Boy With Apple

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2014)

Talking recently to a fellow IMDb'er,I was surprised to be told that Ralph Fiennes had teamed up with film maker Wes Anderson for a title that was going to come out in a few days time!.With the last movie that I had seen by Wes Anderson being his charming Claymation adaptation of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr.Fox,I felt that it would be the perfect time to pay a visit to Mr Anderson,in a grand Budapest-based hotel.
The plot:
The present:
Walking up to a monument statue for a writer that is based next to a long closed down hotel,a girl begins to read a book by the writer called The Grand Budapest Hotel.
The 1960's:The Grand Budapest Hotel-Republic of Zubrowka:central Europe.
Spending time in a hotel whose better days have long since past,a young writer suddenly notices a hotel guest who he has never seen before.Being introduced by a hotel staff member,the writer finds out that the stranger is actually Zero Moustafa,the owner of the hotel.Taken by the writer's clear signs of intrigue,Zero arranges for them to sit down for a meal,where he begins to tell the writer about his long history with the hotel.
The 1930's:
Getting hired to work as a bellboy for a grand hotel,Moustafa finds himself receiving a warm welcome from the hotel's owner M.Gustave H,who along with keeping a keen eye on all aspects of the hotel so that it remains immaculate,Gustave also gives some of the hotel's most loyal (widowed) guest a special bonus,by sleeping with them.
Despite openly admitting that she's not a 'fillet steak' Gustave finds himself taken aback by loyal hotel guest Madame D telling him that she is going to die in a few days time. Believing these to be the words of a half-crazed woman,Gustave waves goodbye,and turns his attention to the hotels cakes.Sadly,Gustave soon finds out that he was completely wrong,when he receives a letter requesting him to attend Madame D's will reading.
Taking new bellboy Zero Moustafa along for company,the train that Zero and Gustave are on is stopped by soldier's of a fascist army called Zig Zags, (The ZZ) who only allow the train to carry on,when leading ZZ general recognises Gustave from his childhood memories.Finding the will reading to be filled with dozens of family members who Madame had called 'hangers on',Gustave is left speechless,when he discovers that Madame D has left him her most prized procession:A highly prized painting titled Boy With Apple.
Angered by his mum's surprise,'loyal' son Dmitri Desgoffe-und-Taxis tells Gustave that he's been waiting years for his mum to die so that he can at last get his hands on the painting,and that he is going to make sure that neither he,nor Zero walk out with the painting.Finding themselves stuck in a corner,Moustafa and Zero decide that if Taxis does not allow them to walk out with the painting,then the only option that they have is to steal it.
View on the film:
Splitting the title's different eras into 3 changing aspect ratios,co- writer/(along with Hugo Guinness) director Wes Anderson allows the immaculately detailed work that art directors Stephen O.Gessler,Gerald Sullivan and Steve Summersgill have created to perfectly express the rise and fall in the hotels success,as the designers contrast the fading Art-Deco appearance that the hotel suffers in the 60's,with a ravishingly pomp that fill the hotel with precisely designed cupcakes and rooms which appear to contain furniture which has been built in a manner that will allow every minimal detail on the items to shine.
Creating an amazing atmosphere which allows for the distinctive features of the production design to stand out,Anderson and cinematography Robert D. Yeoman give the film an immensely warming 'hand made' quality,by using vast wide shots to show the quirky side of the character's location.Along with his keen eye for vast wide shots,Anderson also displays a terrific willingness to openly manipulate the movie's speed,with Anderson speeding up the film to give a number of scenes a strong comedic Fantasy feel,which is counter by Anderson displaying an unexpectedly downbeat side,by using stilted shots to gradually build a surprisingly tense affair,which is emphasised by Alexandre Desplat's coiling score.
Taking inspiration from the works of Austrian novelist Stefan Zweig,the screenplay by Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness strikes a delicate balance of placing the mysterious death of Madame D. at the centre of the title,whilst making sure that the comedic elements never become overpowering,and that the present day ruins of the hotel hang over the entire events.Placing the viewer in Zero's shoe's,the writer's brilliantly display the growing relationship that the character's have,as Zero goes from being desperate to get rid of the stolen painting as fast as possible,to Gustave risking his own life as he attempts to save Zero from the ruthless ZZ.
Playing both the young and the old sides of the character,Tony Revolori and F.Murray Abraham both give extraordinary,complimentary performances,thanks to Revolori showing that despite having a sense of naiveté ,Zero also has a firm loyalty to his boss/soon to be friend Gustave,the progression of which is expressed by the spot-on 'elder statesmen' direction that Abraham takes Zero to.
Joining the 2 Zero's,Ralph Fiennes delivers a stunning performance as Gustave,with Fiennes bouncing off every hilarious scene that he shares with Zero,and also keeping Gustave away from becoming a 'player' by displaying a genuine sincerity in his concern for Zero's safety,and also a real determination to make the building the grandest hotel that there will ever be in Budapest.