In style and old-fashioned and decorated, it resembles the “Kingdom of the Full Moon”, and in terms of its content antilogical chain and form – the “Grand Budapest Hotel”. If there the notes of artificiality slipped more veiled, here in the Herald it is more and more loosely described and presented in its imperfect structure. This alternation of black=white and colored color plus difficult abstruse jokes very confidently intonation sets the tone for the narrative. Cameo of the most star actors gives such a charming impression that the film is not forgotten even now, three years after watching. As David Lynch once said, “To discover the film most fully, watch it from beginning to end in a quiet place, preferably on the big screen and with good acoustics.” This is the only way to enter another world and gain new experiences. Great movie. I recommend it. 👏
The painting is the property of an artistic work. The plots are identical to comics, colorfully colored, ridiculous, comic. I will review it more than once. Many phrases and dialogues with aphorisms. The detailed and meticulous work of the authors created a beautifully constructed texture of images in the style of art spatial consensus.
It is very difficult, almost impossible, to find a better film in terms of visual and camera work than The French Herald. Isn’t this in itself a good reason to look at it?
If you look at the film from a director’s point of view, then there can be only one fault. It's Wes Anderson himself. If someone does not like his style, then the picture is immediately past. Why? It is saturated with the concentrated and characteristic presentation of the above-mentioned director. There's nothing to add. Visual effects, lighting, color correction – everything is subordinated to the harmony of the composer. The production of the tape does not raise questions.
Acting is also influenced by Anderson. We're looking at a troupe from Covent Garden, Big Drama, but not from the movies! Played and demonstrative movements, facial expressions and symmetry of actions. Everything resembles a theatrical performance, or even a puppet theater, to which Wes seemed to always aspire.
Plot. There's an unplowed field. Since this is an anthology, it immediately increases the number of possible interpretations. Are the stories related? Is there a cross-cutting theme? What does each story mean by itself? It seems to me that this question is best answered by everyone on their own. For me personally, all three major episodes are revelations about a given topic. Creator and art, freedom and symbol, dedication and dedication.
To sum up, I will only say one thing. The work under discussion can be treated differently. But it's worth watching!
To understand this film in some places is difficult, and in some places, it seems impossible. What is often seen in reviews is “weak work,” “a rambling collection of novels,” and, of course, “Anderson’s style in place.” Style is in place, but is it so weak and incoherent? I want to understand.
The picture is a collection of stories, a new issue of the magazine, which came to the death of the editor-in-chief. That seems to be it. We have four stories – a brief tour of the city, the story of a criminal genius, a student strike and the kidnapping of a child. The first thing that catches the eye is certainly obvious and expected from the author, but also one that requires praise. It’s an unrivalled style, and the breadth of it can be compared to Anderson’s vision in general. I'm not just talking about corporate symmetry, puppetry and, at the same time, the vividness of the picture, but rather about the love with which the story is built. Colorful here is not only the picture, but also the narrative itself, the heroes who inhabit it, the music and everyday sounds in which they exist, the importance of the topics raised, the dynamics. All this is intertwined and works harmoniously, coming to life in skilful hands, making noise and moving, attracting from the first frame and not letting go to the end. Sometimes you get lost in these delights, falling out of history, but is this not one of the advantages? Though unconsciously, but this is how you descend to the level deeper, falling in love with the picture is no longer so much thoughts as feelings.
It is deep immersion that makes it possible to believe in this world, to notice the details that are painstakingly woven into the narrative. His fascination quickly immerses him in each novel, so much that only after the transition you remember – while the story unfolds before your eyes, we just “read” the article, superimposing the perception of the story by its author over it. This is especially interesting – how the novels differ from each other, how imperceptibly point to the features of the writer. Reception, insignificant only at first glance, but in fact, extremely important. If we assume that the film completely reveals the idea of a special view of the world, this detail occupies a fundamentally significant place in the interpretation. Through the choice of topics, this very “special view” is broadcast, indicating the uniqueness, the exclusiveness of the editors and authors of the journal. We get acquainted with the team only briefly, catch them through their work, but this is how the mood of the entire editorial office, the unique spirit of the whole group is formed.
The same theme is discussed in the film from a variety of angles, being even in a short creative tour of the city. It is important, of course, in the history of the artist-murderer – here we are forced to reflect on psychopathy and genius, on the connection of the author and his work, on issues of ethics and even love. What is love and art? The heroes of the novel do not know, but the story itself does an important thing – it forces to cover up moral norms and try to consider these issues from the other side.
