The Grand Budapest Hotel: A Love Letter to “Old Europe”
Wes Anderson's film is an ode to a continent of crumbling empires, fading elegance, and a civil society constantly under siege by brutal modernity. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a whimsical tale of two concierges and their adventures, unfolding before the backdrop of a glamorous hotel, once the crown jewel of its republic, now a faded, shabby set of walls regarded as nothing more than a fond memory. Fresh-baked pastries with delicate icing, handwritten letters, and witty humor hushed in a train car or a small servant’s quarters all complement and create this aesthetically pleasing film. But its message is far more than a fictional tale set in an idyllic town; it portrays the silent magic of the lost age of Europe, an era that you and I can’t remember, but can only dream about. A time of grace, poise, and quiet intellect. When arts and architecture flourished, crafting cities of vivid colors and draping arches, cobblestone streets and flurries of snow. The Grand Budapest Hotel...