The French Dispatch
If l was a filmmaker or Art Director, l am not sure if l would be inspired or depressed. ‘Inspired’ because The French Dispatch is so beautifully crafted that it reinforces the place of cinema as an art form and cultural beacon; ‘depressed’ because it is so beautifully crafted that does it get any better? How could a young film maker not be at least a little intimidated by The French Dispatch?
The French Dispatch, 2021.
Directed by Wes Anderson, The French Dispatch is at times a little hard to follow, a little obscure, a little bizarre but a lot exquisite. Scene by scene, this film is considered and thoughtful. Maybe too thoughtful? Can a film be too beautiful, too constructed, too considered? Maybe but l just let those critiques go because regardless, The French Dispatch is another world and ultimately that’s what cinema can do better than almost anything (and music?).
Anjelica Bette Fellini, Bill Murray and Elisabeth Moss.
With a crazy all-star cast, at times l thought this film was an excused for the Hollywood acting fraternity to spend some time together during Covid lockdown. Long-time collaborators Owen Wilson and Bill Murray were there. Tilda Swinton played the public lecturer, Lea Seydoux played the artists muse and prison guard, whilst Adrian Brody the art dealer and Timothee Chalamet the idealist student revolutionary. All characters seemingly clichés of themselves; dramatic, comic, a caricature.
The French Dispatch, 2021.
The hero of The French Dispatc is the Production Design (by Adam Stockhausen), Art Direction (Mattieu Beutter, Loic Chavanon, Stephane Cressend, Kevin Timon Hill), Set Decoration (by Rena De Angelo) and Costume Design (by Milena Canonero). The aesthetics of the film as a displaced, anarchic and nostalgic French time bubble are gorgeous and at times grotesque. If you ever get a chance, take a look at this YouTube film on the The French Dispatch model shop. Whilst watching the film (the actual film not the YouTube clip), l kept on thinking ‘how did they do that?’, ‘how did they make that set?’. This short film of the model shop gives a glimpse into the effort and craft that goes behind making films and why I am hoping there is always a place for cinema in years to come.
SW.