Essay on Anderson's “The Royal Tenenbaums”

An Aesthetic Analysis of Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums"

Upon watching Wes Anderson's third film "The Royal Tenenbaums," one cannot help sensing that
something different, cinematically speaking, has been experienced. However, what makes this particular
film stand out from other contemporary American films? When I asked several (uninitiated) people about
their thoughts on this film, invariably most of them found themselves hard put to give an eloquent
answer. Some ventured to say that "it was different," or "weird," and only a few actually mentioned the
words colors and music, which was fair enough for an untrained audience as far as I was concerned.
"The Royal Tenenbaums" is that type of film that most people feel rather than understand. And that is
because, what they're experiencing is a subtle but continuous bombardment of aesthetic elements,
which run entirely throughout the film.
"The Royal Tenenbaums" is the story of a family of fallen geniuses, headed by the patriarch Royal,
magnificently played by Gene Hackman. Royal, having found himself in financial troubles, tries to make
his back into the family, which he hasn't seen in years. The Tenenbaum kids are played by Luke Wilson
as Ritchie, Gwenyth Paltrow as Margot, and Ben Stiller as Chas. Each of them a very defined character,
eccentric and peculiar, without becoming caricatures, that wallow in their anxieties, depressions and
failure..constant themes in Anderson's films. The mother, played by Angelica Huston, appears as the
strong backbone that has held the crumbling family somewhat together. Among the secondary
characters, the one that stands out the most is Eli Cash, superbly played by Owen Wilson, who also co-
wrote the script with Wes Anderson. Eli Cash is the neighbor who grew up with the Tenenbaum kids, and
have always long to be a part of their family.
This film is an excellent example of a tragicomedy, where all the impending doom about to fall upon the
characters, does not materialize, or if it does, it is presented in a comedic, almost relieving, way, such
as in the death of Royal and the BB gun salute by his two grandchildren wearing matching black Adidas
jumpsuits, and the unique epitaph engraved on his tombstone, that only the priest seems to notice. 
In none of his previous films does Wes Anderson cross the line between realism and formalism more
often and more freely than in "The Royal Tenenbaums." The story could be any family's story, just as
the characters possess very possible virtues and not at all uncommon traumas. However, the way
they're all presented is what makes them impossibly unique. Take wardrobe for instance: almost
throughout the film the characters, even as they're introduced as children, wear the same outfit, which
could be interpreted as , and in fact become, their uniforms. Margot wears Lacoste dresses under a thick
furry brown coat; Ritchie, a beige camel hair coat, black sunglasses and a tennis headband; Chas and
his two boys wear matching red Adidas jumpsuits; Royal, a striped double-breasted blazer over colorful
shirts and ties, and the list goes on all the way to the servant Pagoda and his white shirts and pink
pants. These details and a number of other ones, constantly take us from possible real life events, to
awkward moments, to symbolic representations, to geniusly absurd circumstances, all achingly human. 
The constant and strategically use of subsidiary contrast and proxemic patterns are another relevant
feature of this film. We find subsidiary contrast mostly in the introduction to characters. For example,
when we first see Margot as a child, she stands in front of a filled bookshelf, each shelf divided by
playwrights. The next time, she's reading The Cherry Orchard by Chekov. These subtle visual details
effectively show us, in an instant, her interest in becoming a playwright herself. Another example would
be the cluttered office of Dr. Raleigh Sinclair played by Bill Murray. In a wide shot scene we see him
sitting on his desk recording his scientific observations into an analogue recorder. Strange machinery,
thick books, and piles of paper lay behind and all around him. In a single glimpse we can deduce his
personality, profession, and style. Of course, we can only become aware of these details upon a second
or third watching of the film. As far as proxemic patterns, they're also constantly used. The closeness
between Ritchie and Margot, the abysmal distance between Royal and Chas and Margot as opposed to
Ritchie. The closeness of Ethel and all her kids. The closeness of Royal and his faithful servant Pagoda,
not to mention Chas and his two boys. 
As far as camera moves, the dolly in and out and the tilt are used predominantly for the introductions.
Then, pretty much the director uses crane and static shots. Only in two occasions do we experience the
use of handheld, and both involve characters running up and down the stairs. In the first one, it is Chas
and his kids practicing a midnight fire drill, and the second, Chas, again, chasing Eli around the house
after Eli crashed his car in front of the house, barely missing his kids. Otherwise, the shots are clean and
well composed. However, much of the composition involves the use of color, which is one of the most
attractive features of this film.
The director chose deep reds, muted yellows, and browns; which appear mainly throughout the old
house and the street on which it stands, which are characters in themselves, to give it a sense of
warmth, familiarity and age. Nevertheless, the house, which is the main stage where all the characters
reunite and eventually confront one another, also carries a dark orange tonality, which can mean
distrust or deceit..one of the main themes of the film. The use of red is also Chas' color; and since Chas
is the most hostile character, then red seems most appropriate. Also, beige and light brown are Ritchie's
and Margot's wardrobe colors. Since they're secretly in love, it also seems appropriate that, as far as the
color scheme, they should be in the same level. Another character whose predominant color is beige, is
Eli Cash, who is happens to be the closest to Ritchie and at the same time is having an affair with
Margot. 
By using extensive high key lighting, the audience is allowed to appreciate the overall color palette of
the film. And even though in more than one occasion, dramatic circumstances arise, the use of high key
lighting doesn't seem to hinder one bit the intensity of the scene, and in fact, it helps relieve the
tension, which in this film is usually done in a comedic manner. The one scene that comes to mind when
Royal surprises Ethel in the street and announces that he has cancer and will soon die. After the tension
builts, mostly by her uncontrollable sobbing, he confesses that he's not really dying. The sudden smack
in the face that Royal receives, which seems to truly catch him off guard, makes the tense situation
immediately humorous. And the fact that he retracts his confession and reaffirms that he's really dying,
just makes it hilarious.
"The Royal Tenenbaums" also includes one of my favorite montages of all-time: the private-eye report
of Margot Tenenbaum. In fact, montages are used throughout the film, from the introductions of the
early life of the Tenenbaums, all the way to their resolutions. Another editing element interestingly used
is the graphic match, especially in the cast of characters sequence, where all the actors are performing
some kind of action all looking straight at the camera. Or when the family receives the news of Royal's
supposed illness, all of them are sitting, full frontal, and speaking on the phone. Obviously, there are
plenty of continuity editing, eye-match and seamless editing in this film, however, the most interesting
and unforgettable would have to be the montages.
Another aspect of "The Royal Tenenbaums," and this applies to Wes Anderson's two previous films as
well, is the use of recorded music. The artists and the songs chosen seem to fit perfectly with the
sequence, to the point of not only enhancing it, but also making it unimaginable without it. Again,
Margot Tenenbaum's montage underscored by The Ramones' Judy Is A Punk; the opening sequence with
an orchestral version of The Beatles' Hey Jude; Margot and Ritchie's kiss with The Stone's Goodbye Ruby
Tuesday; and one of my favorites, Ritchie's suicide attempt with Elliott Smith's Needle In The Hay. Most
of these songs are also used as sound bridge, unifying a particular sequence.
The use of diagetic sound is pretty much the norm in the film. There are no sound effects or sounds that
don't actually belong to the story itself, with the exception of the omnipresent and seemingly
understanding narrator, done by Alec Baldwin. This narration is done over past images from the opening
to closing sequence, giving it a sense of literary completeness (which is alluded, in the opening scene
with the book of the same title, being checked out of the library).
These are some of the vast aesthetic elements that one can experience watching "The Royal
Tenenbaums." In this analysis, I haven't even touched on subjects like acting or the philosophical and
psychological layers of the story, and perhaps I've barely scratched the surface of cinematography and
art direction. Several analysis papers could be written on these other themes. Nevertheless, based solely
on the aesthetic quality of it, there is no doubt, especially after watching his fourth film "The Life
Aquatic", that so far, this is Anderson's grand masterpiece. It possesses everything a film should
possess: story, performance, aesthetics, music, and feeling. And it is perhaps this feeling what will lure
people into watching it over and over again, each time discovering a little bit more of the story,
characters and, hopefully, themselves.
Gianoli - March 06