The novella about the student strike highlights the same thing. I'd like to believe that I'm not by the ears, but isn't the generational view of social issues a huge part of the same worldview study? Here we see a clear confrontation and misunderstanding between young people and the older generation, but this is not even more interesting. The rebellious students here are maximalist, infantile and intoxicated with the spirit of freedom, but also unassembled – they speak different languages, and literally. And this does not escalate despair, on the contrary, it gives a certain faith in the best, this spirit itself fascinates, and the same different languages divide, but also show that this is not an obstacle to understanding. “I can’t imagine myself as an adult in the fresh world of our fathers,” one of them says before rushing out the window, which is tragic, frightening, but the story still inspires with its mood, giving an important realization that brightness, enthusiasm and movement are important and necessary, it renews and gives strength to both the person and his environment.
The final novel seems incomprehensible for a long time and calls into question its choice as the final point of the work, but it is undoubtedly touching even so. In a strange bacchanalia, from kidnapping, poisoning and escape, you snatch a short drama from one of the accomplices of the kidnapping, which makes a criminal out of herself, and then melts from the question of the color of her eyes. The novella at some point goes into the personal experiences of its author about the choice of path, morality, worldview, then reminds of the importance of basic values, because we see that the boy is experiencing a kidnapping, but at the same time dreams of having dinner and talking with someone, and as a result, the article falls into the section “taste and smells”. Why? Not because it's really about a cook with unrivaled taste, it's more about a taste for life. “You’re looking for what you’ve lost, you’re losing what you’ve left behind,” sounds the conclusion, and the chef who survived all this suddenly announces that he’s a foreigner and in a foreign country it’s difficult for him, and poisonous salt had a unique taste. Here and loneliness, and lostness and craving for life in spite of any longing – everything is woven together, reminding that life should be felt first of all, that the “feeling” is everyone’s own and it is it that moves a person. The editor emphasizes the meaning of the article, but even its author does not agree with it, because the meaning, idea, essence – all this cannot be unified. True art does not tolerate strict limits, it lives on the personal, absolutely unique perception of everyone, and it blossoms in it especially colorfully, in response, breathing beauty into the beholder himself.
Many funny cameo stars of the first magnitude. Some novels were remembered, and some did not catch and disappeared from memory after 5 minutes. In general, the picture is “dressy”, in each frame there is a thick aesthetic pleasure, but as a film, the plot crumbles. But it's still worth watching, an optional quiet pleasure, and, as always, Anderson - KRA.SO.TA!
"The French Herald" is a Wes Anderson movie, shot too in the style of Wes Anderson.
This is not even a movie, but a theatrical production in several acts, where the scenery changes every ten seconds. An hour and a half of masturbation on the French, retro vintage and own perfectionism. A harmonious hodgepodge of chaos of plots, locations, actors and music. If the Grand Budapest Hotel is combined with the Kingdom of the Full Moon with the cartoons The Island of Dogs and The Incomparable Mr. Fox, one-third of the French Herald will come out. Here's the analogy. If only Michael Bay (the explosion lover) made a movie that only had explosions. Cool, cool, but exhausting.
"French Herald" - too stylish, juicy and beautiful cinema. It’s like sitting by a fire and looking at a pleasantly warming fire, but in an absolutely uncomfortable position in which the neck is heavily dripping. You can't stretch. It remains only to gather, endure and read the magazine "French Herald". A few novels - several articles from the magazine. The artist is in custody. Young oppositionist. Lieutenant chef. All the stories are amazing. Hypertrophied on the brink of absurdity. Evaluating each novel separately, as three short films, you can get the same "high". Interesting, fresh, beautiful and juicy. However, we have a full film here. And he's hot. I'm not saying the movie is bad. I found it hard to watch him in the middle. Even though I am a huge fan of the director. But Wes' concentrated solution, his true nature, and his jewellery were too much for me. At some point, you think, isn't this an arthouse? Don't know. It's the best picture of Wes' career, but not the best for me. Which doesn't stop her from advising everyone.
The editorial office of the newspaper, which is located in the slums of the French city, is the link between doya ship and stories. The life paths of the participants of the journalistic coven closely intersect with the sometimes absurd events from the lives of artists, police officers, and mere mortals. Naturally, all this happens in the form of a news column, and pedantic chapters. ed furiously, but not resisting, gives birth to these very "bikes". Right, on the way?
