Hotel Chevalier

Plot synopsis:
In a hotel lobby, the concierge answers a phone call from a guest's room. A man (Jason Schwartzman) lies on a hotel bed in a yellow bathrobe, watching the black-and-white American war film Stalag 17 and reading the newspaper. After ordering room service from the concierge in broken French, he receives a call from a woman whose voice he recognizes. She tells him she is on her way from the airport and asks for his room number. Despite objecting that he did not tell her she could come, the man consents nevertheless. He then hurriedly attempts to tidy the room – pausing to play the opening bars of the song "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" by Peter Sarstedt on his stereo system – and runs a bath.
The man is again lying on the bed, now in a gray suit. Hearing a knock, he starts the song playing again before opening the door to a woman (Natalie Portman). After staring at him for several seconds, the woman breaks the silence by asking what music is playing. Receiving no response, she steps into the room and presents the man with a bouquet of flowers. When she moves to kiss him on the mouth, he turns his head away and they embrace instead. He closes the door and asks how she found him; she replies that it "wasn't actually that hard". She moves around the room browsing through his possessions, brushes her teeth with his toothbrush and declines to take the bath he had run for her.
Stepping back into the bedroom, the woman turns to face the man and confronts him, asking slowly "what the fuck is going on?" He motions to her to join him on the bed and at her prompting, he reveals in the ensuing conversation that he has been living in the hotel room for "more than a month", and that he had left to escape their relationship. They lie back on the bed looking at one another before being interrupted by the arrival of room service. Once alone again, the two kiss and the man begins to undress the woman. They have an uncomfortable exchange about not having slept with other people and when he notices bruises on her arm after undressing her further, the woman chooses not to comment on them. Lying on top of him, she tells the man that she does not want to lose his friendship, that she loves him and never meant to hurt him. He responds coldly that he "will never be [her] friend", but holds her when she embraces him. "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" starts again and the man offers to show the woman his view of Paris.
The woman is perched against an armoire, the man approaches and covers her naked body with the yellow bathrobe, and the two move towards the window. After they step out on the balcony, the man draws a toothpick from his pocket and hands it to her with an upwards nod, which she reciprocates. After looking out for another few seconds she clasps his neck lightly and they step back inside.

Tags: romantic

Review:
like a quick little short story, as Anderson puts it, the emotional subtleties make it work so well.
Hotel Chevalier is the kind of thing Wes Anderson could've written in his sleep- or for that matter written in his sleep while on the plane from the US to France to shoot in two days and edit on his computer.
But in such a quick burst of minor creativity he has created a stark, amusing and tragic little situation that makes clearer (if not totally clear) the disconnect between Jack (Schwartzmann's character from Darjeeling Limited) and the 'ex-girlfriend' (Portman, with her V for Vendetta cut coming back in and her attitude like that of a pure b***ch).
She decides against going into a bath Jack's specially prepared- as in Darjeeling we see the obsessive-control side to the Whitman family via the IPOD machine playing the song- and instead they go into a very 'French' kind of torturous love scene.
She does, by the way, but tastefully in the Anderson sense- we're not getting the wacky nudity of the girl from Life Aquatic who never has a shirt on, or the lesbian girlfriend of Paltrow in that one shot in Tenenbaums.
By the end, it doesn't make any grand statement about love or love in a hotel room or Paris, but in a self-contained way Anderson's created a mini-masterwork of emotional frustration in the midst of crazy lust.
And, by a stroke of something of a quasi-in-joke, like one of the 'brilliant' short stories that the character Jack writes that are 'fictional' though never really at the same time..
Not only is it the perfect prequel to (the wonderful) "The Darjeeling Limited", but it is a self-contained simple and moving story.This whole "New Wave" feeling is a departure from Wes Anderson's usually theatrical and highly-stylized film making.
Don't get me wrong, Rushmore is one of my favorite films and the Royal Tannenbaums is fantastic, but I am really digging this new naturalistic style Anderson is applying to his new films and cannot wait to see what he does next.Shwartzman is a wonderful actor who never ceases to entertain.
