Before diving into my blog post, attached is a visual analysis of The Grand Budapest Hotel from the Medium.
In the source above, the author, David Leeds, emphasizes the importance of lighting in setting the tone in certain scenes. He uses the example of Zero’s reaction, about 45 minutes into the film when he begins “choking up” on the thought of Agatha, his former wife. Leeds explains that Wes Anderson begins the scene with High Key lighting. However, immediately after the author realizes Zero’s emotional state, the scene’s lighting quickly shifts to low-key. This change has a profound effect on the audience. The increase in shadows demonstrates that the scene’s tone shifts from lighthearted to melancholy.
The article also discusses Anderson’s usage of deep focus in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Deep focus is a cinematography technique that makes far-away objects as visible as close objects. Leeds points out Zero’s training sequence utilizes deep focus frequently. He states that while every extra is just as visible as Zero in these shots, “the viewer’s eye is immediately drawn to him because of his quick movement.”
I agree with Leeds in his evaluation of the deep focus’ importance to The Grand Budapest Hotel. The usage of deep focus spearheads the film’s unique Mise-en-scene. The audience feels the grandiosity of the hotel because extras are oftentimes given as much camera focus as the main characters. In the interview scene, Zero and M Gustave’s frantic movement around swarms of tourists and workers alike gave the viewer the sense that they were receiving a tour of the hotel.
While this article is accurate, I wish Leeds would have discussed the movie’s amazing set design. For me, the juxtaposition between the interior and exterior of the hotel from 1932 and 1968 adds more depth to the film’s meaning. Wes Anderson’s usage of bright colors in 1932 represents looking at the past through a nostalgic lens. The colors are dimmer and stand out less in 1968, demonstrating not only the deterioration of the hotel but also the loss of a period of joy and relationships for Zero.
Luke, I unequivocally echo your points on Zero’s character in The Grand Budapest Hotel. In fact, I believe that he is the primal example of Mise en Scene within the film. His character is meant to personify and embody the “perfect” lobby boy — for example, Zero presumptuously getting the chair for Gustave to steal the picture of the Boy with the Apple even before he is promoted to do so. This thematical character personification then causes the viewer to begin to anticipate his actions due to the nature of his character’s motivation and drives. The radiance of The Grand Budapest Hotel in the past recollection and present, as Zero is recounting his past, is almost reflective of his ideals of it. It is meant to be pristine and vibrant not only to the guest but to those people like Zero who taught refugee within its statute. The setting of the hotel kept being described for those who are full of themselves, wealthy, and blond (lol) but through the storytelling of how different stages and setting of life can flourish within it, the viewer is left with a different opinion than it was outwardly described to be.