THE FILM COMPANION GUIDE
THE HYDE PARK PICTURE HOUSE, LEEDS, MONDAY 19TH DECEMBER 2011, 21:00
Bottle Rocket An innovative and optimistic crime caper with plenty of surprises along the way. Moving on from petty crime to return to “the real world”, Dignan enlists the help of a master con man who sends them on a daring, and a somewhat ill-conceived mission.
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After their first bizarrely, and somewhat haphazardly executed heist, the trio take up residence in a hotel where Anthony soon falls for Spanish- speaking hotel maid Inezdespite the language barrier.
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THE REVIEW
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THE SUMMARY
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As self-elected leader, Dignan uses his optimistic, if naive charm, to persuade the help of their less than useful neighbour Bob Mapplethorpe as they hit the road to enter into a world of crime. Upon the release of his self-admitted psychiatric hospital stay following a nervous breakdown, direction less Anthony joins his old, and eccentric friend Dignan on a hare-brained scheme to undertake an as-yetunspecified crime spree, bringing former boss Mr. Henry along for the ride.
BOTTLE ROCKET
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A couple of years ago, I watched a film called Bottle Rocket. I knew nothing about it, and the movie really took me by surprise. Here was a picture without a trace of cynicism, that obviously grew out of its director’s affection for his characters in particular and for people in general. A rarity. And the central idea of the film is so delicate, so human: a group of young guys think that their lives have to be filled with risk and danger in order to be real. They don’t know that it’s okay simply to be who they are. Wes Anderson, at age thirty, has a very special kind of talent: he knows how to convey the simple joys and interactions between people so well and with such richness. This kind of sensibility is rare in movies. Leo McCarey, the director of Make Way for Tomorrow and The Awful Truth, comes to mind. And so does Jean Renoir. I remember seeing Renoir’s films as a child and immediately feeling connected to the characters through his love for them. It’s the same with Anderson. I’ve found myself going back and watching Bottle Rocket several times. I’m also very fond of his second film, Rushmore (1998)—it has the same tenderness, the same kind of grace. Both of them are very funny, but also very moving. -Review by Martin Scorcese for Esquire Magazine.
THE TRIVIA 1
There is a black and white picture of Jacques-Yves Cousteau hanging on the wall during the party- the famous oceanographer and videographer of whom is referenced through Wes’ films and cited as a personal hero.
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Wes Anderson and the brothers Wilson made a 13 minute B/W short film called Bottle Rocket (featured at the Film Festival prior to the 1996 ‘Bottle Rocket’ feature film) which was first shown at the USA Film Festival in Dallas. It met with a sufficiently enthusiastic response that they took it to Sundance where it came to the attention of screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson who directed it to towards Polly Platt and James L. Brooks. It was with their intervention that the team were able to get financial backing from Columbia to expand their short into a feature film.
THE ACTORS LUKE WILSON as ANTHONY ADAMS
THE QUOTES (DIGNAN) They’ll never catch me... because I’m fucking innocent.
OWEN WILSON as DIGNAN NED DOWD as DR. NICHOLS
(BOB) Wha- why is there tape on your nose? (DIGNAN) Exactly!
SHEA FOWLER as GRACE HALEY MILLER as BERNICE ROBERT MUSGRAVE as BOB MAPPLETHORPE ANDREW WILSON as FUTURE MAN TEMPLE NASH as TEMPLE LUMI CAVAZOS as INEZ
(ANTHONY) So, did you enjoy your first visit to the nut house? (DIGNAN) You, my dear friend, are a damn fool. (STACY SINCLAIR) Wow, you’re really complicated. (ANTHONY) I try not to be. (ANTHONY) I don’t think your happiness is quite appropriate. (DIGNAN) On the run from Johnny Law... ain’t no trip to Cleveland.
3 ‘Bottle Rocket’ is Owen Wilson’s film acting debut.
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‘Bottle Rocket’ has been quoted a one of Martin Scorsese’s top ten favorite films of the ‘90s.
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A unique, inspired and captivating film like no other- with cynical, intellectual comedy and darker themes throughout- Rushmore is a film that is hard to forget. Becoming both besotted with Ms. Cross and the battle for her affections with Herman, Max’s future at Rushmore faces still more troubles yet. Around the same time, Max meets the new first grade teacher, a widow, named Ms. Cross (Rosemary) with whom he grows an affinity. However, as Herman is introduced to Rosemary he too makes her the object of his affection- causing rifts between the two males. After a morning in Chapel, Max introduces himself to speaker Herman Blume- a disillusioned millionaire industrialistfrustrated with family life and an unhappy marriage, he seeks solace in Max’s ambition. Max Fischer is a precocious fifteen-year old, who proudly holds his place as both Rushmore Academy’s most extracurricular (president of Calligraphy, Beekeepers and fencing club, to name a few), and it’s least scholarly student.
