Wesley Anderson. Wes’ strengths, for the purposes of this list, is both the filmography and the aesthetic quality (and consistency) in his work. He already has three top 500 films and a whopping six films that are in their respective decade’s top 100. That’s remarkable. I think it’s less likely that he’ll ever have a Tree of Life or In the Mood For Love– level masterpiece but if he can keep cranking them out every 2-3 years and have such great depth (like a Fassbinder or Ozu) he should easily creep into the top 25-50 of all-time when it’s all said and done. I’ll get to it more below but he’s one of cinema’s great masters of mise-en-scene—production design and décor. And, he’s a world-creator like Bunuel/Lynch/Malick/Tarantino—he’s easily parodied because he’s so stylized and consistent like these auteurs. He has a style—and it’s impressive.
Best film: The Royal Tenenbaums
- It is Anderson’s first real attempt at a diorama (NYC apartment here) and then we’d have a boat (life aquatic), train (Darjeeling), hotel (grand budapest). It’s a dazzling exploration and launch for his creative brilliance regarding mise-en-scene and décor
- NYT review calls it “unbearably show-offy”—sign me up
- A dysfunctional family opus and ensemble work
- Formally rigorous with the story construction (to match the rigor of the set design and mise-en-scene work)- we have book presentation of the film, prologue, gorgeous use of “Hey Jude” and Alec Baldwin’s sublime voice-over
- Highlights galore and start from the very beginning with the intro of the characters montage, facing camera getting ready
- Like the Schwartzman character in Rushmore these children are artists- and Margo even writes plays like Schwartzman’s Max Fisher character
- Books (both real and fake) abundant in the intellectual world of the characters and apartment—a common insert edit from Anderson is a cutaway to the book the person published, etc
- Absolutely no stone unturned in this mise-en-scene—not as bright or flashy as Grand Budapest but just as detailed and rich
- When Hackman is in the doctor’s office there are three file cabinet drawers that are different colors and it’s perfectly in synch with the rest of the film- this is a 15 second scene at the longest- so just for the hell of it Anderson details everything. This makes for richly rewarding rewatches
- The Nico “These Days” slow-mo of Paltrow getting off the bus with the reverse to Luke Wilson in close-up is a work of art- a transcendent scene— the only one that rivals it for the film’s best is the Elliott Smith montage editing of Luke Wilson’s suicide attempt. A staggeringly beautiful scene
- Symmetry in every frame- he’s showing you great blocking here and human faces and bodies for framing like Bergman would do
- Love the comic tapestries in Eli’s (owen Wilson) apartment
- He’s using the entire frame- there’s always a film going on in the foreground and a film going on in the background
- Like silent cinema we have his loudly stylized chapter breaks
- Too many critics get hung up on the twee and cuteness of the red jump suits and Dalmatian mice
- Lots of wallpaper art options here to choose from (another highlight is the two-character close up of Stiller and Wilson lying down at the end in the backyard)
- The deadpan style is, now, 3 films in, becoming trademark. Wes has fashioned a unique cinematic work like Lynch, Tarantino, Malick, Scorsese, Bresson, Tarkovsky—easily parodied and identified.
- It’s too rich for most viewers honestly- taken for granted
- I think it hits as harshly, on a narrative/content level of many films it’s not given credit for. We have an exaggerated world and exaggerated characters but when Stiller tells Hackman “I’ve had a rough year, Dad” I found it to be quite devastating. The plight and struggles of this family are real in their film and the move towards togetherness and bond, a surefire theme in Anderson’s work, is real
- The epilogue funder- Van Morrison and slow-motion like his previous two films- very well done
total archiveable films: 9
top 100 films: 0
top 500 films: 3 (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, The Darjeeling Limited)
top 100 films of the decade: 6 (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel)
most overrated: Bottle Rocket. So it’s not in the TSPDT top 1000 so it’s not technically overrated. But Scorsese had this as the #7 film of the entire 1990’s. I love Scorsese– but 7th best film of the 90’s?!? No way. Bottle Rocket is easily Wes’ weakest visual effort and he’s a great auteur because of his visuals…. even if you didn’t like Life Aquatic (it’s definitely grown on me) there’s nothing in Bottle Rocket like the dazzling set designs, framing, and the wonderful editing during the helicopter crash sequence in Aquatic. I guess you could argue the characters and writing are better in Bottle Rocket but I’ll take the superior style all day.
