Movie Analysis

Good afternoon! As of writing this blog post, around a month ago, I had the pleasure of watching a movie by one of my favorite movie directors, Wes Anderson. After watching the film in its entirety, it quickly claimed its title as my all-time favorite movie, so when I discovered that I would need to analyze a film of my choosing for my upcoming blog post, I immediately knew what movie I would choose: 

The Grand Budapest Hotel

__________________________________________________________

Establishing Shot

To start this analysis, we must first analyze the focal point of the movie: The Hotel. This scene above shows the beauty of The Grand Budapest Hotel, which the film is named after. At first, the shot just seems like an average establishment shot showing off the hotel, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the shot is actually a miniature model of the hotel and not the actual thing. This is a stylistic choice from the director, using as many physical effects as possible, allowing the film to express a handmade feeling to the audience.

Along with this, the shot finds unique and interesting ways to emphasize the grandness of the hotel. The camera is positioned as if the hotel is being viewed from afar, but even when viewed from afar, it still takes up the majority of the shot; this is done on purpose as a way to emphasize the hotel's gigantic size.

__________________________________________________________

High Angle

Up next is the first shot of our analysis, where we get to see our two main protagonists: M Gustave (left) and Zero (right). The scene plays with them looking up at a painting that Gustave inherited due to his lover's untimely passing, with them discussing how valuable the painting is. 

The angle of the shot allows the audience to see the protagonists from above, where the previously mentioned painting is hanging. As they both stare intently at the painting, the angle makes them stare directly into the camera, almost as if they were looking at the audience themselves, creating a sense of closeness between the characters and the audience.

This scene also expresses the characteristics of the two protagonists through the character's height and clothing. Gustave is shown to be taller and elegantly dressed, which aligns with him being the more mature and knowledgeable of the pair. In contrast, Zero is shown to be visibly shorter with less than elegant clothing, emphasizing him being the younger and more naive of the two.

__________________________________________________________

Point-of-View Shot 

Henceforth, our next scene uses a point-of-view shot of another essential character within the film, Agatha. Agatha is portrayed as Zero's love interest, with this scene taking place in a carousel shortly after Zero proposes to her. The shot itself is seen through Zero's eyes; it emphasizes the beauty he sees in her, with the warm lighting hitting her face, potentially symbolizing the warmth and love that Zero feels toward her. The blurred background adds to this by showing that Zero's focus is only on her and that nothing else matters at this moment except for his one and only love. 

__________________________________________________________

Knee-Level Shot

For the context of this scene, later in the movie, Gustave escapes from imprisonment with the help of his prison mates. They do this by digging a hole into the floor, eventually making their way out of the prison. 

With that being said, the scene above is the police investigating Gustave's prison cell after his escape, with Police Chief Henckels in the hole Gustave escaped from. The camera is positioned to create a knee-level shot, which allows the audience to see the police chief giving orders to his men. The scene makes the policemen look stronger and more intimidating by having the scene create a sense of a low-angle shot, with the camera pointing up at the men, causing them to appear taller, stronger, and fearsome, and more, making them take up more of the shot.

__________________________________________________________

Two Shot

Lastly, this scene plays out toward the end of the film, with Gustave trying to find out who wrongfully framed him for the murder of his lover. His great adventure takes him and Zero across the country until he eventually finds the person he is looking for, who confesses to making the false claim while they are sitting in a church's confessional. This shot is meant to show the audience how tight and trim the box is for the two protagonists; the shot achieves this by shrinking the camera's view to a smaller window, simulating the cramped space they find themselves in. The scene also further defines the uncomfortability of the small space, with Zero being more towards the back than Gustave while having an expressionless face, showing how agonizing this tight space is for him.