A meaningful, fresh, and evocative perspective on life. Wes Anderson pulls together a masterful cast that translate such a meaningful script from a work of theory into an act of practice. The French Dispatch takes viewers through a collection of stories written from the perspectives of the journalists who work for a Newspaper Company owned by Arthur Howitzer Jr. In its totality, The French Dispatch nudges viewers to contemplate the meanings of each story and to place those conclusions into the broader meanings of life. In the coming sections of this review, you will find a chapter breakdown of each section of the movie followed by my complementary analysis. By the end, I will finish this review with my parting thoughts about the movie and disclose my rating.
Introduction
The beginning of the movie starts with a brief introduction, covering all the moving parts of the newspaper while also giving viewers insight into some of the characters. With a crisp female narration and whimsical camera shots, Wes Anderson provides a sip of what is to come in the following scenes. Some of my personal favorites are when we view the characters from the position of what is being looked at. This creates a fun and interesting paradox since we are simultaneously the viewer and the viewed.
Section 1: Sazerac
As the French town wakes, Sazerac takes us on a heartfelt, poetic, and reminiscent tour. What makes these scenes so tasteful is that Wes Anderson blends so many scene types. We see scenes that look like they were done on a stage with a moving backdrop; but after the backdrop moves, the background is CGI. This playing around with different mediums creates interesting “ah ha” moments that both challenge audience members while simultaneously displaying a glimpse into Wes Andersons creative mind. By the end of the section, it appears that Howitzer is trying to push Sazerac’s authenticity by reading it like a common person. Sazerac maintains his artistic sense and doubles down on the beauty of the town even if others can’t see its charm.
“All grand beauties withhold their deepest secrets.”
Section 2: J.K.L Berensen
With a stoic silence, the opening scene of this section conveys so much with no words. The painter painting his muse is interrupted by the routine bell of the facility. From this scene it should be gathered that there are spaces where conventional roles are eliminated (Prisoner/The Insane, Officer/The Collected) and human form is essential; the only interruption– routine. This narrative is told from the perspective of Berensen, who is giving a keynote about Moses’ work with Simone. Interestingly, Berensen’s scenes are in full color while all the scenes in the asylum are in black and white. After introducing Cadazio’s character, Cadazio meets Moses and tries to buy the artwork of Simone. As Cadazio is trying to buy the piece Moses says, “It’s not for sale”, to which Cadazio replies “All artists sell all their work, it’s what makes you an artist, selling it. If you don’t wish to sell it, don’t paint it.” This back and forth shows just how crazy both men really are since we get to see how obsessive they are over the determination and indulgence of value. Throughout this section I find that the mixing of color and language to establish roles (or the change of roles) are incredibly tasteful. In this section I found so many enlightening moments that point to interesting facts most people can both understand or resonate with. For example, Cadazio shows his family members the picture of a bird that Moses created and says that it is precisely because he could create something traditionally perceived as great but chooses to do something else, directly marks him for greatness. These ideas as demonstrated by Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness, and Roman Coppola exactly showcase the type of care and thoughtfulness that cinema should provide audience members with. By the end of this section, we see that Moses’ frescos are obtained from the prison and purchased by Upshur Clampette and the interesting thematic refrain returns with Berensen where Moses is her muse, and her art is bought by Howitzer.
“We have to accept it. His need to fail is more powerful than our strongest desires to help him succeed. I give up. He’s defeated us. It’s sad, but there it is. Anyway, at least, he finished the motherfucker. It is, perhaps, the most interesting contemplation of peripheral vision I’ve ever seen.”
Section 3: Lucinda Krementz
If you have ever indulged in intellectual topics as a young person, I would wager that most people have gone through some sort of communism/revolutionary phase. Sometimes this phase ends and sometimes it does not. After watching this section for the first time, I felt like it was kind of dull and hard to follow. But upon the second watch, I had a better understanding of what was going on; I would have preferred slower scene shifts and slower dialogue since there were several parts that were quite difficult to follow. Just as the previous sections, this section presents great camera work and amazing stage scenes as well. Some of the best concepts conveyed here are gamified politics, the recognition of harm, adequate reconciliation, the process of aging (mentally, physically, and socially), and the important reflection on how the broader culture interprets these concepts.
“The touching narcissism of the young.”
Section 4: Roebuck Wright
This last section (before the conclusionary section), just like the second section, had some amazing writing. There were so many moments where I felt like the writers were directly speaking to me; great movies tend to have this effect. In this section we follow Roebuck Wright, a reporter presumably following up on a situation at the Ennui police department. In tandem with the story line, the sporadic and interesting point of view camera angles, flashback sequences, and comic book strip playthroughs provide a fun yet meaningful experience. While it might be difficult to pull off the story within a story within a story style, The French Dispatch does an amazing job at creating characters that are understandable and interesting. I argue that this storytelling effect is similar to the Ponzo illusion, in that since each story is actually quite narrow, many of the characters feel larger in view (or perception) since they are relative to the story line. This section also continues the thematic effect of color changing sequences when new experiences are in plain view. Most plainly, food is the trigger for the sequence in this section, but I think the concept of culture might be closer to the central idea considering the powerful lines at the end between Nescaffier and Wright. As this section ends it repeats the conversation between Howitzer and the author (Roebuck Wright) of the section. Howitzer challenges Wright by trying to understand how this thriller of a story fits into the food section of the paper. Wright mentions that he cut a piece of dialogue between him and Nescaffier and presents it to Howitzer which subsequently makes the central point of the story crystal clear.
Nescaffier: Seeking something missing. Missing something left behind.
Roebuck Wright: Maybe, with good luck, we’ll find what eluded us in the places we once called home.
Conclusion & My Rating
As the story ties itself to a close, we are met with the death of Howitzer. This sentimental scene with all the writers in the room evokes a very sentimental feeling. Just as Howitzer helped them write the stories of their lives, they come together to write the story of his. My rating for this Movie is an 9/10. I felt like the camera work, writing, and overall style convey the perfect example of tasteful artistry. While the 3rd section felt a little slow, I feel that neither the story or experience were compromised in any material way. My final thought- this movie is for anybody interested in seeing a Masterpiece.