The Grand Budapest Hotel is a superb film highlighting the ideas of nostalgia and family. The cinematography throughout the film is breathtaking. Corrigan and White state that ‘colour profoundly affects our experience and understanding of a film shot’ (p.114) and the use of colour in this particular film of Anderson's is used to immerse viewers into the world the characters occupy in the different time periods presented. The awards season blog of the New York Times, Carpetbagger, reveals that Mr Yeoman (the cinematographer) also said that Anderson “wanted to visually represent the different time periods with the different formats.”
In the 1930’s (shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio), when the hotel is it at its prime, the colours are rich and bold. The uniforms of the hotel staff are a deep purple and this is complimented by the bright red carpets, suggesting a grandeur and lavish splendour about the hotel. An example of this can be seen when a mid-shot of Monsieur Gustave, Zero, Madame D and the doorman are in the elevator. The three men are wearing their purple uniforms, contrasting with the bright red of the elevator walls and furthermore the coat and hat of Madame D. To offset and compliment this assembly of colours, Madame D wears a gold skirt with orange patterns. The fact that Madame D is wearing red highlights her wealth and prosperity as it does with the hotel.
The Architectural Digest website has states that production designer Adam Stockhausen says that ‘the space reflects (Monsieur Gustave) through its colour palette and style. We wanted the entire structure of the hotel to feel like an integrated whole with the storytelling. It was a big challenge, and a very large and complicated set.” The walls of the hotel are a pastel pink, bright and saturated - highlighting the colours used at the time. Another example can be seen when a wide-shot depicts a group of children having a birthday party in the mint room of the hotel. The neatly stacked presents in the centre of the table, the various coloured birthday hats sat on the plates, along with the costumes of the children around the table, all have pastel colours that compliment the mint coloured walls and accentuate the colour palette that was central during the 1930’s.
If we go forward into the late 1960's (shot in a 2.35:1 ratio with anamorphic lenses), we see washed out oranges and olive greens. There are yellows, browns and golds representing the type of natural 'nature' colours commonly used throughout the late 1960's. The establishing shot that shows viewers the hotel, highlights the dark browns and golds seen in the brick. This is set off by the various shades of oranges seen on the leaves of the trees. These colours emphasise the fact that the story was set during the communist period and also suggest the repression and fascism that occurred.
Lastly we see the colours surrounding the period of the 1980's (shot in a 1.85:1 format). A relatively neutral cine-type palette is used, with nothing too saturated or overly fancy. It is simple and pretty colours used. Examples of this can be seen at the beginning of the movie when a young girl visits the statue of the author of the book 'The Grand Budapest Hotel', there is a close up of the book she is holding and it is a reflection of the pastel pinks associated with the hotel in the 1930's. However the ground beneath her is a neutral sand colour and her hands and coat are in the same palette.
Fantastic Mr Fox uses colours in a very different way, to produce a very different response. Although there is not a specific time period associated with the film, unlike The Grand Budapest Hotel, viewers can take note of the colours and patterns (through costume and interior design as well) used and derive from it a judgement, including music, dialogue and setting amongst other things, that for me screamed 1970's.
The film's colour palette focuses almost entirely on autumn hues - oranges, reds, browns and golds to name just a few. However this limited range of hues allows viewers to focus a lot more of the textures and materials of other things. A monochromatic colour scheme can ‘create a more realistic or flat background against which a single colour becomes more meaningful… which can create dramatic oppositions and tensions through colour’ (Corrigan and White, p.116). The sets and puppet's tactile qualities are greatly enhanced, as it contrasts with the autumn colours. Actual material is used in the filming of this movie, for example fur (and goats hair!) was used on the puppets of the foxes, Mr Fox’s suit was made out of real corduroy, and his jumper was hand knitted! This in turn bought an aspect of realism to the stop-motion film that arguably could not have been achieved otherwise. (Watch this awesome video here to see more on the making of the film.)
However despite the almost explicit use of autumnal colours, there are aspects of neutral greys and blues to off-set the dominant colours. These colours are normally associated with the ‘human world’ and have more of an industrial feel, for example when the characters raid the supermarket or the Bean kitchen. They are also portrayed in a harsh, cold light in contrast to the warm hues linked to the golds and browns of the world of the foxes. A prime example of this can be seen when Mr. Fox, Kylie and Kristopherson sneak into Bean’s kitchen to steal some cider. A medium shot shows Mrs Bean walking down the stairs and turning the light on, this highlights the steely grey of the stairs and the walls. The diegetic sound of her echoing footsteps suggests trouble and reiterates her humanity. A cut shot to a close up of Mr Fox’s face accentuates the warm golden and orange hues of his fur - suggesting the stark contrast between the aspect of nature and wildness that surround him and the cold, hard industrial world that surrounds his enemies.
The very limited colour palette seen in this movie is different to that of The Grand Budapest Hotel, which uses its wide variety of colours to differentiate time periods and emotions. Yet it is something that works superbly and suggests to viewers an aspect of reality and an immersion into a very nature and family orientated world.
Works Cited:
Architectural Digest. Web. 21st April. http://www.architecturaldigest.com/blogs/daily/2014/03/grand-budapest-hotel-set-design-wes-anderson-slideshow_slideshow_item3_4
The Carpetbagger. Web. 21st April. http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/below-the-line-shooting-the-grand-budapest-hotel/?_r=0
Corrigan, Timothy and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. Third Edition. New York: Bedford/St Martin's, 2012. Print.
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