdont leavetheworldofthemovie.The frantic pace of the action and dialogue was an-

otherelement influencedbyLubitschandBillyWildertoo. I hope it isnt too fast, too overwhelming, saysAn-derson. I like tomakeshortfilms.Not includingtheendtitles, this one is 94minutes, but this is a long story. Its a30s film thing to have them talk very fast.Most peoplewhen you ask them to talk fast, it turns intomush. ButRalph[Fiennes]hassuchclarityinhisdiction. Iwaspush-inghimfaster thanhehadeverattemptedbut itwasoneof the most exciting things to watch him play thesescenes.Therewassomethinginthewaywewrote thedi-alogue itsnotgood if itsnot fast.Thepartof themoviethats set in the 30s has a different pace to the part thatsset inthe60s.Thatsgentlypacedandmoremelancholic.As soonas they start talking in the30s, theyaccelerate.This effort to demarcate each era was important for

Anderson. We tried tomake asmuch of a distinctionas possible between the different shifts in the story, hesays. In addition to the hotel design, the pacing andAn-dersons signature intertitles announcing themany actsand leaps in time,hefilmedeachera inadifferent aspectratio: 1.85.1 for the scenes set in something like thepres-ent,2.35:1 for the60sandstayingfaithful to thepropor-tionsoffilmsofthattimeacademyratioforthe20s,newterrain forAnderson,whonormally chooses to squeezeasmuch as possible into awide screen. But the verticalnatureof theacademyformatappealed, and the fact thatit echoes thenatural shapeof themovienegative.

LIGHTS,CAMERA,ACTION

The filmsmany ingenious action sequences, however,owe more to Hitchcock than Lubitsch including amuseum chase Anderson says he lifted directly fromTornCurtain.LikeNorth by Northwest, The Grand Budapest Hotel is

constantlyonthemove,andintheraremomentsitstopsfor breath in typical break-the-fourth-wall Andersonmode its just at themomentwhen the villains are onto our heroes. But the director takesHitchcocks love oftransportation to an extreme. In their exploits, Gustaveand co use trains, a bus, a funicular railway, skis, lifts, adumbwaiter and in onemarvellously convoluted trav-elling sequence, multiple cable cars. Its not from onemovie or another, saysAndersonof the aerial scenes inwhichGustave and Zero search for Serge in themoun-tains. But I thought it could be from a silentmovie, or30sHitchcockmaybe. That sequencewe could even dowitha title cardand itwouldnt slow it downmuch.

A common complaint aboutAndersons films is thattheyre all the same, set in similar hermetic child-likeworlds.TheGrandBudapestHoteldoescontainall theAn-dersonian tropes, from fetishiseduniforms (lookout forthe purple socks) toGustave andZerosmentor/protgrelationship, but theWWII backdrop brings a new di-mension, involving tragedyonamuch larger scale thanin any of his previous films. Themovie is a comedy, anadventure, but another key inspiration was Eichmannin Jerusalem byHannahArendt andher analysis of howthemany occupied countries in Europe responded totheNazis demands. The filmhas plenty of cartoonishpunches and over-the-top severed body parts, but theNazis treatmentofpaperless immigrantZeroiscapturedbyAndersonwitha senseof realmenace.NormallyAndersons comedies swerve toahaltwhen

their formal joie de vivre clasheswith theirmelancholysubjectmatter. In the final scenes here though, Ander-sonswapshisbright,multicolouredpalette fora sombreblack andwhite. I couldnt give you a proper explana-tion, he says of the abrupt change. If someone askedmewhywhenwewere shooting, Iwouldwant to leaveit thatwaybut Iwouldntbeable tomakeacase for it. Itsjustwhat felt right.Andrew Sarris interpreted the Lubitsch touch as a

counterpoint of poignant sadness during afilms gayestmoments. In Andersons adventures, sadness surfacesin themost unexpected places and The Grand BudapestHotel recalls the shifts in tone in Lubitschswar farceToBe or Not to Be or theway suicide is dealt with amid theromance ofThe ShopAround the Corner.When the com-motion of the caper is over, the films ending is Ander-sonsbleakestsinceOwenWilsonsDignanwalkedawayfromhis friendsand intoprison inBottleRocket. Sodidheset out tomake a grimmer film this time? No. At a cer-tainpointwhenwewereworkingon the storyweaskedourselves if thiswaswhatweweregoing todo,butdidnt seemanyotherway for it to end.People sticking together is always of the upmost im

portance in Andersons films. Take your handslobby boy, is Gustaves call to arms in a buddymovieshatteredbythewar.Zero,aloneinmiddleage, reminiscing about his lost adolescent love and reliving the pastinhis lobby-boyquarters, surely suffers theworst fate ofanyofAndersons engagingmisfits yet.

