The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – W. Anderson

During a break from conference action, I went to the latest Wes Anderson film to recharge my little grey cells. Yes, I was in the mood for whimsy. And, whereas Anderson's film certainly does take on the usual playful air -- cramming the screen with eccentric characters and set decorated to high heaven, there's also room for darkness. We're treated to a flashback (1932) within a flashback (1968) told from the vantage point of 1985 about a mythical though reality-based Eastern European country (Zubrowka) that like many others is overtaken by fascism and secret police in the 30s and neglected decay in the late 60s (we don't see too much of the 80s). Anderson uses matte paintings as background and occasionally throws in some old-school animation (the wicked sledding scene) to heighten the fairy tale aspects of the film (after all, we are being told a story). Ralph Fiennes is delightful (and displays excellent comic timing) as Gustave H. the concierge of the titular hotel and Tony Revolori (as Zero, a.k.a. Young F. Murray Abraham) keeps pace. Of course, a host of other Anderson regulars make brief appearances. The whole fanciful creation (not unlike a pasty from Mendl's) comes together as a wondrous miniature reality that deserves further scrutiny to observe the plentiful details that were surely overlooked the first time.