Intro to Film 2025 • Professor Gregory Zinman • Emory University

Tag: #TheGrandBudapestHotel

  • Wes Anderson’s Vision Behind The Grand Budapest Hotel

    While looking into how Wes Anderson made The Grand Budapest Hotel, I came across a 2014 YouTube interview with him (ScreenSlam). The interview provides important insights into Anderson’s cinematic approach and the artistic decisions used in the film. This new perspective will help us form new opinions on the film and gain more insight into the planning process that goes on behind every film.

    Anderson starts the interview explaining that the movie is “partly inspired by Hollywood movies, maybe from the 30s that were set in places like Warsaw and Prague, and Budapest” (Anderson). This connection helps the audience feel a strong sense of nostalgia throughout the film through the use of vibrant colors and detailed set designs.

    Hollywood films from the 1930s that were set in Central and Eastern European cities often reflected some political tension and a playful kind of storytelling. Directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Borzage created works that influenced Anderson (TIME). In the film Rear Window, Hitchcock had an elaborate setting that greatly influenced the story. Similarly, Anderson describes the hotel as a “character” that is essential to the film.

    Anderson’s use of camera angles, color palettes, and framing makes the atmosphere of The Grand Budapest Hotel unique and magical. Additionally, Anderson notes the importance of collaboration with his actors, as they brought the film’s unique characters to life.

    Although the interview provides an overview of Anderson’s artistic style and filmmaking process, it does not deeply explore the film’s themes (such as nostalgia) or broader cultural implications. Nonetheless, it helps us understand the hard work behind the film’s unique aesthetic.

  • Everything You Don’t See: Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

    To put it simply, I’ve never seen a Wes Anderson movie that wasn’t an absolute visual masterpiece; The Grand Budapest Hotel is certainly no exception. It is so aesthetically pleasing and unique, thanks to his creative use of color, filming techniques, and overall detail to the mise-en-scène of the movie.

    As an aspiring director, I always find it very exciting to see the behind the scenes of how certain scenes were shot and how certain ideas came to life in front of the camera. The video that I have attached above shows a glimpse into that process. It shows a variety of moments during the filming where Wes was discussing his visions for specific shots, set design and how they pulled off certain scenes, and makeup and costume procedures. I was surprised to see just how much effort and manpower goes into scenes that at first may seem more simplistic. During even a basic walking scene there were 5-6 people behind the camera carrying lights, microphones, and other important things for it to come out as good as it does. Or during a sit down conversation in the movie where the camera had to be spun around in certain way. It made me appreciate the movie and all the beautiful parts of it even more, because there was so much thought and passion put into it that most of the time we don’t get to see. It’s much more effective to see it than read about it, but I do strongly suggest to watch it if you’re interested in that area of film.