The Observer, October 19, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 8
Anderson impresses, both on screen and in person
A bus ride, like a train ride, can take you on an elaborate adventure to an exotic locale. The Beatles took a train ride in A Hard Day's Night, a murder took place on the Orient Express, and this time, three brothers take a "spiritual quest" on a train ride across India, as I took a ride on the RTA to the Cedar Lee theater.
I embarked on my adventure this past Saturday afternoon, invitation in hand for the press screening of Wes Anderson's newest film, The Darjeeling Limited. Treated as Hollywood royalty, I was guided through the lobby of the theater to a room, almost completely empty, that was reserved for the press screening of the film. I snuggled into my seat, teeth chattering in anticipation for this adventure.
Anderson prefaced his feature with a thirteen-minute short film, Hotel Chevalier. The marvelously charming short, starring only Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman, was actually released a couple weeks ago on the internet via the iTunes music store. Various blogs have quoted Anderson as saying that he hopes for his audience to watch Hotel Chevalier prior to The Darjeeling Limited, but it is not necessary to watch it first.
As the credits rolled at the end of The Darjeeling Limited, I was both excited and wired from the passionate and intriguing story that was presented on screen. Anderson has accomplished another aesthetically pleasing, profound film, which captures three siblings (played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) attempting to find themselves and to become brothers like they once were. The three reunite on a train traveling across India. Wired on over-the-counter drugs, the trio converses and connects during the train ride.
Owen Wilson's character, Francis, is visibly ill from a near-fatal motorcycle accident, which we find out by the end of film was actually a suicide attempt, as the two other brothers question him on it. Wilson's goofy, domineering antics clearly indicate that he is the dominant brother of the three. But Brody's character, Peter, gives the impression of being the most stable, since he has a wife and child on the way. Throughout the film, Wilson and Brody butt heads as the youngest brother, Jack, played by Jason Schwartzman, attempts to mediate.
The rapport that the threesome developed with each other helped them to become so personable and admirable to the audience. Though the three brothers all have ample personal troubles, such as Brody's lack of enthusiasm about his pregnant wife and Wilson's desperation to do something spiritual with his brothers, they all share the same dismal feelings of mistrust with each other and grief over their recently deceased father. Since their father died, there has been restlessness and anxiety amongst the trio. Wilson's character attempts to mend the tension while on this train ride, which eventually leads the brothers to the Himalayas, where they find their mother, played by Anjelica Huston, as a nun. Huston's performance as the mother was brusque; a longer appearance by her on screen would have given the audience an opportunity to embrace her intriguing character.
The Darjeeling Limited left me in high spirits; the quick wit and subtle mannerisms that each of the characters exhibited were very pleasurable – which I was prepared to tell Anderson himself. As I arrived at the Ritz Carlton to sit in on a press conference, I was led through the labyrinthian lobby to the sixth floor where I waited my turn to interview Anderson, Schwartzman, and Waris Ahluwalia, who played the chief steward of the train. I chatted with the other reporters, a medley of local college students from the area including CSU and Kent State, about the thrill of meeting the team behind the film we had just observed.
Finally, we were herded over to the press conference. The Darjeeling Limited team charmed us immediately with their smiles, warmth, and openness. When asked about the technicalities of the film, the ideas behind the arousing storyline, and the choice of music coordinated with each scene, they each answered very vividly and articulately. When Anderson was questioned about the recurring father-son theme within his films, he answered by explaining that, "[The Darjeeling Limited] did not initially have to do with parents…I just do what I like."
The relationship observed on film between the three brothers was mirrored in that pressroom. The three close friends and coworkers had a rapport that exhibited the same kind of enthusiasm and affection that we observed on film. When asked about how Ahluwalia liked working with the rest of the cast, he summed it up in one word: "Rad." Though his answer was terse, I respected it and if I may borrow his word, I would like to conclude that The Darjeeling Limited, and my personal bus-ride adventure, was rad, to say the least.
