The mise-en-scene of Wes Anderson’s cardinal film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, is undeniably brilliant. Anderson uses color, aspect ratios, unorthodox settings, and lighting to communicate emotion and a story like no other film before his. But what stood out to me from this and other facets of the film was the value that the film places upon art and literature. Aside from Anderson’s exceptional use of writing and visual storytelling, other components of the film such as the premise of the film, the main plot driver, and the motif of poetry demonstrate how the film values humanities and arts above all else.

The first suggestion we get of the importance of art and literature in the film is in the very first scene, when a young, unnamed, girl visits the Old Lutz Cemetery. Tightly clutched in her hand is a brightly colored copy of The Grand Budapest Hotel. She walks up to the monument of The Author which stipulates that he is a “National Hero”. She places a hotel key on an empty rung of the monument and stares up at his bust on the pedestal with a detectable sadness in her eyes. She looks down at the novel in her hand, turns it over, and the Author’s narration commences. This initial sequence is a very intentional choice by Wes Anderson, and I believe its inclusion is meant to signify the power of literature. Anderson could have easily begun the film with The Author’s narration, or even picked it up right in 1932, but instead he adamantly demonstrates the significance and power of writing, even across multiple generations. This conclusion is supported by Anderson himself, who maintains that his inspiration for the film came from author Stefan Zweig (Anderson). Anderson was perusing a book store when he picked up a copy of Zweig’s Beware of Pity. Anderson was intrigued by the novel and the author, and nearly a century after his death, Zweig inspired the inception of The Grand Budapest Hotel. The initial moments of Anderson’s film are meant to pay homage to Zweig and in this way the opening scene also acknowledges how highly Anderson thinks of writing and its extensive influence. The value placed upon art and literature in The Grand Budapest Hotel is further demonstrated by the main plot point in our primary storyline with M. Gustave and Zero in 1932.

Though the film begins with a book in the present day, the major storyline centers around M. Gustave and his alleged inheritance of “Boy with Apple” a priceless painting made by fictional painter Van Hoytl. The subsequent theft of the painting and the frantic attempts made by the Desgoffe-und-Taxis’s family to retrieve the invaluable work of art drive the majority of the story. Anderson could have easily centered the film’s events around a hefty inheritance or some valuable material like gold or diamonds. Instead, he makes the central prop of the film a painting. All of the film’s characters, from M. Gustave and Zero to Dmitri Desgoffe-und-Taxis and his family are indefatigably engrossed in the retrieval of this painting. All of these characters also disregard the massive estate that Madame D. has left her kin. In fact, the only group that does not put the painting above all else is the ZZ party, a not so subtle representation of fascism and the Nazis. By having the film revolve around a painting I believe Wes Anderson and his colleagues are trying to demonstrate to the audience just how much importance they place upon art and expression, a conclusion which is once again backed by a final component of the film I noticed: the selective usage of poetry.

A final piece of evidence that demonstrates the value the film places on art and literature is the recurring usage of poetry in the film. The inclusion of poetry itself is not enough to support this conclusion, but it is how Anderson weaves poems throughout his film that stood out to me. What became immediately obvious during our viewing was that whenever the two primary protagonists, Zero and M. Gustave, begin a poem, they are always interrupted before they can finish. I found all of the poems listed on Shmoop, if you would like to analyze their contents. While I was reading through the poems fabricated by Zero and his mentor, it became clear that their poems are just poor attempts at replicating truly complex and sophisticated poetry. They are not true poets, just aspiring imitators. Though they are valiant in their efforts, because their poems are generally nonsensical, the film does not allow them to complete their so-called poems. However, when Agatha, Zero’s love-interest and deceased wife, tries her hand at poetry she becomes the first to complete a poem. Throughout the film Agatha is included as the infallible, endlessly talented, and undeniably pure figure that helps Zero and M. Gustave become the best versions of themselves. Her talents in the arts, especially decorative baking, are shown to us throughout the film, and so when she finally tries her hand at poetry it makes sense that she is a brilliant and concise poet. “Whence came these two radiant, celestial brothers, united for an instant as they crossed the stratosphere of our starry window? One from the East, and one from the West.” I think this choice made by the filmmakers further supports the aforementioned conclusion that The Grand Budapest Hotel values art and literature. The first true poem is able to reach its conclusion and given the respect it deserves, whereas the cheap recreations of poetry from Zero and M. Gustave are disregarded by the film.


Though there are countless other examples of it, these were three key moments in which I felt The Grand Budapest Hotel demonstrated its interest and appreciation for art and literature. The value the film places upon these modes of expression is critical in how the story is able to progress and also in how the movie is presented to the viewer. I am curious to know whether you as a reader and viewer disagree with my conclusion here? Do you think there are other moments in the film that might better support my conclusion? And how do you think this value Anderson places on art and literature help the film become better (or worse)?


Sources used:

Anderson, Matthew. “Stefan Zweig: The Grand Budapest Hotel’s Inspiration.” BBC Culture, British Broadcasting Company, 10 Mar. 2014, www.bbc.com/culture/article/20140310-the-writer-behind-budapest-hotel.