Really a beautiful short piece of enticement, with tone and sight and sound and dialogue all letting you know that there's a story here, while only hinting at the many things that story might be.
And it captures a particular feel that lets you in on the situation kind of like a good short story in a book does.The way the whole thing looks, and the way the action comes across, are pure Wes Anderson at his best.
Viva Short Film.And Thank You Especially, Miss Portman, for getting behind in your work.
This is a wonderful short film to introduce us to one of the main characters in Wes Anderson's film The Darjeeling Limited.
Personally I found this to be a nice little gift from Anderson as we wait for the release of The Darjeeling Limited.
I don't really understand the question about it appearing in theatres as part of the main film but I think it does a nice job revealing the characters a bit.
I know that many fans of Wes Anderson tend to be very thrown by each new film he creates and they tend to have a favorite that they won't stray from.
Designed as a semi-independent prelude to "The Darjeeling Limited", "Hotel Chevalier" proves that ten minutes of Wes Anderson's wizardry are worth more than many another big-budget director's feature-length film.
Where "The Darjeeling Limited" bubbles over with substance abuse, poisonous snakes, restroom romps, brotherly affection and fatal accidents, "Hotel Chevalier" is a quiet and slightly eerie two-character mini drama set in a lavish Merchant-Ivory style suite.
We watch as he half enjoys, half endures a surprise visit by his control-freak girlfriend (Natalie Portman).
It seems some of Natalie Portman's best work is done in shorts set in Paris.
In the version i've seen, Hotel Chevalier has been merely the prologue of The Darjeeling Limited.
Although weird, the short movie (or intro, in my case) has been more potent than the movie.Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman deliver a fine performance.
But you'll have to see The Darjeeling Limited to see how this love story ends..
One of the things i've always liked about Wes Anderson is how well he can subtly imply certain characteristics or histories in a dry sort of humor.
This film accomplishes that in a more pronounced scale than a longer film might have.Jason Schwartzman is great, perhaps the stronger of the two performances, although Natalie Portman is not to be dismissed here.Without giving anything away, the film accomplishes its goal of setting a mood and not forcing itself to tell the entire history - something too many other directors might have tried in a 13 minute time span and thus sacrificed most if not all of the actual feeling behind the couple's reunion.I rate this a ten out of ten - a great short, and even though i'm a big fan of Wes Anderson's, i'm glad he didn't over-stylize it.
At the end of The Darjeeling Limited, Jack has written the end of a short story and it is essentially the majority of the short film Hotel Chevalier.
Francis reads it and comments that it is hard to judge without knowing the rest of it and indeed this may have been a reference to the fact that you need to watch this short film in immediate combination with the film.
Others have asked why this part of the story was broken up from the film when it is clearly part of the story but my feelings on that are to simply shrug and ask when Wes Anderson ever did anything that was straightforward?
So a separate short film it is and to appreciate it you do need to know "the rest of it".Looking back on it from more of a knowledgeable position in regards the character is to introduce a level of understanding and emotional interest that is lacking the first time you watch it.
So in terms of content, while it is "better" watched with the film, it still doesn't deserve to be a separate entity.I suppose the one thing in its defence would be that, as an upmarket trailer, it will really work for Anderson's fans.
The restrained and yet brooding emotion of his two characters are well painted in the dialogue but, more importantly, Schwartzman and Portman nail it  the former in particular showing as much pain as desire in his actions and language.
The colours and the shots all make the film look great and Anderson makes great use of the limited space within the hotel and for fans it will be a matter of lapping this up.
But for me I have the same reservations as I have had with one or two of his features in the way that the style and manner may interest me but there is nothing of substance to really engage with or feel for.Hotel Chevalier is a strange beast then; it can be viewed in several ways but it is not that great in any of them.
As a part of the Darjeeling Limited feature it is a solid couple of scenes but not more or less remarkable than the rest of the film.
As a stand alone film it offers style and typically Anderson manner but very little in the way of real meat.
