World Famous Comics: Roman Coppola The Darjeeling Limited
Roman Coppola The Darjeeling Limited
Starring: Adrien Brody, Anjelica Huston, Roman Coppola, Bill Murray, Barbet Schroeder Directed By: Wes Anderson Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: AC-3, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: 20th Century Fox Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: February 26, 2008 Running Time: 91 minutes Theatrical Release Date: October 26, 2007
Product Description: Owen Wilson Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman star as three brothers who have drifted apart over the years and try to re-forge their sibling bonds on a hilarious adventure across India. The Royal Tennenbaums meets Lost in Translation. System Requirements:Running Time: 91 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/FAMILY GATHERINGS Rating: R UPC: 024543494867 Manufacturer No: 2249486
Amazon.com:
Family tension again provides dramatic comedy in Wes Anderson's new film, The Darjeeling Limited, about three American brothers traveling by train to find their reclusive mother in rural India. Like Royal Tenenbaums, this film succeeds because of its smart, funny script in addition to the visual beauty of India and its luxurious locomotive transportation. In Darjeeling, the oldest brother, Francis (Owen Wilson), blackmails his two younger siblings, Peter (Adrien Brody), and Jack (Jason Schwartzman), into traveling to a monastery where their mother, Patricia (Anjelica Huston), has been in hiding as a nun. Supposedly embarking on a spiritual quest, the three men reminisce about the recent death of their father, and the family's irreconcilable problems previous to their reunification. Though they do find Patricia, Francis, Peter, and Jack grow immensely from another brush with death, this time an Indian boy they try to rescue, giving the film an added conceptual depth that Anderson's previous films have been accused of lacking. Co-written by Roman Coppola (CQ), The Darjeeling Limited is a finely-tuned critique of American materialism, emotional vacuity, and our lack of spiritualism, presented in ironic twists and gorgeous cinematography and lighting recalling Altman's McCabe & Mrs. Miller. A lovely, poignant sequence occurs while the three brothers attend a traditional Indian funeral, and flash back to their father's one year prior. Moreover, the film's soundtrack culled from Satyajit Ray's films and vintage Kinks gives the film a timeless feel, removing it from the predictable indie rock scoring of independent releases. By far Anderson's best film thus far, The Darjeeling Limited offers a much-needed dose of cultural self-reflection, pillared against India's ever-evolving yet ancient religious backbone. --Trinie Dalton
. . .limited A tender remake of the Beatle's movie, "Help", starring The Three Stooges, partly filmed on "Groundhog Day".
There are two messages in this film. The first: Americans--crass, obnoxious, self-absorbed, and unsettingly off the beat of any other society--are surprisingly loveable and oddly helpful. The second, in the words exchanged between two parties in the film who could not reconcile: "Yes, the past happened. But it's over, isn't it?" "Not for us."
Lovely Rita, don't play with me aux Champs Elysees... Just so you don't think I write only negative film reviews, here is one that I liked. I can't say, honestly, what it is about, really, but it hits the right wave length most of the time. It is a part time screw ball comedy, but every now and then gets pulled into a serious situation. As I don't quite understand it, I will give it only four stars, sort of a defensive measure. What is it about? If you summarize that, it comes out as total nonsense. Three brothers go to India to look for their mother who has become a nun there, and they are mad with her because she didn't come to Dad's funeral a year ago. Well, I told you, it does sound like nonsense. One of the brothers has his face smashed up from a motorcycle accident, the other one just got ditched by his girl friend, while the third is looking to become a father in six weeks, though he expected to get a divorce, rather. The ditched one is getting used by lovely Rita, who needs to ditch her own boyfriend. But it is funny. Most of the time. Think of Lost in Translation in another country. Which is appropriate, as the Coppola family is somehow involved. And Bill M. is there, even if he misses the train. And the music! (Where do you go to, my lovely? etc)
World ... this is the Shark, I just jumped the people tank ...
Technique #01:
Edward Hopper lighting and mood meets Winslow Homer film paintings -- some times in slow motion, sometimes weaving through the frame with a small amount of tracking. Wow, Wes Anderson is bloody genius, man!
I guess Wes Anderson believes in his heart of hearts that repeating different aspects of the same tale about a family of dysfunctional self-absorbed, trust-funding Manhattan-ite Billionaires is remotely interesting at least to some people. He's bold for believing so, but foolish for not fleshing out his work a little better and trying to draw us in closer.
Maybe the story started with Rushmore, then went to The Royal Tenenbaums and then The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and now (hopefully) ending full-circle now with The Darjeeling Limited. I say ending, because any more of this might begin to reflect on the previous films and detract from them over time by association. Like when Star Wars geeks say stuff like: "I like the even numbered films but not the odd numbered ones." No, they all suck, buddy. You see how five other films dragged down The Empire Strikes Back into forgettable obscurity?
Technique #02:
I love Film Noir, depression as a main theme and even suicide, Harold and Maude being one of my favourite films, but this film just misses the mark on all counts. I really got the feeling that Jason Schwartzman and Wes Anderson were sitting on a bag of cocaine the size of Kirsten Dunst and came up with the bulk of the ideas and dialogue for this project. Even the opening segment, which was optional viewing came across as nothing more than self-indulgent film-making at its worst.
Jason Schwartzman is a dynamic actor who basically just hangs around in this film giving it the only energy that's visible and seems to move it along all by himself and his own force of will. My will to continue watching continually faded, without a doubt, but I did stick with it.
"He's a genius! You need your art spoonfed to ya!" ... the fanboys scream in the background.
Yeah, well, we've seen this all before though haven't we? I find it interesting that no one seems to hold Wes Anderson to any type of benchmark or standard and then just knee-jerk reacts every time he makes a film. While the Life Aquatic was the highpoint of his career thus far, this might serve as a forgettable low-point that the fan boys will all worship, as they hold aloft their boutique made blown-glass mutli-coloured bongs in unison and cry out:
"We Anderson is a Golden God!!"
I think the same people that worship at the alter of Wes Anderson are also the same group of film hypocrites that expect every movie M. Knight makes to be "better" and more surprising at the end than The Sixth Sense.
"O happy masses ... this is thy cliff!"
The maturation of Wes Anderson The Darjeeling Limited is visually stunning- The long shots, the close ones, the timing, the colors- everything is beautiful. Seeing the progression all the way from Bottle Rocket to present has been a wonderful experience. Individual performances and the storyline fell far short of any precedents. I loved watching this movie- but would never reccomend it to a Wes Andersen virgin. Tenenbaums had the widest appeal, Life Aquatic had impecable humor, Rushmore had fantastic performances- Darjeeling just looked great. It's an incredible movie that left me at once satisfied and dissapointed.
A very good film but not as good as The Royal Tenenbaums The Royal Tenenbaums is my favourite Wes Anderson movie, and while The Darjeeling Limited is a great movie it is not that great. Recommended.
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