The First Opening Analysis (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

    The Grand Budapest Hotel is a dramedy film directed by Wed Anderson. Dramaties are subgenre that consists of  mixture of the genres of drama and comedy. The film released in 2014 and is about the owner of a well-regarded hotel, who tells a writer his story of how he climbed the ranks to become the owner. The film is very well-regarded and was nominated for 4 oscars in 2015, including the Best Motion Picture Oscar. The opening of the film brilliantly introduces the overall mystery and tone of the rest of the film.

The Grand Budapest Hotel Poster

Shot with the girl approaching the
gravestone with keys

    After the initial credits, the movie opens with an establishing shot of the “Old Lutz Cemetery”. This cemetery resides in “The former Republic of Zubrowka”, as stated in the final text slide in the opening credits before the true film starts. In the shot, a woman who wears a beige jacket enters the cemetery. The audience then follows the character through a side-tracking shot of the character. The character does not look sad, as a typical character may feel when visiting such a depressing place. She moves with a purpose, which contrasts with other characters in the tracking shot, who are dressed in black. After that shot, the character enters a shot on the right third. A statue is on the left third, and it has keys all over his gravestone, which is extremely odd for someone who is dead. The shot becomes a wider shot, where a clear distinction is shown between this certain gravestone and the ret of the graveyard as nobody else’s gravestones are near this one’s. The right side of the shot has dark trees that give a more stereotypical feel of a graveyard. But, this stone is unique. It is an abnormality. The shot that follows moves the camera up the gravestone, were the audience can read the text on the gravestone “In Memory of Our National Treasure” “Author”. In this shot, the audience also gets to recognize a face on the gravestone, noting how this person is dead. In the next shot, the woman is portrayed in a down shot, where she pulls out a book named “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. She turns the book to the back, where it is revealed that there is a man on the back of the book. That same man is the one who was on the gravestone. That is where the opening ends.

The girl looking at the book "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

     Although the opening seems mysterious, that is the point. And, even in a short amount of time. The audience gets clues to the plot. From the opening, the audience knows that the hotel is important, because it was on the book that the girl was holding, as well as it is the actual title of the film. The audience also has time to recognize the dead author, who will also serve an important role in the narrative. The girl is still not necessarily told through clues as to whether she will be important in the story. This statement is further elaborated as there are many others just like her, who have paid their respects at the authors’ grave. The film also alludes to the overall tone of the film. The bright colors contrast with the overall feeling that a Cemetary evokes. These contrasting colors indicate that the plot may be taking place in a serious scenario, yet, the plot may also take things more lightheartedly, which shows how the comedy is built from the comedic nature of a dark setting. The dark setting also gives rise to the drama aspect of the film.

    Before the first shot is even presented, multiple slides of text are shown, indicating the crew behind the film. The text is shown on a black background, showing how credit sequences can be effective, even with no other consumption other than the text of how made the film.

     Overall, the film opening was great and I appreciated the contrasting setting and color palette the film presents. I may want to utilize some of the techniques in this opening with my own.

Source: Anderson, W. (Director). (2014). The Grand Budapest Hotel [Film]. Fox Searchlight Pictures; Indian Paintbrush; Studio Babelsberg; American Empirical Pictures.