most underrated: The Darjeeling Limited. It’s his lowest rated film on TSPDT and severely underrated
- To me, the short, Hotel Chevalier is part of Darjeeling the larger feature. It’s a prologue- and I found it to be a stunning opening to the film—Schwartzman’s character is watching Stalag 17 and it shows that even in 2007 Wes is thinking about gorgeous and plush European Hotels (Grand Budapest)
- Slo-motion used heavier here than in all his previous work- he uses it in the hotel and Bill Murray’s slow-mo trying to catch a train
- Music is truly inspired throughout- I love “The Kinks” with “This Time Tomorrow” and then we have original music from the Satyajit Ray films
- Those who gave the film a poor review (and there are many) are deaf to the onslaught of beautiful film visual style- this film is oozing in it. Even if it doesn’t “gel” for them (which is a cop-out) the visual ambition alone make for a top 10 of the year film—I have it higher
- Laminated itinerary, father issues, comradery… Wes’ auteuristic traits
- There’s form and repetition in the screenplay I appreciate with Owen Wilson ordering for everyone
- The film’s mise-en-scene and décor are exploding in colors: Teal, Yellow, Green—and Wes is rolling the tracking shots back and forth in the carts with gorgeous wallpaper in all of it.
- He uses the train window as frame within a frame device
- I’ll admit these are tougher characters to get behind than some of his better work—they’re affluent, smug/rude—in need of change- see later
- Many critics mistake Wes for going to India to get spiritual enlightenment which is exactly what he’s debunking—his point is you can’t force spiritual moments like the Owen Wilson character tries to—the real moment comes unexpectedly when the attempt to save the drowning children—- I’ll admit that moment came in and it wiped me out emotionally
- There 1-2 Zooms like he always has
- The film has a lot to say on death and grieving. The characters all make phone calls later to make amends
- I think it’s a complete film at 70 minutes—the last 15 with Anjelica (and she’s not the problem- she’s great) are a little rough—it’s not awful (the marvelous tracking shot through the walls of the train showing the various people in their life with stunningly detailed backgrounds on each is a film highlight) it’s just not as tight as it would’ve been with the 70 minute film.
- Symmetry and the bookmarks– catching the train at the end—literally can’t make the train if they continue to hold onto their dad’s baggage (luggage- designed by Louis Vuitton) weighing them down—slow-mo again- gorgeous
- The production designer Mark Friedberg—far from heaven
- The slow-motion shot of the three men walking to the kid’s funeral is amongst the career highlights for Wes—such a brilliant auteur—it’s a moving painting with the characters in profile—it flows well into the flashback of their father’s funeral. It’s a fantastic moment. There’s elements of Greenaway with the mise-en-scene tracking//moving painting and certainly elements of Scorsese with all the gorgeous slow-motion to inspired soundtrack (The kinks here mainly)
- Must-See film- top 5 of the year quality
gem I want to spotlight: Moonrise Kingdom
- I think the first hour may be the pinnacle of Wes’ style
- The entire thing is a singular confident vision that’s perfectly execcuted
- Heavy brown and wood color—the fake “New Penzanc” island is a perfect world for Wes for create and diorama-fy
- Nostalgia and true love- well-earned formally- the emotional resonance
- As a strict formalist- I love how Wes pulls apart the various pieces in the Benjamin Britten music and then reconstructs
- I took this from Bordwell but I love how Suzy’s book on children looks like a Saul Bass poster—there’s also a postage stamp that looks like Edward Norton- this level of detail in the mise-en-scene makes for thoroughly rewarding study and dissection
- Cartography— and a tendency to fix the camera at right angles with characters staggered in profile or at angles
- This filmed turned back a lot of critics who felt justified in not liking Wes through the Darjeeling and life aquatic phase- lots of “best since Rushmore” in the reviews
- Rolling tracking shots in the opening are stunning- it’s all done within perfect symmetry in the mise-en-scene. This is Peter Greenaway—it’s a moving painting
- Letter writing- auteur mark/trait—another is the mentor/father/family issues—a dead dog
- The shot of Suzy in the tower is a stunner as well
- There’s another actual play in the film- again another reoccurring trait in Wes-world- rich detail- clearly it’s pointing to the storm/flood as it’s Noah’s ark
- Wes is clearly in love with the preparation of camps and scouts—“maybe we should take an inventory”—but she’s a singer and he paints
- Murray’s pants
- Very 1960’s/70’s cinema zoom-heavy in the inlet
- That dancing scene is just so damn sweet
- Multiple times with have split screen usage with juxtaposing rich mise-en-scene(s)—stunning work
- I missed it before but there is slow motion here- leaving the makeshift chapel after the marriage
- That first hour before the storm— I feel like after the storm the film gets a way a little