THE SUMMARY THE REVIEW Rushmore is the second feature film to be directed by Wes Anderson and co-written by Luke Wilson. Like their other films (Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tennenbaums) this is a beautifully warped comedy, showing a whimsical reflection of an American prep school. Jason Schwartzman is perfectly cast as Max, managing to capture the essence of geekdom, the loneliness of those that choose to live how they see fit, rather than just quietly fitting in. Bill Murray is also excellent as the self made millionaire ‘Nam veteran. His competition with Max for the affection of Olivia Williams’ character, Miss Cross, makes this film both touching and hilarious. This is Wes Anderson’s romantic dream of what school should be like, but it never quite becomes ridiculous, there is enough bitterness and cynical humour to keep it plausible and brilliant. - Review by George Williamson Taken from Edinburgh University Film Society programme Autumn 2003 .
THE TRIVIA 1
The main filming location, the school, ‘Rushmore’, is actually St. John’s School in Huston, Texas, which was Wes Anderson’s own former high school. Many students from the school at the time of filming were cast for speaking and extras roles.
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A shot of Max Fischer sitting on a go-kart wearing a pair of goggles (and featured on the back cover of the UK DVD) is a recreation of a photograph taken in 1909 by French photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue. The two people go carting in the background are director Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson.
RUSHMORE THE ACTORS JASON SCHWARTZMAN as MAX FISCHER
THE QUOTES (MAX) I should probably be trying harder to score chicks.
BILL MURRAY as HERMAN BLUME OLIVIA WILLIAMS as ROSEMARY CROSS SEYMOUR CASSEL as BURT FISCHER
(HERMAN) She’s my Rushmore. (MAX) I know. She was mine too. (MAX) I saved Latin. What did you ever do?
MASON GAMBLE as DIRK GALLOWAY SARA TANKA as MARGARET YANG LUKE WILSON as PETER FLYNN STEPHEN MCCOLE as MAGNUS BUCHAN CONNIE NIELSEN as MRS. CALLOWAY
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(MAGNUS) I always wanted to be in one of your fuckin’ plays. (MAX) I was punched in the face. What’s your excuse? (MAX) But I’ve been out to sea for a long time. (MAX) My top schools where I want to apply to are Oxford and the Sorbonne. My safety’s Harvard.
The picture of Ms. Cross’ deceased husband which hangs on her bedroom wall is in fact a picture of co-writer and actor, Owen Wilson.
(MAX) I like your nurse’s uniform, guy. (DR. PETER FLYNN) These are O.R. scrubs. (MAX) O,R they?
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The first voice that appears in the film and tries to solve the problem to the equation in Max’s dream scene is Wes Anderson’s.
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An unforgettable story about family relationships- littered with sentiment, beauty and raw emotion throughout. As if from nowhere, their Father declares an interest in their lives- and announces (falsely) that he only has six weeks to live. Forced into the desire to reconnect with the family, we witness the evolved Tenenbaum family- with many love interests, partners and secrets along the way. Two decades on, the family has been left in tatters by years of lies, betrayal and failure that would affect the lives of the Tenenbaum children forever. Father Royal, once a successful attorney was married to archaeologist Etheline, and had three children- often regarded as “geniuses”Chas, a financial investor, Richie, a junior tennis champion and the three- time winner of the U.S Nationals, and adopted daughter Margot- a play write who won a 50, 000 dollar Braverman Grant whilst in ninth grade. An offbeat dark comedy about the reuniting of an estranged, dysfunctional, yet brilliant family- the Tenenbaums.
THE SUMMARY THE REVIEW “The Royal Tenenbaums”, quite frankly, is superb. Filled with expertly-crafted characters, award-worthy (and winning) performances and big laughs, it’s everything that your average movie isn’t. In a “Hey Jude”-accompanied opening spiel narrated by Alec Baldwin, we learn that Gene Hackman is Royal, the selfish, tactless patriarch of a family of geniuses. There’s financial wiz Chas (Stiller), tennis star Richie (Luke Wilson), and adopted playwright daughter Margot (Paltrow). Royal is eventually kicked out by his wife Etheline (Huston), essentially abandoning his family. As the movie starts, several years later, Royal is making a desperate attempt at a family reunion. Something not made easy by his increasingly dysfunctional offspring and nononsense spouse, who, despite harbouring deep-seated dislike or distrust for their old man, have found their lives’ successes and failures intrinsically connected to him regardless of his absence.
