The Allusive Auteur: Wes Anderson and His Influences
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Allusive Auteur: Wes Anderson and His Influences By Timothy Penner A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of English, Film and Theatre University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2011 by Timothy Penner i Abstract Writer, producer and director Wes Anderson‘s unusual and idiosyncratic films take place in world which seems to be entirely his own. Often anachronistic and highly stylized, the Andersonian universe looks like little else being shown in contemporary cinemas. Yet, Anderson is also one of the most allusive filmmakers working today. Littered throughout his oeuvre are endless allusions to films, directors, authors and books which have had significant influence on Anderson as an artist. In fact, Anderson‘s films can only be fully appreciated when viewed through the lens of his many sources, since his films emerge as he carefully collects, compiles and crafts his many influences into a sort of collage. In order to understand how this dichotomy operates in Anderson‘s work I examine the influence of several key directors, authors, and films. Through this study I show that one of the things that make Anderson unique is the very way in which he interacts with the sources to which he is alluding. It is his uncommon ability to weave homage and critique together which makes him a truly allusive auteur. ii Acknowledgements It is impossible to embark on any project of this sort without a great deal of guidance from those who have journeyed this road before. With that in mind I would like to thank my thesis advisor Dr. Jonah Corne, who despite taking me on quite late, provided invaluable advice and encouragement through numerous drafts and revisions. Thanks as well to Dr. Eugene Walz who offered a great deal of advice early on and proposed excellent questions as a member of my defence committee. Thank you to Dr. Kenneth MacKendrick, who served as the external member of my committee and whose questions and advice helped me to reshape some of the fundamental ideas within my thesis. A special thanks to members of the University of Manitoba Film Department Dr. George Toles, who introduced me to the often daunting world of Robert Bresson in addition to many other great filmmakers, and Dr. Steve Snyder who first put the idea in my head that I could take on a project such as this. Thanks also to Dr. David Watt whose consistently positive advice kept me from falling into despair as I wandered through the many hurdles one must navigate on the way to a graduate degree. Thanks are also in order for my family and friends, who despite an inability to always understand my obsessions, have offered a great deal of support and encouragement through many years of academic study. Finally, thank you to my wife, Jane, who in addition to offering every kind of support imaginable, is also one of the best researchers any graduate student could hope to be blessed with. iii For Jane. “She’s my Rushmore, Max.” iv Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... v Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 Scorsese, Bresson and Schultz .......................................................................................... 15 Chapter 2 Orson Welles, Francois Truffaut and the Reintegration of the Family............................. 46 Chapter 3 White Whales, India and the Trap of Adolescence: Anderson's Adventure Cinema ....... 66 Chapter 4 Suitcases, Strongboxes and the Spectre of Salinger ......................................................... 90 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 106 Works Cited .................................................................................................................... 110 v List of Figures Figure 1.1................................................................................................................................24 Figure 1.2................................................................................................................................33 Figure 2.1................................................................................................................................52 Figure 2.2................................................................................................................................52 Figure 2.3................................................................................................................................54 Figure 2.4................................................................................................................................54 Figure 2.5................................................................................................................................59 Figure 2.6................................................................................................................................60 Figure 2.7................................................................................................................................61 Figure 2.8................................................................................................................................62 Figure 2.9................................................................................................................................63 Figure 2.10..............................................................................................................................63 Figure 4.1................................................................................................................................98 Penner 1 Introduction “Whenever I am getting ready to make a movie I look at other movies I love in order to answer the same recurring question: How is this done, again?” Wes Anderson A highly stylized conversation between three accomplices plays out in front of a grand European manor house. The dialogue is clichéd, something about a data processor, and ends with the explosion of a car bomb. Suddenly a director is heard calling cut from somewhere off screen and the full artifice of what we are viewing becomes clear. The sound of Georges Delerue‘s ―Le Grand Choral‖ drifts in on the soundtrack as the director, a slight man with long hair and a suit that seems a size too small, appears from behind a battery of cameras, monitors and other assorted film equipment. He calls out some instructions for his crew before turning his attention to the camera directly. He is about to give his audience a crash course on the art of making a film, but before he can get a full sentence out, he is interrupted by endless questions from actors, writers and technicians who need his approval on dialogue, props, technique and budget items. Finally, he offers his credit card to pay for an expensive helicopter shot before taking a seat on a large crane which elevates him high above the pandemonium of the film set. This scene is from a 2005 commercial directed by and starring American director, producer and screenwriter Wes Anderson, which ran as part of the American Express ―My Life, My Card‖ ad campaign. Despite being one of the more interesting TV spots to come out of the campaign (which also saw commercials from the likes of Martin Scorsese and M. Night Shyamalan) the ad reveals a great deal about how allusion operates in Anderson‘s films because while the commercial is recognizably Andersonian, Penner 2 the ad is a also masterful homage to French director Francios Truffaut‘s 1973 film La Nuit American. Anderson is widely recognized for the unique nature of his films. His set design, costuming, camera movements, acting style, narrative form, musical choices and attention to detail all work together to create one of the most distinctive directorial approaches from an American director in many years. However, despite how singular his films seem, it is also the case that Anderson is one of the most highly referential directors working today. Littered throughout his oeuvre are endless allusions to films, directors, authors and books which have had significant influence on Anderson as an artist. This is not to say that his films are derivative or lazy, but rather that they are skilfully created pieces which depend on a framework made up of the filmmaker‘s influences. In fact, Anderson‘s films can only be fully understood and appreciated when viewed through the lens of his many sources, since his films emerge as he carefully collects, compiles and crafts his many influences into a sort of collage which then becomes his own. The notable traces of Martin Scorsese‘s idiosyncratic and highly stylized approach to filmmaking; of Robert Bresson‘s unusual acting style; of Orson Welles and Francois Truffaut‘s stories of familial decline; of Herman Melville‘s meandering storytelling and egomaniacal heroes; of George Steven‘s thirst for male