It has been seven years since Wes Anderson's last live-action movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel, so with the newly released The French Dispatch, it's as much of an event as it is a new movie.
The film is full of all the classic Anderson trademarks that cinephiles love him for; the multi-stranded narrative, the ensemble cast, and the quirky storyline. But with the movie having so many layers and there being so many cogs working at the same time, the film's development from its very inception is almost interesting as the movie.
It Was Originally Going To Be A Musical
Wes Anderson generally sticks to a tried and true formula, which is made up of symmetrical shots, playfully designed miniatures, and casting the same actors. However, there are times when Anderson has surprised fans, but the original plan for The French Dispatch would have been the most shocking decision of his career.
According to Collider, Anderson was originally planning for the 2021 movie to be a musical. It would have been surprising if Anderson followed through with that idea because rock music has always been a trademark of his, and it wouldn't have felt the same if that ingredient was missing.
The Fictional Town Ennui-Sur-Blasé Translates To Boredom-On-Apathy
As the movie takes place in France, it isn't based in any well-known city like Paris or Marseille, but in a completely fictional town called Ennui-sur-Blase. The literal translation of the town name is Boredom-on-Apathy. When looking at the movie as a whole, it's an interesting contrast, as neither the way the movie looks nor the narrative is boring at all.
In fact, it's quite the opposite, as it's the most colorful and frantic movie Wes Anderson has ever made. However, when Herbsaint takes the audience on a tour of the city, there are clear humdrum areas and an overall mundane metropolitan normalness, and it's the writers who bring the city to life.
It's Based On The New Yorker
With the movie being about the newspaper industry, it's clearly going to take inspiration from real-life publications. According to none other than The New Yorker, Wes Anderson was influenced mostly by the New York publication. The director had become "something of a New Yorker nut," as he started reading the older magazines in his high-school library.
Anderson then began collecting bound copies of the paper, all while becoming familiar with the magazine's contributors and learning who his favorite writers are. Because of this, not only is the French paper similar to The New Yorker, but many of the narratives in the movie are based on old New Yorker articles too.
And The Characters Are Based On Real Life Writers
Along with The French Dispatch being a fictional version of The New Yorker and its contents being fictionalized versions of infamous New Yorker articles, the characters are based on real-life people too. Though the movie is in no way a biopic, according to the same New Yorker article, many of the characters in the movie resemble some of Anderson's favorite journalists.
The most obvious example is the character Arthur Howitzer Jr., the most likable French Dispatch character. Howitzer Jr. is a fictional version of the vinegary Harold Ross, the founding editor of The New Yorker.
It's The First Movie To Have The New Searchlight Logo
At first, The French Dispatch was being distributed by Fox Searchlight, but as the studio was acquired by Disney in 2019, "Fox" has been removed from the name. And because of that, the word has been taken out of the logo too. It's now simply Searchlight Pictures, and not everybody is a fan of the new logo.
The new Wes Anderson movie is the first to use the new logo. The studio used to champion low-budget movies with an artistic vision, and it'd find an audience for those small movies. The new logo is a reminder of how that type of movie is diminishing and that The French Dispatch is one of the few of its kind.
Anderson Wrote Timothée Chalamet's Role With Him In Mind
There are loads of recurring Wes Anderson collaborators, and whether it's Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, or Willem Dafoe, the director's Rolodex is rammed. It's rare when the director ever goes out of his comfort zone and casts somebody he hasn't already worked with. However, The French Dispatch marks a sea change for Anderson, as there are so many actors cast that he hasn't worked with before, including Christoph Waltz, Benicio del Toro, and Jeffrey Wright.
But the crown jewel is Timothée Chalamet, who has been taking the world by storm, and according to Indie Wire, Anderson wrote the role of Zeffirelli specifically with him in mind. Anderson said of the actor, “I had seen Timmy in Lady Bird and Call Me by Your Name and I never had the inconvenience of ever thinking of anybody else for this role even for a second."
Kate Winslet Had To Leave The Project
Along with Timothée Chalamet, there was another renowned actor who was planned to be a part of the huge ensemble cast. Kate Winslet refused to say which part she was playing, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, the Titanic actor dropped out of The French Dispatch.
She apparently turned down the role after accepting it when she read the script for Ammonite, a drama loosely inspired by the British paleontologist Mary Anning. It would have been fascinating to see Winslet in an Anderson movie, but there's a chance to collaborate again, as the director is already working on his next movie, called Asteroid City.
Bill Murray's Scenes Were Shot In Just Two Days
Bill Murray is one of Wes Anderson's longest collaborators, and it'd be strange if the day came when the actor didn't feature in the director's movies. Murray has played many iconic Wes Anderson characters, from Herman Blume in Rushmore to Steve Zissou in The Life Aquatic, and now Arthur Howitzer Jr. can be added to that list.
But despite Murray's presence in the movie, essentially being the main character if there was one of the ensemble cast, according to The Playlist, his scenes were shot in just two days. But with Bill Murray being Bill Murray, though he finished his scenes in 48 hours, he still stayed in France a week longer.
It Was One Of The Hardest Jobs The Set Designer Has Ever Had
Rena DeAngelo has had a great career so far, as she has gone from designing sets for the Gossip Girl reboot to the Steven Spielberg-directed Bridge of Spies. But her most recent undertaking was designing all of the sets for The French Dispatch on location.
According to DeAngelo, it was in the "top five" hardest jobs she's ever had, and it's hardly surprising. The designer had to create 150 sets for the movie, and at one point, there were eight being used at the same time. However, she also said that standing in the middle of a Wes Anderson set was "a dream come true."
The Movie Was Actually Shot On Location In France
Though the town of Enniu-sur-Blase is completely fictional, according to Indie Wire, the movie was still shot in France. Filming took place in Angouleme, a place that's apparently very quiet, which makes it "ideal for making a movie," according to Anderson.
It's rare for entire movies to be shot in foreign locations due to logistics, but Anderson is one of the few directors who have gotten into the habit of it, and it clearly makes for a more authentic feel. Anderson will do the same again with Asteroid City, which he'll be filming in Spain.