iTheGrandBudapestHotel is released

on 7March and is reviewedonpage81

Themovie isa comedy, anadventure, butanother keyinspirationwasEichmann inJerusalem byHannahArendt

PARADISE REGAINEDEchoes ofAndersonsMonsieur Gustave charactercan be found in LubitschsTrouble in Paradise (above),which was rereleased onDVD by Criterion witha sketch of Lubitsch byAnderson (below)

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REVIEWS

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ReviewedbyPhilipKemp

Hisworldhadvanished longbeforeheentered it, the agedownerof theGrandBudapestHotel,MrMoustafa (F.MurrayAbraham), tells theAuthor (Jude

Law), buthe certainly sustained the illusionwithamarvellousgrace.Hes recallinghispredecessorandmentor, legendaryhotel conciergeM.Gustave (RalphFiennes),who in thepre-warperiod ran thehotelwith impeccable control,style and suavity. Butmuch the samecouldbe saidofWesAnderson,who, inspiredby the illustrativeworkofhis co-screenwriterHugoGuinnessand thewritingsof StefanZweig, has createdanintricate fairytale visionof theworldofMiddleEuropeas it probablyneverwasbutperhapsshouldhavebeenbefore at least oneandpossiblybothworldwars.Andersonhas always striven todevise alternativeuniversesofhis own;TheGrandBudapestHotel is hismost complete fabricationyet, a fanatically and fantasticallydetailed, sugar-iced, calorie-stuffed, gleefullyoverripeSachertorteof afilm.According to taste, itwill likely eitherenchantor cloy; but for thoseprepared tosurrender to its charms, the richesonoffer bothvisual andnarrativeare considerable.

Shooting in threedifferent ratios 2.35:1,1.85:1 and the classic 1.33:1 todifferentiatethefilms threemain timelines,Andersondeploys a cast that evenbyhis standards isbewilderingly star-studded.Alongwitha rosterofAndersonveteransEdwardNorton, JasonSchwartzman,AdrienBrody,OwenWilson,WillemDafoeand, inevitably, BillMurrayGrandBudapest indulges itself in the luxuryof casting such luminaries asTildaSwinton,HarveyKeitel, F.MurrayAbraham, JeffGoldblum,LaSeydoux,TomWilkinson, JudeLawandMathieuAmalric in relativelyminor roles.

But its Fienneswhocoollywalksoffwiththefilm. Switching seamlesslybetweencourtliness andprofanity (having seenoffthe elderlyMadameDwithold-world charm,he remarks tohis startledprotg, theyoungMoustafa, Shewas shaking like a shittingdog), hedisplays agift for comic timing thatsrarelybeenunleashed sincehisEssexgangboss in2007s InBruges.HeplaysGustaveaspolymathic, omnicompetent andcasuallybisexual, besidesbeingplugged intoanetworkoffellowconcierges, theSocietyof theCrossedKeys,whosehelphecancall upon in timeof crisis. Therolewasoriginallyplanned for JohnnyDepp;nodisrespect toDepp, but its hard tobelievehecouldhavefilled it quite so consummately.

Thefilmabounds in thegliding lateral trackingshots thatAnderson loves, aswell as in expensiveluggage (seeTheDarjeelingLimited, passim) andcovert jokes.Muchof theplot revolves aroundavaluablepainting, BoywithApple,whichMadameD(Swinton)has left toGustave, to thefuryofherbrutal sonDmitri (Brody).WhenGustavemakesoffwith thework inquestion,apieceof glossypseudo-Renaissancekitschby thefictitious JanvanHoytl, hefills thegapon thewallwithanexquisite doublenudebyEgonSchiele.Noticing the substitution,Dmitrismashes theSchiele in rage.ComicwordsofnonsenseGermanare tossed into themix. Ich

wargespanntwie ein Fritzlburger, theAuthor(Wilkinson) tellsus invoiceover:gespanntmeansexcited,Fritzlburgerdoesnt exist.History isblithelyplayedwith: thewar that engulfs thecharacters breaksout in1932 a combination,Andersonexplains, of the1914and1939wars.