- Another level of detail is the ongoing love between Norton and the phone operator- multiple viewings
- 16mm which I find hard to spot- it looks too gorgeous to me
- The film opens and closes perfectly- blending painting with actual location (Suzy’s family’s red cottage house to open then the “moonrise kingdom” inlet to end)—so perfectly bookmarked
stylistic innovations/traits: Wes is one of the true masters of mise-en-scene and production design in the history of film. There are dioramas (sliced up NYC apartments, submarines, islands, hotels) like Jacques Tati. He creates a world through film style: characters act (often a deadpan delivery) and dress (from yellow jump suits in Bottle Rocket to the baby blue in Life Aquatic and purple in Grand Budapest) differently in Wes’ world. Even those that aren’t a fan of his world and eccentricities have to marvel at his craftsmanship, colorful compositions and fastidious attention to detail (both in narrative and visuals). He’s not just about mise-en-scene though. His early films all end with great slow-motion sequences to rock music cues (hello Scorsese)—the slow-motion of Paltrow getting off the bus is pure Scorsese.The editing of the suicide attempt in Royal and the helicopter crash in Life Aquatic are marvelous sequences. I was also blown over by the rolling tableau tracking shots in both Darjeeling and Moonrise that reminded me of the best of Peter Greenaway. These are moving paintings. Wes’ whip pans have become a trademark and his 1-2 zoom shots per film have proven to be ever so effective. His content includes father-figure/father complex/mentor and protégé content fixation is even consistent than PT’s even if he never achieves the depth of exploration. They are also meditations on camaraderie.
top 10
- The Royal Tenenbaums
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Moonrise Kingdom
- Rushmore
- The Darjeeling Limited
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
- Isle of Dogs
- Bottle Rocket
By year and grades
| 1996- Bottle Rocket | R |
| 1998- Rushmore | MP |
| 2001- The Royal Tenenbaums | MP |
| 2004- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou | R |
| 2007- The Darjeeling Limited | MS |
| 2009- Fantastic Mr. Fox | MS |
| 2012- Moonrise Kingdom | MP |
| 2014- The Grand Budapest Hotel | MP |
| 2018- Isle of Dogs | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
” I think it’s less likely that he’ll ever have a Tree of Life or In the Mood For Love– level masterpiece but if he can keep cranking them out every 2-3 years and have such great depth (like a Fassbinder or Ozu) he should easily creep into the top 25-50 of all-time when it’s all said and done.” ii disagree with what you just said. darjeeling is at least equal to mood for love, and wes anderson is just as great as almost any director in history. as for tree of life, wes tells real stories with real people and beautiful decor and doesn’t have to use whispered voiceover or stock footage from nature documentaries to make works of art.
I’m sorry but towards the end of your comment you sound rather condescending towards Malick’s Tree of Life. You dont need voiceovers or stock footage from nature documentaries but its unique and uniqueness is something that’s lacking in Hollywood nowadays. Some of the best stories are extremely simple narratives (like Kubrick’s Paths of Glory which I saw recently). However some stories are grand, sweeping, ambitious stories like 2001 and the Tree of Life. Saying a director is better than another because he tells “real stories about real people” rather than a director who tells fantasy stories is rather stupid and ignorant (in my opinion)
@Azman— well I’ve read enough of m’s comments on the site to know he/she isn’t stupid and/or ignorant but I do agree with your statement here. Realism is a description (and not one that fits Wes Anderson actually) and can be a sort of genre and/or mode– but it isn’t a criteria on which to evaluate art on. Many great artists don’t strive for realism, so it would be faulty to look for it in their work.
@m … I am the captain of the Darjeeling Limited fan-club. http://thecinemaarchives.com/2018/04/09/the-darjeeling-limited-2007-wes-anderson/ . haha. Or at least i thought I was until I read this from you. I think the film is magnificent. Comparing it the Tree of Life and In the Mood For Love is … well… not a good comparison for Wes. I’m sorry.
As for Wes Anderson “telling real stories about real people…” – actually think this is false in respects to Wes Anderson. He is no realist. The Dardenne brothers, Rossellini, Satyajit Ray, Mike Like, Ken Loach, Kelly Reichhardt– these directors and more tell real stories about real people. But the decor– absolutely- I’m 100% with you and you you are correct to point that out.
I’m completely out on your characterization of Terrence Malick’s cinema. If you wanted to insult any great director (for some reason) I guess you could. Many, me included, think Terrence Malick has made some of the most beautiful films in cinema’s history. And I say this as a massive admirer of Wes Anderson’s work.