The obsessive artist spends his days in casemates, and it would continue if it were not for the financier who saw in this abstractionist the monetary potential for his cunning undertakings. Tandem Del Torro/Browdy creates the chemistry needed to tell the story. Art, what is it? And what is the role of the creative artist in the correctional system? What if the chief creator in the coffin saw riches and delicious profits, and by nature he is a lion with an admixture of trolling of the surrounding world? To these and other questions concerning "high" Mr. Anderson skillfully answers the language of images, mostly thoughtful, and visually grotesque. I liked this segment the most. The essence of the concept of "artist" is shown very reliably in all blatant modernism.
Teenagers. The student community. Love is bubbling on the barricades, and young minds build their personal discussion in a protest relationship. Meanwhile, the rebel leader tries to build a personal bridge to his role and purpose in life. Definitely wine, because the actor whose name I can not remember plays such a young Bob-Dylan, and the company in this he is the wife of one of the Coen brothers, which in itself turns this novella into stylistic chic. But, this riot of police, (quoted from the film), I found too hyper-romantic. But what to do hyper is about Anderson.
Detective story. Suddenly starting in the exaggerated studio of the TV show “Hello 70’s”, where the interviewer, to my delight, is Liv Schreiber, and the interviewee is also not the last actor, (it is again a problem with memorizing names), this couple has an interesting dialogue about crime and cooking. This segment seemed completely absurd in the spirit of the action comic about Tin-Tin. Maybe Anderson deliberately styled the segment this way, but it turned out flawlessly stylish, and with a bit of weird, culinary, humor. The spicy seasoning for the dish here are: William Dafoe, and suddenly Edward Norton, as well as the above Schreiber and Co.
I am not going to look for deep meaning in the film. Already familiar with the Grand Budapest Hotel, I concluded that Wes Anderson is a kind of storyteller in cinema. This tape of his is no exception. Here the picture plays on the plot, and the visual part takes the main place. Of course, there is a message too, but instead I saw a kind of banter on the concept of post-modernism, and this “joke” was done in a manner of elegant presentation. In short, if you want a piece of exquisite food at an affordable price, eat, because aestheticism here is sweet, but insanely chic.
I have been waiting for the release of this film since it appeared in St. Petersburg on posters. I managed to blink it in the movie, then remembered. So I'm telling you.
The editor-in-chief of the French Herald is dying of a heart attack. Despite the huge success, according to his will, the newspaper should be closed immediately after his death. The best journalists gathered to write the last issue.
The plot is divided into 4 main stories, which are included in the farewell issue of the magazine. I will not tell them, because the number of words will exceed what you read, you will see it all on the screens. As far as the stories are concerned, they are, as always with Anderson, funny, insanely beautiful and, of course, partly sad.
Once again, the perfect picture. If Anderson hadn’t been a director, he would have become an artist. Scenes are thought out to the smallest detail, light, sound, scenery – all play their part to reveal the idea of the authors. Not only is it beautiful, it also carries certain information to the viewer, driving the mood of the story.
What actors! Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Timothy Chalamet, even Edward Norton and Saoirse Ronan in the episodes lit up. The composition, as always, is stellar, the game is great, etc.
The only thing is I'm starting to miss you. It's like Anderson is churning out his work. They're all so shiny that they start to bite. It’s like you’re missing air, freshness, something new. On the one hand, Anderson became recognizable, on the other hand, predictable. Is that good?
Watch the movie anyway. It's like going back to something tested, homemade. Anderson will work like a blanket - will not throw out any twists, will not disappoint, will not fail. Another movie for the tired.
That was great. Problems with the release of the new brainchild of Wes Anderson covered the pandemic, and limited rental in the States, and the lack of a rental license in Russia, and the box office failure in the end. Studios since the release postponed the premiere dates, so the film was released in not planned 2019, but only in 2021, when the malicious virus still receded, and the audience waited for the cinemas. Immediately, the film caught negative reviews, critics accused Wes of self-repeats and inability to create something new. But it wasn’t a typical director’s movie, it was even better than Wes Anderson. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Wes Anderson 2.0.
The film is divided into chapters, which are also headlines and columns in Liberty magazine. The Kansas Evening Sun is called the French Herald. The exposition tells about the editor-in-chief of the magazine, who is forced to close the publishing house, so each journalist will have to tell his latest story. What is characteristic is that the notes in the journal and the titles of the headlines are completely immersed in a particular story.
