Synopses & Reviews
Wes Anderson's eighth feature film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, is the fullest expression to date of Anderson's varied thematic and stylistic idiosyncrasies and influences — a meticulously crafted, visually resplendent matryoshka-doll caper set primarily in an alternate-history version of 1930s Europe. This supplementary, one-volume companion to The Wes Anderson Collection (Abrams 2013) is the only book to take readers behind the scenes of The Grand Budapest Hotel, with in-depth interviews between Anderson and cultural critic and New York Times bestselling author Matt Zoller Seitz. Anderson shares the story behind the film's conception, the wide variety of sources that inspired it — from author Stefan Zweig to filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch to photochrom landscapes from turn-of-the-century Middle Europe — personal anecdotes about the making of the film, and other reflections on his filmmaking process. These interviews are accompanied by behind-the-scenes photos, ephemera, and artwork, as well as exclusive critical essays by Ali Arikan, Steven Boone, David Bordwell, Olivia Collette, and Christopher Laverty; interviews with costume designer Milena Canonero, composer Alexandre Desplat, lead actor Ralph Fiennes, production designer Adam Stockhausen, and cinematographer Robert Yeoman; and an introduction by playwright Anne Washburn.
Synopsis
This companion to the
New York Times bestselling book
The Wes Anderson Collectiontakes readers behind the scenes of the Oscar(r)-winning film
The Grand Budapest Hotelwith a series of interviews between writer/director Wes Anderson and movie/television critic Matt Zoller Seitz.
Learn all about the film's conception, hear personal anecdotes from the set, and explore the wide variety of sources that inspired the screenplay and imagery from author Stefan Zweig to filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch to photochrom landscapes of turn-of-the-century Middle Europe. Also inside are interviews with costume designer Milena Canonero, composer Alexandre Desplat, lead actor Ralph Fiennes, production designer Adam Stockhausen, and cinematographer Robert Yeoman;essays by film critics Ali Arikan and Steven Boone, film theorist and historian David Bordwell, music critic Olivia Collette, and style and costume consultant Christopher Laverty; and an introduction by playwright Anne Washburn.Previously unpublished production photos, artwork, and ephemera illustrate each essay and interview.
The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel stays true to Seitz's previous book on Anderson's first seven feature films,
The Wes Anderson Collection,
with an artful, meticulous design and playful, original illustrations that capture the spirit of Anderson's inimitable aesthetic. Together, they offer a complete overview of Anderson's filmography to date.
Praise for the film, The Grand Budapest Hotel Four Academy Awards(r), including Costume Design, Music - Original Score, and Production Design;Nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Directing, and Writing - Original Screenplay; Best Film - Musical or Comedy, Golden Globe Awards; Best Original Screenplay, BAFTA, WGA, NYFCC, and LAFCA Awards
Praise for the book, The Wes Anderson Collection
The Wes Anderson Collectioncomes as close as a book can to reading like a Wes Anderson film. The design is meticulously crafted, with gorgeous full-page photos and touches . . .
Eric Thurm, The A.V. Club
Also available from Matt Zoller Seitz: Mad Men Carousel, The Oliver Stone Experience, The Wes Anderson Collection: Bad Dads, andThe Wes Anderson Collection.
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About the Author
Matt Zoller Seitz, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for criticism, currently writes for
New York magazine, serves as editor in chief of RogerEbert.com, and is the author of
The Wes Anderson Collection (Abrams, 2013).
Anne Washburn's plays include Mr. Burns, The Internationalist, A Devil at Noon, and a transadaptation of Euripides's Orestes. She lives in New York City and, occasionally, Buenos Aires.