If I was going to argue for Wes over Malick i certainly wouldn’t ground it on realism.
sorry, i didnt mean that straight narrative films are always better. 2001 is one of the best films of all time, and like kubrick and anderson,im sure malick is a genius. but genius actors/directors still make films that aren’t great at times, or at least not everyone loves. david lynch said tree of life is not his cup of tea. malick like 2001 set out to make the greatest film of all time with tree of life, and there is good stuff, but i feel like what you were talking about with the darjeeling review is like this, how wes anderson was expelling forced spiritual experience. i try to force spiritual experiences too so i am not saying i am better than malick, but i think tree of life, with the images of nature and all that, is way too general and feels forced. as for darjeeling being real, i love expressionism and surrealism very very much. what i meant was that it tugged at the heart and felt very real. when i was watching it with my family i kept turning around to see how they reacted to certain scenes and i wanted them to like it. its a masterpiece
I’m sorry but how exactly does “the tree of life feel forced”. That’s your opinion but please dont state it as if that’s a fact. TSPDT, Drake and Ebert (kinda) consider this the best film of the decade. It’s the only movie where I’ve sheaded a tear. It’s the only movie where a could ‘feel’ the cinematography. The only director who comes close in terms of feeling and mood is Tarkovsky.
The tree of life is “too general”. Its not. Its unique AF. I have never seen a movie like it. Trying to blend the story of creation with the story of a man and his family is extremely ambitious and unique
“Great directors make films that not everyone loves”. Obviously. Kubrick didnt like Gone with the Wind. Every other director seems to adore it. Scorsese praises certain movies that seem really average to me. As Drake said, film is mostly objective but there will always be some disagreement. Maybe you need to rewatch tree of life again….
I’m finalizing my best of the decade list and I have a problem deciding the superior film between The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom. I want to hear the opinions of the readers of the blog but also Drake’s since he has The Grand Budapest Hotel higher, what do you think it does better than Moonrise Kingdom? I want to say that until now I considered The Grand Budapest Hotel superior but making the list, it’s hard to decide, I can’t explain it.
@Cinephile- I don’t think there is a lot separating the two films. I think the last half hour of Moonrise Kingdom is the weakest half hour stretch between the two films- but that first hour is sublime.
Would you disagree if I said that Wes Anderson has the most distinctive style ever? There are people like Ozu, Woody Allen, Leone, and Cuaron who are very clearly the force behind the camera once you get into it, but with Anderson it takes about three seconds.
@Graham– haha I can’t disagree. Think about the saturday night live parody of Wes a few years ago- if you can easily do a spoof of it– it probably belongs on the short list there with Wes. There are a few that would be right there: Ozu, Eisenstein would be very easy to parody, Leone- absolutely, Malick.
When considering the directors who have had the longest, most consistent careers with a masterpiece in a long series of consecutive decades, I think of Kubrick (50s-90s) and Scorsese (70s-10s). Both cover five decades with remarkable bodies of work behind them. And Scorsese may not even be done yet.
Now this might be a bit presumptuous, but I don’t think Wes Anderson is really that far off from joining this small club. He’s got at least one masterpiece in each decade from the 90s to the 10s, and his career doesn’t seem to be slowing down. If he delivers one this decade (maybe The French Dispatch?) and another in the 30’s, he could make it up there. I think PTA, Fincher, and even Tarantino (if he breaks his 10 rule limit) also have a fair shot.
@Declan– Kubrick and Scorsese and the five decades- quite right- if anyone else belongs in that group I can’t think of them now (Bergman and Ford have 4 I think). I agree on Wes/PTA/Fincher and Tarantino — but there’s a ways to go, right? Even if we’re all on the same page for the 1990’s, 2000’s and 2010’s (I think you could add von Trier to the list– maybe others)– we’re still only 60% of the way home so we need a masterpiece in the 2020’s and 2030’s. I’m rooting for all of them but the list of those who have done three consecutive decades his much longer (Hitchcock, Bunuel, Tarkovsky, Spike Lee— and I’m sure I’m missing a handful– an amazing class of filmmakers). Either way if you’ve had it in three decades then that makes you have there masterpieces regardless and that is a legendary career.
This list cannot be complete without Kurosawa, I would also add the Coen, Buñuel, Dreyer, Allen, Malick.
A career like Hitchcock, Kurosawa and Scorsese’s is much more impressive than someone who takes 20 years between movies (Malick)
@Aldo
I think they’re talking specifically about filmmakers who created masterpieces in consecutive decades. Kurosawa came close in the 40s, went on the greatest run by a director in history in 50s and first half of the 60s, and then came back with an all-timer in the 80s. His longest “streak” however was 2-decades and I think that specifically is what they’re discussing here.
Speaking of the 80s though. @Drake did Ran get lost in the mail?