The first article tells about life in the city. Owen Wilson, a longtime friend of the director, introduces viewers to everyday life and during a small town. Dividing society, key locations. Everything is done in a comedic style to understand where the viewer was. Comparison of the eras of the 19-20 centuries immediately divide the city: some quarters have changed, some remained unchanged. This story came out as brief and concise, so that the next reporter Tilda Swinton gave a deep and dramatic story.
A concrete masterpiece. The viewer is introduced to the brilliant artist Benicio Del Toro, who is also a prisoner of a hospital for psychopaths. This chapter in the paper is filled with absurdity and ridicule of bureaucracy and profit. The muse for the artist is the beautiful Lea Seidoo, but when the work is completed, Wes Anderson plunges the viewer into a reality limited by concrete. The unexpected twists that complement the comedy mix with the drama. The art supplier to the masses, Adrian Brody, faces the artist's talent and strikes a deal. Paintings in exchange for what the artist wants.
In this confusion lies a beautiful component of the director. In addition to symmetry and centering, the author adds colors at peak moments, when the essence of the screen is important, and also dilutes the narrative with black and white shooting to more immerse himself with the hopeless life of the artist. The story is fascinating because even the most absurd threads of the plot, such as the placement of concrete walls on a huge airship, fit into this narrative. In addition, dramatic love is mixed with the attitude of the artist to his muse. The culmination of this story lies precisely in the title of the article – Concrete masterpiece. All tinsel, pretense, flattery are erased in an instant when people realize that there is no profit for it.
Amendments to the manifesto. The third story from reporter Francis McDormand plunges the viewer into the rebellious spirit of contradiction of teenagers, in the era of the “swinging 60s”, in the era of poets-Beatniks – a life that kicks in when everyone is ready to defend their rights. The impeccable preparation for the manifesto by the hero of this story, Timothy Chalamet, touches on the sexual revolution, the mixture of generations, and the conflicts of “fathers and children.” The transition from a comedic component to an absurd abstraction is awe-inspiring. It seems that everything is not so, that this is a mockery, but no, the characters seriously explain the struggle of teenagers with the government system.
This story fully involves the employee in the process of history. Francis McDormand not only takes part, but also faces Chalamet's youthful inexperience. The image of Timothy evokes clearly contradictory feelings, and Wes Anderson, meanwhile, moves smoothly into the staged scenes of the play: it turns out a theater inside the story of the reporter, which will go to the last issue of the weekly magazine, which will be edited by Bill Murray – and with all this, it is a full-length film Director. Christopher Nolan's "Inception" nervously smokes on the sidelines. The manifesto and debates are full of surrealism, and the opposing forces descend to a game of chess, whose mat will lead to the victory of either the authorities or the teenagers. A great storyline, which in the finale is covered with drama and furor.
The police commissioner's private dining room. Wes Anderson’s love and crime for Martin Scorsese. Reporter Jeffrey Wright on a talk show at Liv Schreiber tells his news to the app in the newspaper. A beautiful story about cooking and a brilliant chef turned into a detective with kidnapping, shootings, chases and an exquisite, final dish of the chef. This story is built on a coincidence when a random banker is caught with dirt on all mafia groups. The plot restrains the excellent police commissioner Mathieu Amalric within the framework of constant lawlessness, but when it comes to eating, we recall the motto of Donczyk: “Nutrition should not be violated!”
Against the background of food, a comedy was built, and shootings and abductions served only as an occasion for culinary meals and the chef’s revelation. This story dilutes the usual transitions of the image from color to black and white animation. Everything is so beautifully intertwined that the visuals only complement the story. There's no awkwardness from police intrusion into the mafia's lair in black and white contrast, an emphasis on Saoirse Ronan's blue eyes in a naturally colored image and further pursuit of the criminal in an animated style. Harmonious and logical. Animation allows you to move away from realism in pursuit and stunts, and the subsequent return to black and white contrast completes this note in the app.
The final of all employees of the French Herald ends with an obituary. Sadly, dramatically, each story added to the bigger picture. A rich cast, even if some stars have episodic roles (Elizabert Moss, Willem Defoe, Christoph Waltz, Jason Schwartzman, for example), but together they created a great story. Why do I think this is Wes Anderson's best work? Because he included four independent stories in one common plot, diluting the tape not only with his author's handwriting, but also with experiments with color, animation, theatrical production. Perfect!
