Stefan Zweig to Wes Anderson

Upon reading a selection of Stefan Zweig's works, including the short stories, A Star Above the Forest, A Summer Novela, and The Governess, I was quickly drawn into the characters and absorbed by the writing style I was presented with. Although I had never seen The Grand Budapest Hotel before this viewing, I was familiar with Wes Anderson's work and thus had a general sense for the visual style his films maintain. In reading these selections, I felt a similar reaction to that which I would experience during a Wes Anderson film. Although two completely different mediums, I found that they seemed connected, and the film's style felt as if it was a translation of the written style of Zweig.

Perhaps the most compelling similarity of both the written works and the film was the attention to detail. Everything felt in place and grounded to the world that was being spun. The tiniest details and subtleties were touched upon in Zweig's writing - to the point in which I could clearly picture the scenes described, and seemed to feel the emotions of the characters as they worked through their complex thoughts. The film relied heavily on detail as a stylistic choice. Every aspect of the set was carefully thought out, so that even when the setting might not be familiar to the viewer, it still felt believable and absorbing. The attention to detail in both works helped to create a romanticized layer of “realness”.

Even the style of dialogue in Zweig’s work shone through in The Grand Budapest Hotel – particularly through M. Gustave. The dialogue felt refined, and almost poetic at points. The general mood of the writings translated to the film just as well. Even the darkest moments still maintain a light, airy quality. All of the short stories that I read had a theme of loss to them – whether that be along the lines of a physical loss of life or a more emotional loss of innocence or youth.  Still, I never felt burdened when reading them - almost as if I was viewing things through a rose-tinted glass. A similar effect is achieved in Wes Anderson’s film – the very pastel color palate was certainly used to it’s advantage, and the flat staging drew the viewer out just enough to provide a pleasant, story-book feel – even in it’s darker moments.

After reading a selection of Stefan Zweig’s work and watching The Grand Budapest Hotel, it is clear that Wes Anderson’s film was influenced by multiple defining traits of the written pieces – attention to detail, mood, and dialogue are surely just a few of the ways that the Zweig’s writing was translated into the film.