THE TRIVIA 1
Etheline Tennenbaum’s character is loosely based on director Wes Anderson’s own mother Ann Buroughs who, after divorcing his father, became an archaeologist. Burroughs’ actual glasses are worn by Etheline.
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Wes Anderson and Andrew Wilson provided the voices for the commentators during Richie Tenenbaum’s tennis match. However, due to the Wilson brother’s similar Texan accents, many assume that the second voice is that of Owen Wilson.
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The spots on the rare breed of Chas’ dalmatian mice were created using a Sharpie pen.
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The name “Buckley” for the dog came from singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley.
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS THE ACTORS GENE HACKMAN as ROYAL TENENBAUM ANJELICA HUSTON as ETHELINE TENENBAUM BEN STILLER as CHAS TENENBAUM
THE QUOTES (ELI) I always wanted to be a Tenenbaum (ROYAL) Me too, me too. (MARGOT) I think we’re just gonna have to be secretly in love with each other and leave it at that. (RICHIE) I’m going to kill myself tomorrow.
GWYNETH PALTROW as MARGOT TENENBAUM LUKE WILSON as RICHIE TENENBAUM
(ETHEL) How long have you been a smoker? (MARGOT) 22 years. (ETHEL) Well I think you should quit.
OWEN WILSON as ELI CASH BILL MURRAY as RALEIGH ST. CLAIR
(ROYAL) Anybody interested in grabbing a couple of burgers and hittin’ the cemetery?
DANNY GLOVER as HENRY SHERMAN SEYMOUR CASSEL as RUSTY
(ROYAL) I’m very sorry for your loss. Your mother was a terribly attractive woman.
KUMAR PALLANA as PAGODA ALEC BALDWIN as NARRATOR (VOICE)
(MARGOT) I think we’re just gonna have to be secretly in love with each other and leave it at that.
Funny, touching, intelligent, strange... well, let’s just stop before we run out of superlatives. - Review by Ben Falk, screenit.com, March 2002
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A film filled with adventure and beauty- Bill Murray’s Zissou is a dry-witted character hard to forget. The story follows the characters on what is perhaps Zissou’s last mission- showcasing their troubled relationships and the parody of himself that Zissou slowly becomes. With a new voyage- to “destroy” the Jaguar Shark, Zissou enrols his trusted team - including wife Eleanor “the brains of the team”, along with ultra-loyal German engineer, Klaus, the pregnant journalist, Jane, a Brazilian musician as a modern-day minstrel, and a (potential) estranged sonNed Plimpton, among others. Set in the bizarre world of documentary filmmaking, the story follows aged oceanographer celebrity, the lonely and isolated Steve Zissou after his last voyagewhere his best friend, Esteban, was allegedly eaten by the elusive “Jaguar Shark”. ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ is perhaps Wes Anderson’s most ambitious film to datefilmed upon the Italian coast with a cast full of truly memorable, if not legendary, acting talent(s).
THE SUMMARY THE REVIEW It is my duty to tell you to stop reading this review right now. Come back to it after you’ve seen the film if you like, but even reading the synopsis is more than necessary. All you need to know is that the film is a rare original, something of lasting value that will keep you engrossed and entertained in a dry, downbeat tone that is focused and filmic and fantastic. So you’ve seen it now? Great, isn’t it. Wes Anderson’s direction has created an ensemble in which Cate Blanchett’s pregnant English journalist is as perfectly in sync as Willem Dafoe’s sensitive and complex German engineer. I speak for myself, but I suspect I’m not alone.
THE TRIVIA 1
The red woollen caps worn by the characters are a reference to Jacques-Yves Cousteau, famed underwater film-maker
THE LIFE AQUATIC... THE ACTORS BILL MURRAY as STEVE ZISSOU
and co-inventor of the modern aqualung.
Seymour Cassel has a brief role as Esteban, the friend of Steve Zissou who is eaten by the Jaguar shark. According to Roger Ebert, Cassel once told him in an interview many years previously that he had always wanted to be eaten by a shark in a movie.
The film also confronts with its jagged mood switching, but Anderson never loses his balance and his grip on our feelings.