Regardless it does have good stuff in the style, the performances, the simmering emotion and the overall delivery but it badly needed to either be part of the film or expanded and strengthened to be able to stand alone as a short film that "connects" to the feature rather than being "connected" to it (if you appreciate the difference)..
This short film "prologue" for The Darjeeling Limited certainly works as an alternative to ordinary previews for giddy fans anticipating the movie that is to follow (heck its like it's own dorkier, elitist version of the whole Grindhouse shenanigans), but other then that gimmick itself, offers little else.
The performances, pacing, and plot all verge on annoyingly artsy in that laughable, self-conscious, almost mocking sort of way, rendering this strange, superficial little piece simply "the movie where you see Natalie Portman's butt"..
This film is about the relationship between two characters in a hotel room.As a standalone film, I am not sure "Hotel Chevalier" works.
Or Natalie Portman's character is trying to shut Jason Schwartzman off?
After watching the short film I am very confused about everything.The hotel room is very nice, the sets are well decorated, and the scenes are thoughtfully composed.
However, these are not enough to make a film watchable.I am sure it will make more sense after watching The Darjeeling Limited.
But of course, the immortal Natalie Portman can do anything and she plays this part in such a way that you think about it for a long while afterward.The Darjeeling Limited was a decent movie (and I emphasize decent) but The Hotel Chevalier was absolutely great.
Jack (Jason Schwartzman) hasn't been in the United States in a long time, and has been living in hotels, trying to get over his girlfriend, or get with her, or do something in his post-break up period of life."Hotel Chevalier" is a short film (to be shown before the movie).
It tells the story of Jack and his girlfriend (Natalie Portman).
Natalie Portman, like always, is spectacular alongside Jason Schwartzman..
I suppose if Anderson's intention was to create hype then fine, he did his job, I will watch The Darjeeling Limited just out of curiosity to see whether he will redeem himself.The background music is far too loud and distracting.
Modern filmmakers seem to scorn the smaller canvas of the short film, which is a shame because beautiful things can be drawn in small, vivid detail.
Some films simply don't warrant a feature, as The Darjeeling Limited exemplifies.Hotel Chevalier is a prelude to that film, and it largely works because Anderson lays bare feelings that remain inscrutable, allows to blossom a sense of history and time past between the two lovers.
In their small, intimate moments in a hotel room, I get the sense of a time that extends back and forward, that these people loved, were hurt or excited, elsewhere, in some other time, and this snapshot is all that remains.This is memory, a sense of place and time.
Jack Whitman (Jason Schwartzman) is alone in a comfortable European hotel room.
They make love and afterward, they go out on the balcony.Director Wes Anderson makes this short as a prologue to 'The Darjeeling Limited'.
I love Wes Anderson but Darjeeling is not one of my favorites.
This short definitely has the Wes Anderson touch.
There are also those who think that you have to "get" Anderson, or you are some ignorant rube.This short film did not make me want to check out Wes Anderson's new film.
That ought to give me enough Swartnman and Anderson to determine whether I "get it," or am just a rube.I do, however, like the idea of shorts as a prelude instead of trailers.
This short film is a prologue to Anderson's "The Darjeeling Limited" and shares its flaws.
Wes Anderson released this short film in 2007 as a prelude to his full-length film THE DARJEELING LIMITED, which depicted three brothers trying to reknit frayed ties on a train journey through India.
In this short, Jack (Jason Schwartzman), one of the brothers, has been hiding away in a Paris hotel room for months.
He is suddenly visited by a former lover (Nathalie Portman), with whom he appears to have had a troubled relationship, and whom he has not seen in a long time.
The rekindling of their passion is played out almost in real time in front of the camera.The short is in fact important as back story for the longer film, as Jack's relationship with this girl is alluded to, and objects from the hotel (such as a bathrobe) appear among his luggage in India.
However, both the short and THE DARJEELING LIMITED suffer from the same flaw, namely that Wes Anderson had enormous eye for visual detail, but his attempt to depict a human drama comes off as cold and unmoving.
However, the acting that Anderson brings out of Schwartzman and Portman is hammy and unconvincing.With that visual richness but lame human drama, I cannot really recommend this short to a general audience, but it may be worthwhile for Anderson fans who have come to like his aesthetic from another film of his..