Briefness, conciseness, accuracy and avarice of expressive means - this is not about Andersson. Its element is redundancy, brightness, immoderation, unbridledness. It's always been that way. But in the "Bulletin" it has acquired such a Gargantuan scale that it seems impossible to surpass this fantasy volcano. “French Herald” is a handmade put on industrial rails. Every frame, image, light spot, portrait you want to consider in detail, so bright, catchy, unusual. It wasn't like that. Andersson is racing through his picture at the speed of the French TGV express train. Drawings, paintings, shots, drawings, processing, black and white interferes with color, the palette, like a chameleon, changes from refined pastel to neon-erving eyes. Bill Murray, Francis McDormand, Timothy Chalamet, Mathieu Amalric, Benicio del Toro, Tilda Swinton, Jeffrey Wright, Lea Seidoo... God, how many other stars of the first magnitude did I not remember who appears in the picture for a couple of seconds or is delayed for 10 minutes. The waterfall of the original images at a certain stage makes one suspect: for such a first cosmic speed, as a rule, approximates and inaccuracies are hidden. But Andersson has nothing to hide. His exquisite still life is adjacent to a rough caricature by right. It's a movie. It's a movie about world culture. It's a movie about a bygone era. This is about the fact that young, vibrant energetic America was not only the heir and guardian of the greatest European civilization, not only preserved it, but also breathed into this mannerist and decadent, standing on the threshold of life and death, its excitement, fervor, vitality. I gave her my speed. And generosity equalize the rights of geniuses and talentless, innovators and epigones.
Realizing that the viewer will still not be able to follow the plot in these video races, Andersson facilitates the plot component to a minimum. In the city of Liberty, Kansas, USA, the founder and editor-in-chief of the newspaper “French Herald”, which was a window to Europe for US citizens, dies. A team assembled at the coffin of the founding father is preparing a farewell edition of the newspaper. The main materials are the chapters of the film. There will be an urban chronicle, there will be an art historian’s analysis, there will be a culinary rubric combined with the column “criminal”, there will be a theme “youth, love and politics”. All that follows is a flight of fantasy and an homage to the cultural background of humanity, which ordered a long life. (In parentheses, we emphasize that the action of the picture is attributed to 1975.)
The fact that on the court of the audience, the director presents an intellectual game with a sprinkle of puzzles and riddles is clear from the first frames. The beginning is a direct paraphrase of the textbook “Citizen Kane” by Orson Welles. The remaining two hours are direct quotes, explicit hints, implicit references to the rich cinematic heritage of the United States and Europe. With few exceptions, France represents Europe. The city chronicle? Hello, poetics of urban suburbs, discovered and sung by Jean Vigot, Marcel Carnet. Landscapes, light haze, narrow thin rays, ripping out of the darkness cheekbones and foreheads of characters in the scenery. Something is recognized at the level of candid citation, something (frame composition, drawing backgrounds, movement of secondary characters) is skillfully poured by Andersson in the atmosphere of each frame. “Atalanta”, “Under the roofs of Paris”, “Zero for behavior”, “The Embankment of Mists” – all these French films are quoted, noted, mentioned in the first novel. The stars of modern cinema tried on makeup and images of legends of those years.
"Male/female" Godard was honored with a direct reconstruction, including a musical quotation and mise-staging. And immediately on this Wednesday will burst images from another yearr painting “Chinese”. And the story about the youth rebellion of the 68th is wrapped by Andersson in an homage to Bernardo Bertolucci’s film “Dreamers”, which in turn is an homage to the French “new wave”. Ommage is Anderssenian: bold, reckless, reckless. Game, all. Evaluation is nothing. Risk, experiment, and trial are intrinsically valuable. So, in order to completely knock the ground out from under the feet of fans to speculate about the boundaries of good taste, the main character of the novel is given the name “B. Zefirelli” – a compilation from the first initial of Bertolucci and the name of the director of the cult film “Romeo and Juliet” – Franco Zefirelli. It's a wink for your own.
For the dedicated director prepared a list of 32 films, which became a source of inspiration and objects of stylistic games. I confess honestly: where in the “French Herald” there are traces of Vittorio de Sica’s “Gold of Naples” or Visconti’s “White Nights”, mentioned by the director, I did not sneeze. Just like the signs of "400 strikes" Truffaut is more likely to be guessed than directly quoted. But the obvious images from “Morocco” or “Casablanca”, “Lonely” or “Police” by Andersson are not declared. This is also included in the director’s calculation. Time is common, cinema - everyone has their own. Any cinemaphile will be able to make a list of several dozen films, which categorically does not coincide with the list of the director, but at the same time logically and in style it will continue. The drunken air of freedom of citation, hints, inconsistencies, allusions is concentrated in the voiceover phrase “And only the number of drowned people in the Blaise River remains unchanged every year – eight and a half”. Fellini is not on the director's list.
