Throughout the movie, we see several examples of Mise-en-Scène, including its cinematography, set design, lighting, costumes, and even the positioning of actors. For one, the elaborate set design and color scheme of “The Grand Budapest Hotel” are among its most remarkable features. Anderson, who is renowned for his obsession with detail, gave his characters an aesthetically appealing and highly stylized setting to live in. Every room and corridor in the hotel is expertly designed to evoke a feeling of nostalgia and richness. The hotel becomes a character in and of itself. His use of symmetry and carefully chosen colors creates a visually harmonious and balanced environment that is both whimsical and elegant. The audience is quickly drawn in by the hotel’s vivid and consistent colors against the bland snowy backdrop of the made-up Republic of Zubrowka. The vivid pink makes the hotel stand out like a symbol of warmth against the desolate and barren surroundings. This intentional use of color not only improves the movie’s aesthetic appeal, but it also acts as a metaphor for the movie’s recurring themes of escapism and nostalgia.
In “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” costumes also play a crucial role in character development and storytelling. The characters’ attire is not just a matter of style but a reflection of their personalities and social status. The use of costumes contributes to the film’s humor and helps differentiate between the various characters, from the impeccable uniforms of the hotel staff to the eccentric attire of the wealthy guests. For instance, the character of M. Gustave, played by Ralph Fiennes, is defined by his impeccable and slightly old-fashioned attire, which reflects his commitment to upholding the hotel’s traditions and standards. On the other hand, the character of Zero Moustafa, played by Tony Revolori, undergoes a transformation from a modest lobby boy to a wealthy and respected businessman, a change reflected in both his clothing and story.
Another essential component of mise-en-scène in Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is the use of lighting and cinematography. The movie uses a range of visual effects, including extended tracking shots and intricate miniatures. These methods help to explain the subject of the movie while also enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the movie. The film’s extensive use of miniatures and practical effects creates a surreal and dreamlike quality. The train fight sequence, for example, is a marvel of practical effects, with meticulously crafted miniatures and carefully choreographed camera movements. This focus on detail shows Anderson’s commitment to visual storytelling and gives the movie a whimsical touch. Which brings me to the question: what do we think Anderson was trying to convey by making the second train fight scene black and white, and what do we notice to be the contrasts and comparisons between both train scenes?
Thank you, Leonard, nice paragraph! I totally agree with your point about the color and custom design used in the movie. For the two train scenes, I believe they both contributes to the big idea about “the times”, which also reflects the sense of nostalgia. We have to notice that the teller in the film is the “old Mr.Zero” himself. The first time when Zero is on the train with M. Gustave, the overall scene was bright, warm, and colorful, which revels that Zero is going on a fancy journey, and the passport check was made passed because of M. Gustave once helped the captain. So when Zero is trying to retell the story, he feels warm because of both M. Gustave and the captain’s kindness. For the second train scene, we all know that M. Gustave was killed because of the conflict with those soldiers. Throughout the whole movie, Zero portrayed M. Gustave as a gentle, kind, and intelligent man. And from your analysis, M. Gustave also reflects that specific time period, and the precious kindness that mankind could have during that specific time. However, M. Gustave was killed, and Zero’s wife died because of flu, which gives Zero a down feeling when he ever recall this story, and this is the primary reason why the scene turns from colorful to colorless.
“You see, there are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity.” This sentence appears twice, first by M. Gustave on the first train, second by Zero when he explaining how he get the Grand Budapest Hotel. We can tell that M. Gustave has been portrayed as a gentle, kind, and intelligent man, and when he say this, he refers to the captain who gave them a pass. But why Zero said it once again? From my perspective, this appeals to nostalgia. Why Zero still want to live in his lobby boy dorm? Why Zero becomes a such gentle man? Zero himself answer it as for his wife. Sure he did, but some part of it is for M. Gustave. Because he portrayed M. Gustave as a gentle and kind man. Whatever he encountered, he never lose this sparkling kindness. Because every scene when Zero is with M. Gustave is colored bright and warm, except when M. Gustave died. Yes, from the second train time period, the kindness of man faded, just like M. Gustave was killed. People from then never thought about the sparkling kindness and the initial warmth. So Zero kept the Grand Budapest, not only for his wife, for M. Gustave, but also for the nostalgia of the past.
Hi Leonard, I enjoyed reading your post! I also liked the choices Wes Anderson made in terms of each scene’s composition, colors, lighting, and set design. The colors played a huge role in the mood of each scene, and the three timelines seem to have distinctive color themes associated with them (pink/red in the 1930s, yellow/orange in the 1960s, desaturated tones in present day).
In regard to the two train scenes, the two scenes are similar in that they show the same conflict at the same location: Zero, an immigrant, doesn’t have the appropriate papers when the soldiers come to check them at the barley field. The first train scene has a more harmless ending, with M. Gustave and Zero being allowed to continue their journey after Gustave is recognized by Inspector Henckels. However, the second scene is markedly different. The second train scene may have been shown in black and white because it marks the death of Monsieur Gustave; although it wasn’t explicitly shown, Zero says that the fight ended with the soldiers shooting M. Gustave. The second train scene is also the last time that either M. Gustave or Agatha are shown in the movie, and as Zero mentioned earlier, Agatha would later succumb to a disease that killed both her and their infant son. I think the train scene being devoid of color is representative of the tragedy of both Gustave and Agatha’s untimely deaths and Zero’s melancholy at losing the two people closest to him.