Exhibition - Cinémathèque française: Immerse yourself in the world of Wes Anderson

By Mulder, Paris, Cinémathèque française, 19 march 2025

This exhibition is the first devoted to the work of independent filmmaker and screenwriter Wes Anderson. The retrospective begins with the first two feature films Bottle Rocket  in 1996 and Rushmore in 1998, which marked the very beginning of his career. The room is organized separately for each of his films. 

For Bottle Rocket, a self-taught film co-written by Owen Wilson, there are black and white photos on the wall of Laura Wilson and her husband when they were young, at 24 years old, as well as numerous storyboards drawn in great detail by Wes Anderson, and sketchbooks. For Rushmore, a large poster catches our eye, unfortunately the one that was not used for the film.

In the next room, we are in the turn of the 2000s  the audience will be marked by two films from this period, first The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001 and then in 2004 with The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Wes Anderson, through his particular background, born in Texas, an adopted New Yorker, steeped in and influenced by Europe, will resist the Hollywood trend and stand out from other directors. The film The Royal Tenenbaums, which deals with the difficulty of living in harmony in the same family, is illustrated by the display of one of the costumes, the Adidas tracksuit, next to the photo of the whole family.

As for the aquatic life, we learn from the multiple panels that this film marks the first collaboration with costume designer Milena Canonero, whose job is to explore the story and the characters in depth in order to meticulously transcribe this memory onto the fabrics. In addition to the crew's costumes in the submarine, Zissou's blue sweater as a nod to Commander Cousteau,  we can also see accessories such as a diving helmet, posters of scientific works, and puppets of imaginary animals. This room piques our interest by showing film clips lasting about four minutes, which give visitors an idea of the feature film and make them want to see it or see it again, if they wish. The photos and costumes are well displayed, just the right amount, without overloading the eyes.

We continue the tour with a different theme, that of travel, with two films: The Darjeeling Limited in 2007 and Moonrise Kingdom in 2012. These two films, shot in natural settings, transport us to India and to the Atlantic island of Penzance. An initiatory journey of characters thirsty for freedom who cross unexploited lands. Wes Anderson has meticulously recreated the atmosphere of the luxurious Darjeeeling Limited train on the India route, the sign is there to show us the conditions of the shooting, in particular the system of trap doors in the carriages to transform them into traveling movie sets. The train employees' uniforms are impeccable, as is the model of the train.

 Moonrise Kingdom, set in 1965 on a fictional island in New England, tells the story of the passage from childhood to adulthood, in a way an initiatory journey of two young people, Suzy and Sam. It should be noted that this is the first film by Wes Anderson to be selected for the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Numerous accessories complete this room, including a Françoise Hardy record that Suzy carries in her suitcase, and Sam's backpack. Here too, the visit is rounded off with extracts from the two films.

We continue our visit in a room entitled Stop-Motion with the film Fantastic Mr. Fox, shot in 2009, and Isle of Dogs, shot in 2018 in London. Stop-motion is a technique that involves animating puppets or objects by moving them in a miniature environment and repositioning them frame by frame. The story is told from the point of view of animals facing the madness of men in the eyes of English farmers or the fanaticism of a Japanese dictator. For these feature films, as for the wonderful story of Henry Sagar adapted from Roald Dahl, we can admire the props, a sort of animal dolls dressed in various outfits, sportswear, suits and ties, dogs, sometimes threatening, and the decor of a Japanese shop.

The tour continues with the theme of the European Frescoes, as previously mentioned Wes Anderson was fascinated by the European influence he experienced in Europe. This led him to produce two films: The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2014 and The French Dispatch in 2021. The first tells of the twilight splendor of a resort hotel in the Republic of Zubrowka  in 1930 with the rise of fascism, and the second  of the end of an American newspaper established in France in an imaginary small town at the time of May 1968. And there we are blown away by the sumptuous decor of the huge model of the Grand Hotel with its white and pink facade, its small windows, and the costumes of the Director and the concierge. What precision, what beauty!! Numerous shots by photographer Roger do Minh from the filming of The French Dispatch, as well as props such as the list of prison inmates at Ennui-sur-Blase, small cups and plates, dress worn by Léa Seydoux, and the guard's uniform.

The exhibition ends with the 2023 film Asteroid City, which confronts two levels of reality. It opens with a black-and-white television broadcast in 1950s Broadway, before switching to Technicolor in another desert location somewhere in Arizona. The film was written in collaboration with Roman Coppola, whom he was delighted to reunite with 25 years after the film Rushmore. Two large photos on the wall transport us to the desert, first with the silhouette of Wes Anderson dressed in white, and another wallpaper with a huge crater  left by a meteorite, not far from a model and a representation of black aliens.

This retrospective provides a very good overview of Wes Anderson's career, his uniqueness, and the scope  and diversity of his films. The chronological order makes it possible to follow his evolution, with panels throughout the visit, film clips, and props and costumes supporting each period. In about an hour and a half, the visitor can get a good appreciation. The exhibition will make some visitors want to fill their cinematic gap by rushing to see these films. The lighting is generally adequate, apart from a few darker areas.

Cinémathèque française: Wes Anderson, the exhibition
From March 19 to July 27, 2025
51 rue de Bercy, 75012 - M° Bercy (6/14)
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 12h-19h, Saturday and Sunday 11h-20h, closed on Tuesday
Price: 14 € - Reduced: 7/11 € - Free -6 years

Filmography:
1996 - Bottle Rocket
1998 - Rushmore
2001 - The Royal Tenenbaums
2004 - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2007 - The Darjeeling Limited
2009 - Fantastic Mr. Fox
2012 - Moonrise Kingdom
2014 - The Grand Budapest Hotel
2018 - Isle of Dogs
2021 - The French Dispatch
2023 - Asteroid City
2024 - The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More
2025 - The Phoenician Scheme

You can discover our photos in our flickr page

Photos: Sabine Chevrier / Mulderville