@Aldo and @Matt Harris — quite correct. Kurosawa belongs in any discussion with Scorsese and Kubrick but his highest consecutive decades masterpiece count is 2– so yeah–
@Aldo- some of the others work- I mention Bunuel (50’s, 60’s, 70’s)- good add with the Coen Brothers (90’s, 00’s, and 2010’s)
@Matt Harris– so the bluray for Ran is “very long wait” and has been that way for months unfortunately. It is still literally at the top of my queue. Frustrating but I’m playing the waiting game.
That’s true, though I was also taking into account the age of those filmmakers. Hitchcock was already in his 60’s by the time he got to his third decade of masterpieces, and the Coens are getting up there now too. A lot of great directors didn’t get to their third decade until much later in life. It would be great if the Coens keep on making movies into their 80’s but I’m not sure that’s as likely as PTA, Fincher or Anderson who are all only in their 50’s. I realise it’s still a long shot – but it’s also worth keeping an eye on them as filmmakers with that kind of potential.
Have you had a chance to watch The French Dispatch? Hope you are doing well Drake
@Alejandro- I have- how about you? It will absolutely be in the archives and mentioned on my 2021 page when I get to it. I would just like another look at it before making a page for it.
Has anyone heard of the photographer Andreas Gursky? He has a very distinct style that resembles Wes Anderson in many ways. He loves 90° angles, symmetricality, pastel colors, high angle shots, and arrays of simple items. Imagine a deadpan Bill Murray or Owen Wilson here and there and it becomes easy to invision these images appearing in a Wes Anderson movie:
https://loeildelaphotographie.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/79c364c93ebf0dcb1c6330aaf04bbfd3-x540q80.jpg
https://i1.wp.com/static.locals.md/2015/02/ZCS_08_Andreas_Gursky_Architecture_017-2.jpg
http://www.dreamideamachine.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/02/00.jpg
If Gursky ever decides to become a cinematographer, he should call Wes right away.
#7 of the decade or not Scorcese much closer to appraisal of Bottle Rocket than you ranking it Anderson least effort. Bottle Rocket is by far his most honest film and his most melancholic. Not knocking his other films cuz I’m an Anderson fan
@Kent Crosier- Not at all. “most honest” and “most melancholic” feels like a pat on the head for being visually unstunning. I’m with you on your First Reformed take but this feels like a miss.
@Kent Crosier-Taste of Cinema also ranks Bottle Rocket as Wes Anderson’s weakest effort.(In 2 different lists) Not only Drake. It is not as good as Wes’s other films visually.
I just saw French Dispatch and wow….not perfect but I’d already say it’s a must see, could even be a masterpiece. I think he has really outdone himself visually, such a treat to see such ambitious auteur cinema still being made.
I’m with you here. I’ve only got one viewing behind me but I’m happy to call it a masterpiece, and the best movie of the young decade so far (though I still have a few 2021 movies left to get to). Very excited to rewatch it and tease out those individual episodes a little more. Just ridiculously gorgeous.
Seriously, I lost track of how many absolutely stunning frames there were throughout. Just so much visual style Wes is throwing at us and I loved every second. I’m excited to see what Drake thinks (unless I just missed the page?).
@Ce- NO page yet on The French Dispatch- I did see it and it is superb- I didn’t feel like I could do it justice so want another view at home where I can take some notes in order to put a page together.
I rewatched The French Dispatch yesterday. I can’t get over how good it is. Seems to me some people took it for granted that this is just an anthology film with Anderson typical style, but it is so much more. This film dances to its own rythm, it never loses its beat. I’m really tempted to call it my 2nd favorite film of his.
@Gabriel Paes- I’m very anxious for a second viewing- hopefully soon.
Isle of Dogs is a masterpiece, second only to The Grand Budapest Hotel in Anderson’s body of work.
@Sean- I would count myself as one of Wes Anderson’s biggest supporters– but Isle of Dogs is not a masterpiece.
I respectfully disagree. 🙂 It is, I think, the culmination of many varied styles, sounds, forms of writing, forms of presenting ideas (e.g., different media—plays, poems, an array of literary techniques in the writing, silent movie, modern movie, documentary, news report, newspaper article, etc.), and so on, all built into a plot that is in harmony with its themes. The movie is succinct and parsimonious, with every character, bit of speech, plot development, shot, and element of each shot mattering for the story and its themes. It might not be a masterpiece as a work of pure cinema, but it is a masterpiece of collage and succeeds heroically in what it sets out to do, which is to be a maximalist story of expression and translation across cultures, languages, and other modes of expression.
@Sean- Thanks again for sharing. I do have a page for all of Wes’ work (except for The French Dispatch).
Great work! Thanks for putting all of this together!