Inkeepingwith thefilms ludicmode,Anderson indulges inmini-pastichesof othercinematic genres. Thepursuit andmurderoflawyerKovacs (Goldblum)byDmitris hiredthug (Dafoe) in thedarkenedgalleries of anartmuseumchannelsfilmnoir,whileGustaves

escape from jailwithagroupof fellowconsparodies every jailbreakmovieby followingthemthroughaholedug in the cellfloor, adumbwaiter, theprisonkitchens, theguardsbunkroom(tiptoeingdelicatelyover the sleepingcustodians), a steamvent, the laundryandasewer. Theres skilledpastiche, too, inAlexandreDesplats score,with its perkyzithers anddoom-ladenorganchorales. Yet beneathall thejokiness theres a senseof loss, anostalgia foranage thatneither thefilmmakersnor all but afewof their audience caneverhaveknown.

The former republic of Zubrovka, Eastern Europe,post-1985.Ayoungwoman contemplates thestatue of the countrys greatest author.

In 1985, theAuthor tells us how, in 1968, hevisited the Grand Budapest Hotel, high in themountains, now fallen on hard times.There hemeets the owner,MrMoustafa,who tells himhow he came to the hotel in 1932, during its gloryyears under its greatest concierge,M.Gustave.

Gustave,who romances the elderly ladies whostay at the hotel, takes affectionate leave of the agedMadameD.Meanwhile ZeroMoustafa, a refugee,starts work as a lobby boy under Gustaves tutelageand is attracted toAgatha, a youngwomanwhoworksat Mendls patisserie.News comes ofMadameDsdeath; despite war scares,Gustave travels to herhome at Schloss Lutz, taking Zero with him. En route,theyre harassed by soldiers but rescued by InspectorHenckels,who stayed at the Budapest as a boy.

At Lutz, Deputy Kovacs readsMadameDs will:she has left Gustave hermost valuable painting,van Hoytls BoywithApple. Her son Dmitri furiouslycontests the will.With the connivance of butler Serge,Gustave takes the painting, stashing it in the hotelsafe. Dmitri demands that Kovacs annul the bequest;Kovacs refuses, and ismurdered by Dmitris henchmanJopling.Gustave is arrested for MadameDsmurder andjailed.With the help of his fellow convicts he escapes,making his way to the remotemonastery where Serge ishiding; Serge confesses that he betrayed Gustave andis killed by Jopling.Gustave andZero pursue Jopling,and Zero pushes him over a cliff.War breaks out.Agatha, retrieving the painting, is pursued by Dmitri asGustave andZero arrive.After a shootout,MadameDssecondwill is found, leaving everything to Gustave.

Moustafa tells theAuthor that Gustavewas shot andAgatha died young.Hekeeps the hotel on in hermemory.

The Grand Budapest HotelUSA/Germany 2014Director:WesAnderson

Produced byWesAndersonScottRudinStevenRalesJeremyDawsonScreenplayWesAndersonStoryWesAndersonHugoGuinnessInspiredbythewritingsofStefanZweigDirector ofPhotographyRobertYeomanEditorBarneyPilling

ProductionDesignerAdamStockhausenOriginalMusicAlexandreDesplatSoundMixerPawelWdowczakCostumeDesignerMilenaCanonero

TGBHLLC,TwentiethCentury FoxFilmCorporation andTSGEntertainmentFinanceLLC.ProductionCompaniesFoxSearchlightPictures in

associationwithIndianPaintbrushandStudioBabelsbergpresentAnAmericanEmpirical PictureMade in associationwithTSGEntertainmentWith the supportofDFFF-DeutscheFilmfrderfonds,MDM-MitteldeutscheMedienfordefung,MFGFilmfrderung,MedienboardBerlin-Brandenburg

Executive ProducersMollyCooperCharlieWoebckenChristophFisserHenningMolfenter

CASTRalph FiennesM.GustaveF.MurrayAbrahamMrMoustafaMathieuAmalricSergeX.AdrienBrodyDmitriWillemDafoeJopling

Jeff GoldblumDeputyKovacsHarveyKeitelLudwigJude LawyoungwriterBillMurrayM.IvanEdwardNortonInspectorHenckelsSaoirse RonanAgathaJasonSchwartzmanM.JeanTilda SwintonMadameD.TomWilkinsonauthor

OwenWilsonM.ChuckTonyRevoloriZeroMoustafa

DolbyDigital/Datasat/SDDSInColour[2.35:1], [1.85:1]and [1.33:1]

Distributor20thCentury FoxInternational (UK)

The Hungary games: Ralph Fiennes

Credits and Synopsis

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