The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson provides a nostalgic view through the eyes of a young boy (now an older man telling a young guest his story) of a once great hotel, now in disrepair and disarray. The film open us to a grand hotel , or the remains of one, as we follow a guest played by Jude Law, through a short tour, and overview of the few and solitary inhabitants of the hotel. A bold use of color is prevalent throughout the story, using small but bold bursts, to tie together story elements. We even see quite a few uses of color as a tool to symbolize our chronological location in the film, as it frequently jumps between years. One of the biggest and most obvious examples of this is the portrayal of the hotel itself. In the current storytelling and initial exposure we see it as a drab, less then luxurious establishments, in a grey tone reminiscent of rain. A clear sign of its aging and the departure of its golden days. In the story telling and reminiscence of the young lobby boy, now an older gentleman in charge of the hotel, the main concierge, we see the Grand Budapest Hotel in all its luxury, a bright pink establishment that demands to be looked at. Similarly, the staff is all united in dark purple uniforms, with the exception of the concierge who appears lighter and easier to find, in his slightly lavender accented uniform.

We see color and light used to immediately alert us to anything of import happening, and similarly, to distinguish who is of import. We notice that the staff of the budapest is accommodated in small, dimly lit orange rooms, while the Madame D, is portrayed as arriving in stark colors, with the sleek black car, and the icy blue sky outside, the snow makes a sharp impression as does her outfit. She is a symbol of opulence with jewels upon her arms and her hair coiled into a pouf as high as it can go. She is a humorous portrayal of the aging and lonely clients, accustomed to wealth and grandeur, that have come to Monsieur John to bask in the gratitude and adoration he pour on them. His quick wit, gentlemanly nature, and firm command of the serving staff make him the perfect companion for them. Her terror is evident as she is leaving and her stark red outfit, offset only  by a pitch black scarf was a dark foreshadowing of her fate to come.

The use of light is also gracefully used to slowly draw us, the listener, as well as the young guest/ writer, more intimately to the storyteller. Starting in the dining room, at first finely lit by the chandeliers, we notice its emptiness, as had been commented earlier by the guest, had prevailed as all the other guests preferred to eat alone. As the story progresses toward Monsieur Johns death, the light in the dining room is slightly lessened for each shot we are allowed back into finally, at the final confession/ storytelling of that fateful day on the train, we are left under a single spotlight in the dining room with the young writer and the young boy (now elderly and mysterious concierge). A similar light is used in the scene when Monsieur John and the lobby boy had just escaped the prison and confide in eachother their origin stories and the lobby boy tells John of how he came to be an immigrant and the loss of his parents to the war. This us of camera work and lighting is a stark contrast to the quick dolly movements in the beginning of the film. As i t had been filled with humor, following animated, almost cartoonish shots and lines, the film gave an aura of comedy and lightness, in the open shots of the characters and the lighthearted spins as a character would get joustled out of the way, or to show humerus and hyperbolic attention to something; particularly when the lobby boy discovers the newspaper stately the imminent commission of the war, but more importantly to the small world of John and the lobby boy in their hotel, the death of Madame G, a beloved and devoted customer, setting them off a journey to pay their respects to her, and to discover more about themselves.