| Product: |
The Darjeeling Limited (DVD) |
| Date: |
02/06/08 (89 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Beautifully shot, good performances
Disadvantages: Lacks narrative, little humour
There comes a point in everything's life that it is no longer unique. In fact the definition would be that if you do the same thing only twice you have lost the unique nature of the first. Despite this some directors, authors, playwrights etc have a 'unique' vision that is their own and dissimilar to anything else out there. One such director is Wes Anderson whose 'Rushmore' was one of the best films I have ever seen. He is able to mix eccentricities with dysfunctional characters to create films that are 'uniquely' his own. The problem is that although his films differ from those around him, they may not differ from each other. I felt the stench of stagnation on the director as far back as 'The Royal Tenenbaums' - could he turn the corner with 'The Darjeeling Limited'? Not if keeps using the same actors he can't.
Francis, Peter and Jack are three brothers who have not seen one another since the death of their father. Francis is the eldest and he has tricked his siblings into going on a spiritual journey through India to eventually meet their estranged mother. Francis is controlling, obsessed with order, Peter is confused and worried about his future and has a penchant for minor theft. Finally the youngest brother Jack is also lost with no sense of home and spends his days in a haze. Can these three very different men work through their problems to become brothers once more? And will the train conductor allow them to continue their bizarre behaviour all the way to their destination?
'The Darjeeling Limited' is once again a very beautiful film to look at as you would expect from a director of Anderson's calibre. Arguably it has a very similar look and feel to his previous four films, but this time he had to take into consideration shooting on location in India. By using the natural bright colours and unusual landscapes that dot India, Anderson has produced his best directed picture imo. There is nothing that quite matches the genius of the ship cross section from 'A Life Aquatic', but the logistics involved in this film makes it top for me.
Alongside good direction in an Anderson film you also come to expect good acting and this once again is the case. The film is dominated by many of the actors who have become part of Anderson's extended ensemble cast. Owen Wilson reappears as Francis. This is his most subdued role to date and rather than playing the fool, he is given the responsible role. It proved to me that as an actor he could take on more serious roles if he wanted. The other roles of the brothers are also acted excellently as you would expect from Oscar winner Adrien Brody and personal favourite Jason Schwartzman. In fact everyone in the film is able to get the fullest out of the material given to them giving it the pathos that is required.
Unfortunately, it is the material on offer that is the biggest issue with the film. Anderson's earlier films were loosely called comedies as the situations made you chuckle without there actual being many laughs. However, I think by 'The Darjeeling Limited' this is no longer true as the film has gone so far into the exploration of family dysfunction as to be a drama and not a comedy. I felt this was a shame as the lack of humour meant the film seemed overly long and a little dull. It is no longer good enough, after several similar films, just to have interesting shots and beautiful sets. Anderson needs to reconsider his craft for his next project to create a story that would be good enough to survive in his visionary style. As each film comes out I have noticed that there is less narrative - this trend has to stop.
Overall, 'The Darjeeling Limited' is a film that is so empty that you can not help but feel a little underwhelmed by the end. It is beautifully shot with nuanced performances. Unfortunately, the sterile nature of Anderson films means that you can never truly understand the characters and the lack of narrative means at times you are unsure what you are watching. I did enjoy it whilst it lasted as at the very least it is a visual feast. However, I can imagine that many people will find it a pretty dull film.
Director: Wes Anderson
Year: 2007
Cert: 15
Starring: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman
Price: Amazon uk £12.98
Play.com £12.99
Extras
There is actually an interesting short film that accompanies the film and is used as a way of understanding Schwartzman's character. If nothing else it is worth seeing for Natalie Portman in the altogether. There is also a documentary that looks behind the scenes at the difficulties of shooting on location.
Summary: A pretty, vacant title
|
|