 
One of Bertolt Brecht's philosophies on theater was that the audience should see the behind the
scenes goings on of the play. If there was a fan blowing fake snow flakes onto the stage the
 audience should see the fan. He thought this was impotent because it reminds the audience that
they are watching a play and therefore will ask themselves, "what is this play trying to say?" An
argument could be made that Wes Anderson tries to make the audience realize that they are
watching a movie through his use or mise-en-scene. The precise composition of his shots along
with his generic and ridicules costuming, and camera movements all contribute to creating a film
that is so obviously co
Anderson's use of costuming in this movie is perhaps so obvious because he is trying to gar his
audience into realizing that they are watching a movie. In the scene where Margot Tenenbaum
(Gwyneth Paltrow) steps off the Green Line bus to meet Richie Tenenbaum (Luck Wilson) she is
exactly in the middle of the frame and is also framed by the two parallel crosswalk lines painted on the
road. Perhaps by always having exacting framing and camera movements and almost characature
costumes Was Anderson is trying to make the audience relax and realize that they are at the movies
and that his world doesn't have to make as much sense as the audience's. In a slow-motion dolly of
Richie we see a line of sailors walking, almost serially, behind him. During his walking Richie never
leaves the center of the frame, he is rigidly placed there even as the camera does a track shot staying
parallel with him. Maybe Anderson is putting the viewer at ease with his use of mise-en-scene. There
is a shot of Richie walking over to take a picture with a fan. In fact there are wonderful uses of line
throughout the film - as Margot steps off the bus there are thick green horizontal lines painted on the
busses behind her from one end of the wide angle shot to the other. ntrolled and unnatural that it
forces its audience to realize that this is in fact a movie. From the sailors wearing their uniforms to
Richie, the tennis pro, wearing his headband to Chas Tenenbaum, the businessman, wearing
matching bright red workout suits with his children, the costuming in The Royal Tenenbaums is
beautifully generic. When the camera movement stops there is a huge ocean liner with disappearing
lines perfectly framed in the left third of the screen. Almost every single shot of The Royal
Tenenbaums has its subject directly in the center of the frame or exactly in one of the vertical thirds of
the frame. Some topics in this essay: