Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Tilda Swinton, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Defoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law,Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartman, Léa Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson.
Every story requires an author, the voice of reason, doubt, uncertainty, humour and charm in which capture every single element possible to make the listener pin back their ears and quietly contemplate what the creator is actually telling them. If every story expects a story teller then Wes Anderson should be the one to be involved at every point of the tale’s conception.
The Grand Budapest Hotel will be arguably one of the funniest films you will see in 2014. Lavish to the point of needing its own Michelin star category, opulent in its delivery and utterly unrestrained in making every single character stand out as being something other than plain cinematic ordinary. There is no time for the ordinary at The Grand Budapest Hotel.
The concierge is considered a God like figure in any hotel, they are the reason why great hotels run so smoothly, why certain guests always come back time and time again and the way the make a patron feel is the most important aspect of them all, M. Gustave is considered the peak of perfection in his city and it is no wonder Ralph Fiennes seems faultless in the part, from the delivery of his lines, especially when confronted by Zero about the advancing age of Madame D. in which his reply “I’ve had older” caused the kind of joyful laughter not heard in the cinema for a long time, to his way of making everybody around him feel at ease, especially those not sharing screen time with him and munching on their popcorn, the concierge is not just a master but a work of art.
With fine performances by F. Murray Abraham as the elder Zero/Mr. Moustafa, the gracious Tilda Swinton as the centre of affection as Madame D., Adrien Brody as Dmitri and Edward Norton as Henckels the chief of Police, you would almost feel obliged to heap praise on the film for their complete executions to the film. However to not say that Ralph Fiennes is a true revelation in the picture, a man who makes impeccable gritty films stand out as if they were the most important thing you will see in years, makes the easy transition to this comedy part a pure delight.
Alongside the stunning Tony Revolori as the young Bell Boy Zero, a part that screams out to admired and in who Mr. Revolori is a casting dream and Saoirse Ronan as the talented cake maker Agatha, this touching story, this tremendous piece of film making gets the kind of treatment only those expecting full complimentary service and an ironed paper in the morning would normally receive.
The Grand Budapest Hotel is not just a film, it is a lovingly penned letter to a film audience who hanker for that little something special that comes around all too infrequently. An immediate classic.
Ian D. Hall