If “auteur” were defined on Urban Dictionary.com, it would include a picture of Wes Anderson and stills from some of his uniquely well-crafted films. However, it has not been defined, so no such definition exists. Maybe when I’m bored I’ll add it. Anyhoo, back to Wes Anderson//auteur theory…
In recent years (with films such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, and Fantastic Mr. Fox) Wes Anderson’s visual aesthetic has seem to become even more meticulous and well defined.
In a short video entitled Mise En Scène & The Visual Themes of Wes Anderson, Anderson discusses his visual style in various interviews (including one with Terry Gross), mentioning his interest in theater as a recurring influence (video credit: Way Too Indie).
After watching The Grand Budapest Hotel (which for the record, I absolutely loved) one aesthetic tendency became very clear to me – even more so than in any Wes Anderson film I had seen before: s y m m e t r y. Nearly ever shot is painstakingly symmetrical, which lends itself to creating the sort of whimsical world within reality that Wes Anderson is known for. The cinematography and editing is stylized in a way that compliments every detail of the film’s art direction. It’s really quite magnificent.
As an ode to Wes Anderson’s style I’ve compiled some of the best .gifs from The Grand Budapest Hotel that highlight the immaculate attention to detail/symmetry in his work.
w e s a n d e r s o n ‘ s
t h e g r a n d b u d a p e s t h o t e l