THE QUOTES
(STEVE) This is an adventure. CATE BLANCHETT as JANE WINSLETT-RICHARDSON
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Wes Anderson claimed to be going through an Italian phase during the time of making the film. That’s one of the reasons why it was shot in Rome
Technically proficient, and with a David Bowie song book behind it, The Life Aquatic is the film we’ve been waiting Bill Murray to make after Lost In Translation, and Wes Anderson to direct since Rushmore (1998). Worth the wait.
(STEVE) Don’t point the gun at him, he’s an unpaid intern.
OWEN WILSON as NED PLIMPTON
ANJELICA HUSTON as ELEANOR ZISSOU
Seu Jorge’s character’s name, Pelé dos Santos, comes from famous footballer (soccer player) Pelé and the only club he played for in his home country of Brazil, Santos.
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at the Cinecitta Studios.
- Review by Andrew L.Ubran for IMDB
(STEVE) Son of a bitch, I’m sick of these dolphins. (STEVE) I wonder if it remembers me.
WILLEM DAFOE as KLAUS DAIMLER JEFF GOLDBLUM as ALISTAIR HENNESSEY MICHAEL GAMBON as OSEARY DRAKOULIAS SEU JORGE as PELÉ DOS SANTOS WARIS AHLUWALIA as VIKRAM RAY
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(NED) ...I’m just a character in your stupid film. (STEVE) I hate fathers, and I never wanted to be one. (a woman asks a question about the Shark Zissou is hunting) (FESTIVAL DIRECTOR) [translating] That’s an endangered species at most. What would be the scientific purpose of killing it? (STEVE) Revenge. (STEVE) Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go on an overnight drunk, and in 10 days I’m going to set out to find the shark that ate my friend and destroy it. Anyone who wants to tag along is more than welcome.
Fuelled with subtle wit and poignancy, ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ is a touching story of love, brotherhood and finding inner meaning with life. Through the film we see more comedy, both light and dark which helps to unite the brothers- in times of joy and pain in equal measure- set to the backdrop beautiful Indian locations- a setting perhaps less alien to them than the “brotherhood” they now share with one another, and aspire to form once more. They bicker, argue and fight- falling into behaviour reminiscent of their youth, which eventually bonds them with a comic sentimentality, “I love you too, but I’m gonna mace you in the face”. Both personalities and times have changed for the brothers- no longer bonded by a strong relationship- each engulfed by their own personal struggles. Three estranged brothers, having not seen one another since their father’s funeral one year ago, are bought together by the eldest brother Francis, for a “spiritual journey” across India on the train, ‘The Darjeeling Limited’.
THE SUMMARY THE REVIEW Three brothers embark on a railway journey through India in Wes Anderson’s latest portrait of a dysfunctional family. The Darjeeling Limited is the train that carries them closer to reconciliation after a year of not speaking, but it’s the rapport between Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody that really drives the story. Despite their loosely sketched back stories, Anderson struggles to justify why Peter and Jack so readily indulge their brother’s whims. And unlike The Life Aquatic, the point of the expedition isn’t properly defined. Of course, as the brothers come to realise, it’s all about the journey not the destination, and there are plenty of entertaining diversions along the route. A series of fun but unfortunate events includes a stolen loafer, an escaped cobra and the reckless use of pepper spray. As usual Anderson opts for equal parts comedy and tragedy, meaning less belly laughs and more gentle snorts of appreciation as the tension between Francis and Peter builds. Brody is easy to feel for with his hangdog charm and Wilson’s turn as Francis approaches the subtle wit and poignancy of his debut role in Anderson’s Bottle Rocket
THE TRIVIA 1
The 11 suitcases seen in the movie are created by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton and they are decorated with giraffes, rhinoceros and antelopes designed by Eric Chase Anderson, the director’s brother. They all have the initials JLW.
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Natalie Portman, who appeared in a cameo, travelled to the film’s location in Jodhpur, India, to shoot for about half an hour and then spent 10 days exploring India afterward.
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THE DARJEELING LIMITED THE ACTORS OWEN WILSON as FRANCIS ADRIEN BRODY as PETER JASON SCWARTZMAN as JACK AMARA KHAN as RITA WALLACE WOLODARSKY as BRENDAN WARIS AHLUWALIA as THE CHIEF STEWARD CAMILLA RUTHERFORD as ALICE
ANJELICA HUSTON as PATRICIA
India together.
BILL MURRAY as THE BUSINESSMAN
Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman organically wrote the screenplay as they travelled around
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In order to achieve a constant limp while filming, Owen Wilson placed a small lime in his shoe.
