In each of his films, Wes Anderson builds entire worlds that fans tend to feel somehow really should exist. Discover the rich veins of inspiration that he weaves into this unique magic. Anderson's colourful and richly structured style is universally admired - but how has he managed to create such an enigmatic visual signature? Like many key creatives, he's found inspiration in a huge host of varied influences. From Hitchcock and Spielberg, to Truffaut and Varda, there are countless filmic homages and references scattered throughout Anderson's filmography, while his cultural anchor points also go deep beyond film and into the worlds of art and literature. Evocations of place and time also underpin his work, from mid-century Paris in The French Dispatch to grand pre-war Europe in The Grand Budapest Hotel, while cultural institutions - such as Jacques Cousteau and The New Yorker magazine - are other touchstones. For Wes Anderson fans and cinephiles alike, uncover the fascinating creative process of one of the world's most revered filmmakers.
Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1 Youth in Revolt
Part 1 Les quatre cents coups (Francois Truffaut, 1959)
Part 2 On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954)
Part 3 The British Invasion (1964-67)
Part 4 Melody (Waris Hussein, 1971)
Chapter 2 Forbidden Love
Part 1 The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
Part 2 Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971)
Part 3 The Passionate Friends (David Lean, 1949)
Part 4 A Story from Chikamatsu (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1954)
Chapter 3 Family Values
Part 1 The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
Part 2 Charulata (Satyajit Ray, 1964)
Part 3 Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953)
Part 4 Husbands (John Cassavetes, 1970)
Chapter 4 Under Authority
Part 1 La grande illusion (Jean Renoir, 1937)
Part 2 Torn Curtain (Alfred Hitchcock, 1966)
Part 3 L'enfance nue (Maurice Pialat, 1968)
Part 4 La chinoise (Jean-Luc Godard, 1967)
Chapter 5 Great Escapes
Part 1 Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973)
Part 2 The Last Detail (Hal Ashby, 1973)
Part 3 Le monde du silence (Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Louis Malle, 1956)
Part 4 Paper Moon (Peter Bogdanovich, 1973)
Chapter 6 Creature Comforts
Part 1 My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)
Part 2 Kes (Ken Loach, 1969)
Part 3 Fantastic Mr Fox (Roald Dahl, 1970)
Part 4 Watership Down (Martin Rosen, 1978)
Chapter 7 Life and Death
Part 1 Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa, 1952)
Part 2 Vagabond (Agnes Varda, 1985)
Part 3 Quai des Orfevres (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1947)
Part 4 Pigs and Battleships (Shohei Imamura, 1961)
Chapter 8 Character and Perspective
Part 1 Stefan Zweig, selected works
Part 2 Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
Part 3 Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
Part 4 The Red Shoes (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1948)
Chapter 9 Colour and Composition
Part 1 Pieter Bruegel the Elder, selected works
Part 2 Mark Rothko, selected works
Part 3 Jacques Henri Lartigue, selected works
Part 4 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
Viewing Recommendations
Wes Anderson Filmography
Index
Image Credits
Biographies and Author Acknowledgements
