Last night I finally watched the latest Wes Anderson film, The Darjeeling Limited. I never got around to going to the theatre for it, and I could kick myself for being so lazy. It's a gorgeous film that looked impressive on our big 50" tv, but it would have really been a spectacle in a theatre. Wes Anderson's last film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, was a bit of a disappointment (bloated and over-reaching, but interesting nonetheless). The Darjeeling Limited is a return to form, a silly and sad tale of three brothers trying to reconnect while on a "spiritual" journey through India. Wes Anderson's careful attention to detail and subtle sense of humor are on full display even though this is not as much of a comedy as Rushmore. Anderson has a polarizing effect on people, fans revere him and detractors revile him for his pretentiousness and snobbery. I'm afraid that The Darjeeling Limited may not win Anderson new fans, but it will be a delight for those who have enjoyed his previous work.
The sets and scenery of the film are rich and sumptuous. The scenes in the dining car of the train will leave your mouth watering for the taste of Indian cuisine. In fact, I'm headed to the only Indian restaurant in my area tonight so that I can close my eyes and pretend. Yum!
Oh, and make sure to watch the short film Hotel Chevalier if you get the DVD. It's fantastic in its own right.
4 comments:
I saw this in it's limited release, so I didn't get to see Hotel Chevalier with it. I've been disappointed with Anderson since Rushmore, but I really liked Darjeeling. It took a while, but when it was over I found it beautiful and sad and haunting.
And I think the scene where the brothers walk out of the tent to the Kinks' "Strangers" is one of the best matches of music and film I've seen in years.
Agreed about the kinks scene - The same thing went through my head while viewing. In fact, I think that the music in most of Anderson's movies is what I like the most about them.
Although Natalie Portman naked in the prequel short film is definitely a contender.
I watched it when it was at the Naro and just absolutely adored it.
I also fell in love with Adrian Brody.
I, too, loved this movie. I never like liked Adrian Brody before this movie, but this movie did it for me. And Angelica Huston is always awesome.
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