Assignment 4: Stefan Zweig's Influence on Wes Anserson

The Grand Budapest Hotel, a fantastic film directed by Wes Anderson, is quite apparently influenced from the literary works of Stefan Zweig. It seems that Anderson, after falling in love with Zweig's writings, used both the authors personal life along with his writings( i.e Beware of Pity, The Burning Secret, the Post Office Girl) to draw creative similarities into his film.

One of the more noticeable similarities between the works of Anderson and Zweig is interestingly the tone from the narrator, who is controlling the story and speaking in from the future (reflecting on the past). This tone is somewhat passive, that is to say observing without any prior judgement, but defiantly prior knowledge. The narrator is quite sophisticated, using large words to describe people they see and interact with. This complicated and educated language resonates through both artists' work, and is used with special attention to character development. When Zweig wrote The Burning Secret it has almost a conversational feel in which Zweig would go off on glamorous tangents when describing characters, never fearing to get deeply personal. Zweig quickly develops a tangent ,once thought of as purely descriptive, into an important tool to convey information vital to the plot and development of the characters. Anderson’s technique is nearly identical. By bringing the viewers into these intensely personal descriptions of his characters he eliminates the viewer having to seek out information and draw conclusions about his characters.

In terms of subtext, both Zweig's literary works and Grand Budapest Hotel both highlight the issue of how society in Europe is being affected by the rise of communism and fascism. Zweig's Beware of Pity and The Post Office Girl both reflected on elements of World War II and Nazi oppression. In Grand Budapest Hotel Gustave was questioned by soldiers about Zero’s immigrant status, the same type of soldiers that seem to have had taken residence in the hotel. Then again at the end of the film, Gustave died trying to protect Zero and his girlfriend from the officers.

Assignment 3: What Would YOU Do? screenplay addition

The Anniversary Party Set Design         

            The Anniversary Party (specifically the 2001movie script by Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh) takes place in one primary setting, the home of Sally Nash and Joe Therrian. The movie takes place over the corse of only 24 hours, in which their relationship goes through an unexpected transformation in the presence of their close friends and cranky neighbors at their anniversary party.         
           If I was the set designer for this particular film I would take advantage of the singular geographic location and utilize every part of the grand home, back yard, and pool descripted in the screenplay. Joe and Sally are a fairly well off Hollywood couple, for whom money is not a large concern. I would design a set (or scout for a house that already existed) that resembles a high end Hollywood home. Large open room (lots of rooms at that) that each have their own aesthetic and color schemes. The visual feel of the rooms would fluctuate depending on the scene being filmed in there (i.e for the tense argument scence use harsh lighting to create contrast and tension -or- for the ecstasy scene emphasize the "trippy" colors and patters of the pool and patio). I think this film could very easy be just as visually dramatic with assistance of set/color/light, as it is narratively dramatic. 

Assignment 2: Who That Cool Artist

Leon Karrsen

          The artwork of Leon Karssen is honestly just really weird , and if he actually gives a fuck he is doing a really good job of not letting anybody know. His work is fantastic in my eyes, and a humorous but accurate fit for my generation. His simplistic compositions and characters make his work "catchy". Something about his work is seemingly nostalgic, I think it lies in his color palette choices. Bright neons and basic shapes, throw in some super tacky sparkles and some handwritten fonts. I don't know, something about it triggers a feeling of my childhood. Karssen's work is far from kid appropriate however, making it even funnier. As teenagers/ college students we are stuck between being a kid and an adult, we also crass, fed up, self-oriented, and overall crazy. I think Karssen's work also fits that description and thats why he is so popular on the internet today. 

Assignment 1: Questions

I am a fast paced, mentally messy person. I am paranoid and narcissistic. I have to much empathy. I hold to many grudges. I contradict myself. I love dogs. I am over obsessed with aesthetic. I eat to much cereal. I feel the need to define things but I struggle to define things. I am constantly lost, learning, and confused. I make up words. I tell bad jokes. I talk to animals in public.  I am chaotic, and indecisive. I will pet your dog.

Boston. No, south of Boston 40 minutes. 20 minutes north of Providence, Mansfield Massachusetts. So many trees.So many god damn beautiful trees. 19 years, five dogs, 7 cats, twelve rabbits , a guiana pig, hamster, horse,chinchilla, eight thousand fish. Good lord. Suburbia, clean mom, concerned parents, obnoxious child. Catholic school. Catholic middle school. Catholic High School, all girls? Scene phase, strict parents, bad haircuts. Drama club, cant sing, self esteem, boys. School, school, school. Family holidays, ill-awaited gatherings. Drama club, School. Feed the dogs. Let the cat in. Where are you going? Who are you with? Don't use that tone.

 

Honestly I'm not standing on much besides the sheer hope that the future will be bright/ish/er, and the hard work I put into my life will eventually pay off. Life can get pretty darn annoying and depressing. And honestly its just way to much work sometimes. But you've got to remember it will never get any better if you don't try hard. I want to do something fulfilling and satisfactory to me with my life, so I have to work hard.