THE QUOTES (FRANCIS) [Francis and Peter are beating each other up] You don’t love me! (PETER) Yes I do! (JACK) I love you too, but I’m gonna mace you in the face! (JACK) I wonder if the three of us would’ve been friends in real life. Not as brothers, but as people. (JACK) What did he say? (PETER) He said the train is lost. (JACK) How can a train be lost? It’s on rails. (RITA) What’s wrong with you? (JACK) Let me think about that. I’ll tell you the next time I see you. (JACK) Do you want to go in the bathroom and smoke a cigarette with me? (FRANCIS) Ok. Let’s check the next itinerary. (PETER) Fuck the itinerary.
- Review by Stella Papamichael for The Guardian, November 2007
THE FILM COMPANION GUIDE
A story of friendship, family, survival, and lovewith wit and surprises at every turn. It is when the frustrated Mr. Fox, along with companion, Kylie, make a grand plan for the last great theft from the three poultry farms, that the farmers reach breaking point- vowing to hunt Mr. Fox down- surrounding the tree in which they live, and refusing to ever give up. A short while after the move, the family are joined by Kristofferson, Mrs. Fox’s nephew, whose father has become ill. Soft-spoken and naturally gifted, Ash becomes aggravated with the new addition- feeling the pressure of the admiration his father has for his nephew. Two years later (or 12 Fox Years), the main story begins- we see Mr and Mrs Fox with their son, Ash- now living in a fox hole- Mr. Fox, now a newspaper columnist. Moving into a new home in the base of a tree, Mr. Fox contemplates the dissatisfaction of his work as he looks across at the farms of his new neighbours, Bogis, Bunce, and Bean. During a farm raid, Mr. Fox and Mrs. Fox are caught in a fox trap. Discovering in this life or death situation that his wife, Felicity, is pregnant, Mr. Fox vows, should they ever escape, that he will find a safer profession.
THE SUMMARY THE REVIEW “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” an animated picture with nothing in common with traditional animation, except that it’s largely in one of the oldest animation styles of all -- stop motion. Mr. Fox, voiced by George Clooney, was a flourishing chicken thief until times grew risky. Then, like a bootlegger after the repeal, he went straight -- or, more precisely, into journalism. He’s the Walter Winchell of the valley, until he slips back into dining on takeout chicken, taking them out himself. This he keeps a secret from the upright Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep). These adventures provide the setting for personal drama, as an uncertainty arises between Mr. Fox’s callow son, Ash (Jason Schwartzman), and a cousin named Kristofferson (Eric Anderson). Kristofferson is all a fox should be. He’s the family golden child, or fox. Does Mr. Fox admire the cousin more than his son? Children, especially, will find things they don’t understand, and things that scare them. Excellent. - Review by David Edwards for Mirror.co.uk
THE TRIVIA 1
Mr. Fox’s implanting of sleeping powder into blueberries for guard dogs to consume was taken from another Roald Dahl book, ‘Danny the Champion of the World’, in which raisins were used similarly on pheasants. The Dahl attorneys wanted it removed, but because it had already been filmed, Wes Anderson pleaded with them, and was able to keep it in the film.
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Wes Anderson chose to have the actors record their dialogue outside of a studio and on location to increase the naturalness: “We went out in a forest, went in an attic, went in a stable... we went underground for some things. There was a great spontaneity in the recordings because of that.”
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Portions of the audio version of the book can be heard in the film. The music Bunce is listening to on headphones when Mr Fox first steals from his farm is the audio book theme music.
FANTASTIC MR. FOX THE ACTORS GEORGE CLOONEY as MR. FOX MERYL STREEP as MRS. FOX JASON SCHWARTZMAN as ASH BILL MURRAY as BADGER WALLACE WOLODARSKY as KYLIE SVEN OPOSSUM ERIC CHASE ANDERSON as KRISTOFFERSON SILVERFOX MICHAEL GAMBON as FRANKLIN BEAN OWEN WILSON as COACH SKIP JARVIS COCKER as PETEY
THE QUOTES (MRS. FOX) You know, you really are... fantastic. (MR. FOX) I try. (ASH) You should probably put your bandit hat on now. Personally, I- I don’t have one, but I modified this tube sock. [they put on their ‘hats’] (KRISTOFFERSON) We look good. (ASH) Yeah, we do. (MRS. FOX) Excuse me? Am I being flirted with by a psychotic rat? (MR. FOX) A Titanium Card? [whistles] (MR. FOX) How did you qualify for this? (KYLIE) I pay my bills on time.
WES ANDERSON as WEASEL (MR. FOX) That was pure wild animal craziness.
4 Roald Dahl’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” was the first book Wes Anderson owned.