Although the debut of The Phoenician Scheme in May meant the book already required an update before its release, Christophe Narbonne’s Wes Anderson: All the Films is a thorough look at Anderson’s oeuvre, from his short film, Bottle Rocket (1993), which appeared at the Sundance Film Festival with intentions to expand it into a feature, to The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More (2024) based on Roald Dahl stories.
Buy Wes Anderson: All the FilmsIn his Introduction, Narbonne states, “To immerse oneself in his filmography is to be dazzled and also to reflect on human nature, which Anderson believes to be profoundly good.” This book also offers an immersive opportunity by way of the many images from the work and the wide-ranging research that includes “testimonials from a dozen of his close associates.”
Narbonne looks at the various stages of production for each film. For example, the “Genesis” of Bottle Rocket (1993) came from Anderson’s real life as he and his roommates nearly staged a robbery of their own apartment in an effort to demonstrate to his landlord “how unsanitary and unsafe it was.” The successes and misses of “Casting” are stated, ranging from Anderson successfully wooing Gene Hackman for The Royal Tenenbaums to how Angela Lansbury’s busy schedule causing her to decline staying at The Grand Budapest Hotel. During “Filming and Production,” readers learn what occurred in different departments, from cinematographer Robert Yeoman using old Kodak Ektachrome to create Steve Zissou’s documentaries to how Anderson and artistic supervisor Mark Friedberg rode tourist trains in India “to establish the visual universe” of The Darjeeling Limited. Nabonne also delves into each film’s “Reception,” which may or may not reflect that of the reader.
Much like Anderson’s films are filled with minutia, there is quite a bit for fans who like to dig deep into the details. Each film is introduced with a credits page that includes runtime; whether the film was color, black and white, or both; audio format; aspect ratio; budget; and box office. “For Wes Addicts” offers trivia, such as how Bill Murray was replaced by Steve Carrell on short notice for “Asteroid City” as had happened on another film (Little Miss Sunshine). “Freeze Frame” dives deep into a frame, such as examining the books Suzy from Moonrise Kingdom stole from the library and the related DVD extras Anderson created and to revealing the homage to Charles Clyde Ebbets’ Lunch atop a Skyscraper in Isle of Dogs.
Wes Anderson: All the Films is highly recommended. Narbonne has assembled an essential resource for those who want to learn more about Anderson’s filmography.