I think most of Wes Anderson's films are products you either love or you hate.
To say that his films lack conventional plots is an understatement--and the same can be said about "Hotel Chevalier".
This short features what seems like an out of context snippet--not enough to tell a story and not one where you know much about the characters.
As for me, I have enjoyed some of Anderson's quirky films quite a bit (such as "Moonrise Kingdom" and "The Royal Tannenbaums") and hate thoroughly hated others (such as "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" and the film that this short precedes on the DVD--"The Darjeeling Limited".
And, like the full length film, "The Darjeeling Limited", "Hotel Chevalier" lacks context and is tough to love.
To me, it was just a snippet of a film involving two one-dimensional characters who meet in a hotel room to screw and not much more..
I saw The Darjeeling Limited on the big screen (during the 49 Muestra International de Cine back in 2007) and certainly I saw this short film, now that I added to my collection the DVD of the film I saw Hotel Chevalier for the second time.
In The Darjeeling Limited the great Bill Murray has a very little appearance, is a great very first scene of the film with Murray but there's nothing that will connect Murray's character with our three main characters that are played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman (just that he tried to take the train that our main characters took).
Natalie Portman appears less than Murray in Wes Anderson's latest film to date (his next project, Fantastic Mr. Fox, is going to be released on 6 November 2009 in the US), actually she only appears in one sequence for some seconds, she has no dialog, during the whole film, during the time in India she is not present, but only physically.
Jason Schwartzman is great as Jack Whitman but well I guess those complements would be better in my comment for the feature film.
Here is all quite strange once Portman's character arrives to the hotel Chevalier, "what the f*** is going on?" she asks, and the song "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)" (completely unknown by me until I saw this short film, now I carry the soundtrack of The Darjeeling Limited in my iPod) stops just before the first kiss after at least more than a month happens.
if you've gone to the theatre to see Darjeeling Limited lately, it is preceded by this short film prologue to the feature presentation.
Though shot before The Darjeeling Limited, apparently the idea behind it is to create a better understanding of Natalie Portman's character's relationship to Jason Schwartzman's character.
In fact, as short films go, this one does not make it high on my list of favorites, just to be polite.It does have its moments and it successfully stands alone.
In fact, for Anderson enthusiasts, this short film is most interesting because it shows his approach to style as it would be confined to a single hotel room.
The Darjeeling Limited itself doesn't need this, and this short is more curious than it is revelation-creating.
Wes Anderson has made some movies, some of which actually have characters and pacing, but is somehow reverted to wannabe status.
Writing like this comes when you don't know who your characters are, but you know what you want them to do.
This short film here is actually closely connected to Wes Anderson's movie "Hotel Chevalier", so it is no surprise that he is also listed as writer and director for this one.
The song is perfect (Peter Sarstedt - Where Do You Go To My Lovely) and fits the atmosphere 100%, the sets, camera shots and colors look so unique that you immediately know it is Wes Anderson and the two characters are very interesting to follow in their interactions.
Since most people are only familiar with a limited number of Anderson's films, I will start by pointing out that this is not the quirky whimsical reverie that one sees in his better-known works.
Speaking of which, the fact that this is the only document which contains a much closer inspection of Natalie Portman's natural beauty makes this in and of itself a mouthwatering treasure of a film.
I give this film an 8 (not a 10) only because it doesn't actually show all of Natalie at her peak, but what it does show is more than worth the 12+ minutes of your earthly time.
Not a real big Anderson fan, but you can count me in on any piece of film that shows off any part of Natalie Portman's impressive ASSETS!
If there is one thing we can agree on it is that there is no real conceivable way to fit this into The Darjeeling Limited.
This is of course nonsense in that particular situation; she has a boyfriend (or ex?), her own life worlds away from Jack, and he is simply trying to force the same relationship that he lost in this short film.
Hotel Chevalier explores this sorrow in more detail but including it would take away from the two other brothers' stories, which together make up the family dynamic which is so crucial to the film.