An Authoritative And Utterly Exhaustive Visual Encyclopaedia Of Wes Anderson
Visually unmistakable, Wes Anderson films are also populated by recurring actors, devices, and preoccupations. He's got a new film coming out this week, so we made you a handy guide.
The trailer for Wes Anderson’s new film Isle of Dogs just dropped! Because (let’s be real) nothing really changes in the world of Wes, here’s an older piece outlining what you can expect from the new film:
These are good days to be a fan and enthusiast of visually distinctive and supremely stylish cinema. Wes Anderson’s new film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, is out soon, which means that old fans are soon to be reacquainted with the charms of Wes, and the uninitiated are about to fall down a rabbit-hole of unparalleled Wes-ness. Regardless of what you think of him (and you might recall that I had a few choice emotions about him and his critical standing back in February), it would be pretty hard to argue against the fact that his films invariably look terrific.
Visually unmistakable, they are also populated by recurring actors, devices, themes and preoccupations. These constant features give his career output the feel of an extended serial, and make each new instalment an easter egg hunt as much a film, a treasure box of familiar face and motifs.
These feature also provide me with an excuse to go bananas on Photoshop, creating an Authoritative©, Utterly Exhaustive© Visual Encyclopaedia of Wes, a state of affairs about which I am very pleased indeed. To bask in Wes’ splendour, simply continue to scroll down the page, slowly.
The Actors Of Wes
Owen Wilson:
Jason Schwartzman:
Bill Murray:
The Aesthetic Of Wes
Tight Colour Palettes:
Rushmore: navy blue, red, bottle green.
The Royal Tenenbaums: beige, pink, burgundy, pea green.
The Life Aquatic: light blue, red, mid blue, yellow.
Darjeeling Limited: royal blue, orange, lime green, turquoise.
Fantastic Mr Fox: orange, brown, yellow, grey, dark blue.
Moonrise Kingdom: yellow, khaki, green, grey.
Futura Font:
The Predilections Of Wes
Uniforms:
Funny Headwear:
Smoking:
Estranged Mother/Father/Husband/Wife:
Moustaches:
The cinematography of Wes*
Slo-Mo:
Overhead Shots:
Symmetry:
Awkwardly Distant Shots:
Pool/River/Ocean Scenes:
*Also includes snap pans, 90-degree back-and-forth cuts during conversations, and basically everything else.