I suspect that the films of Wes Anderson are a bit of an acquired taste— a bit like Marmite. I find them fascinating as much for their visual appeal as their storylines, but I can imagine that others would find that not to their liking.
Like other “cult” directors Anderson has been given the Design Museum exhibition treatment with a peek into his archives.
Opening the Archives
On a hot day in London it was nice to step into the air-conditioned space of Kensington’s Design Museum for an exhibition which was very similar to the one they held last year for director Tim Burton. You are taken round through several rooms looking at Anderson’s career starting with his earliest work to the present day though objects from his personal collection, props and screens showing clips.
Anderson has developed such a destinctive style that it has spawned the Accidently Wes Anderson movement, the exhibition of which we visited back in 2024. Much of that style was, of course, on display here.
His Own Man
What I found interesting was while directors such as Woody Allen tend to film in one place, Anderson seems happy to film anywhere and use real locations for his shoots— a house in New York, an empty department store in Görlitz, Germany. He also works with a recurring cast of people both on the writing and acting side, including the likes of Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, and Owen Wilson. The latter two’s mothers (Sylvia Plachy and Laura Wilson) also acted as photographers on a number of shoots, and their photos featured heavily in the exhibition.
There were plenty of films featured that I had seen, such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The French Dispatch, but a few that I hadn’t including his debut Bottle Rocket. Seeing them all laid out here gave me a hankering to watch them again. If fact, I came out and ordered a couple of the screenplays to read as a stop-gap until I find the time to watch the films.
I guess that’s the next few weeks sorted out then!
