Wes Anderson’s latest film is his first true period piece, set largely in a fictitious European country. In the 1960s, a writer staying at the titular hotel has dinner with another guest, Zero Moustafa, who also happens to be the owner of the hotel.
His dining companion tells him a remarkable story of when he joined the hotel’s staff as a lobby boy 30 years earlier. At that time, the hotel was fashionable and flourishing mainly thanks to the efforts of the concierge, Gustave H, played by Ralph Fiennes. Gustave takes Zero under his wing and they soon become involved in a madcap tale of art theft, revolution, prison breakouts and doomed love.
In many ways this feels like the quintessential Anderson film, with the stylised design and set pieces – including a stop motion animation chase scene – and the appearances by all of his regular / occasional repertory company, such as Bill Murray, Jason Schwatrzman, Owen Wilson and Edward Norton.
The quirkometer is truly up to 11 as the increasingly bizarre story is played out. However, despite that, it is his film that most obviously shows the influences of other film makers outside of the usual Anderson universe. The director has spoken of the Hitchcock (Torn Curtain) homage in one pursuit sequence, but you can also see echoes of Powell and Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp in the story arc and even Duck Soup in the depiction of the military conflict.
The freakish and caricatured depictions of Ludwig (by Harvey Keitel) and Jopling (by Willem Defoe) are reminiscent of the early work of Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, such as Delicatessen or City of Lost Children.
Despite all of that, this is a pacy, fresh and funny movie, thanks largely to Fiennes’ performance, his best since Schindler’s List. Perfectly pitched, he portrays a contradictory character so well. Effete but a ladies man, refined but able to drop a very funny swear word to make his point.
He keeps the film moving even during its slightly sluggish third quarter. Adrien Brody also impresses as Gustave’s arch enemy and Tony Revolori is very good as the young Zero. You could accuse Anderson of not giving the female cast members enough to do – Tilda Swinton, Saoirse Ronan and Léa Seydoux are all fine actresses but small or underwritten parts here – but that is a minor fault of the film.
Definitely one for established Anderson fans, it may win him some new converts.
Rating: 7 out of 10