What’s Aged the Best?
Anderson; Fiennes; small roles; Gustave; Brody; accents; Swinton; Revolori; meals; palette
In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:05Read transcript
- The film confirms Anderson’s historical stature through commercial success, awards and a defining central performance.
- Fiennes’s versatility rarely receives a full reputational reassessment with each new film.
- Fiennes can play villains, honorable authority figures and small character roles.
- Fiennes’s melancholy beneath the comedy is essential to the film’s success.
- The film sits within an extraordinary decade of Fiennes performances, alongside regular stage work.
- Small roles get remarkable impact from minimal screen time; Wilkinson’s contribution is praised before a later reservation is previewed.
- Gustave’s flexible principles are funny: grand vows quickly yield to practical needs, selling the painting or enjoying the money.
- Gustave asking Henckels about his mother is a favored line.
- Sleeping with wealthy older women is playfully defended as a strategy.
- Brody’s profanity and ordinary New York delivery are singled out.
- The cast’s varied natural accents, including Ronan’s Irish voice, work within the invented setting.
- Swinton’s elderly Madame D. performance and makeup are praised.
- Revolori’s untrained quality suits a novice lobby boy rather than detracting from the performance.
- Small frequent meals for stamina is an appealing line or principle.
- The film’s palette had a lasting influence on graphic design and fashion.