The French city, which became a window to Europe for Americans in the French Herald, is called Ennui sur Blase. French connoisseurs translated this name into Russian as “Green Longing”. At the same time, the city in Kansas, which for the States is a symbol of this outback, terry America, is called in French Liberty. Ennui sur Blase can be translated from two languages at once. It turns out “Plant for bliss” or “Plant for satiety”, which is much more accurate for the spirit of the film. In addition, there is a continuation of the title of the newspaper. After the French "Freedom" comes the English-language "Evening Sun of Kansas". The age of bliss and satiety is coming to an end. And the sun is evening. Soft, fading. And the main ideologist of bliss and satiety, the editor J. Holitzer, gave God his soul. But what a fun funeral it was. Vulgar and refined at the same time. According to Andersson, death is freedom. Under the soft rays of the sunset.
Received a real pleasure from the film - the play of actors, directorial finds and "chips", dialogue, lines - all at the top. The film consists of three main stories. For the first (about the artist) and the second (about the protests of students) I put a rating of 9. I didn't like the latest kidnapping story. I will definitely be watching the movie!
Extraordinary, hidden message - the main trump cards of the American director Wess Anderson, who manages to shoot a deep movie with a certain surrealism and abstractionism, setting an atmosphere of modest charm, imbued with ironic tragicomedicism and satire, which is personal in each story.
Having released a comedy-dramatic novel from three different stories, acting as one whole picture, The French Herald. Annex to the Liberty newspaper. “Kansas Evening Sun” can be said that in the new film there is both a proven style from Wess’s previous works and an original idea. First of all, "French Herald" has a creative bias for journalists, writers, critics, symmetrically attracting interest in publishing offices. The second interesting point is the research concept focused on the study of various information for any editorial office, cognitively involving in the process of work. How do the three stories complement each other? The first chapter draws the middle raspberries from the past tense, a story that is rigged under a black and white format about the difficult everyday life of a humanitarian man in prison for a gross crime, locking all the talent in an authoritative person, frightening other people, not understanding the truth, motivational views. Starting with the third part, it in some way picks up the style of the second chapter, as well as the time of action, but already set an animated partially view, storyboards of certain scenes with the preferences of noir, the criminal world. And quite towards the end, a connection is formed with the beginning of the tape, focusing on the loss of an important member in the team.
The whole story is beautiful, of course, the musical accompaniment and the chic cast. Once again, Anderson collects the loudest stars, letting each actor turn around, correctly prescribing characters, and some are written off from real people. And about music in general, a tower turns out, each particle is felt, easily perceived, flirts. Carefully worked out the operator part and makeup component.
Wes Anderson’s films are always the accuracy of camera work, the quality of the picture in the first place. Anyway, it's always beautiful. For this skill to furnish banal, in fact, stories, leading the viewer to the world-picture gallery, we love him. To be honest, after The Grand Budapest Hotel, I thought that nothing could stop me from loving his films. But no. Let’s face it, it didn’t come out with such excitement as in the Hotel. Less light.
The transitions between the stories are blurred, and the tape itself is somehow drawn out, in my opinion. A friend who watched the movie said, ‘It’s an endless movie.’ I expected more, let me be clear.
But the story of a sociopathic artist hooked me. In general, Wes Anderson does not have frankly banal stories: they are always stories about people of amazing resilience, optimism ... or just strange. Such is the famous modernist sociopath, who, sitting in prison for life and not even being able to communicate coherently, thanks to experienced salesmen, became famous. This story is black and white, with stickers of color - a very successful camera move with its own symbols, appealing to the colors of life and their departure from the life of the main character. An imprisoned artist paints his lover, who is his prison warden. The inner world of the heroes is deaf and hidden from the eyes of the viewer. The faces of actors are impenetrable. So, in contrast, a real drama is built. Unrequited love, imprisonment, wasted life, monotony of life in a solitary prison cell. And it was brilliant. And that's the kind of thing that's out there. This is a real textbook of the operator and director.
In general, despite the delay, it is complex, requiring thoughtful thinking of the movie. Not for fun, but for the soul. And every thinking person who loves cinema and understands it should watch it.
9 out of 10
Great movie for all fans of director Anderson. His intonation, his favorite actors and new young stars, his clever humor and subtle trolling. To all connoisseurs of author's cinema. . .
The film that Wes Anderson directs has its own unique charm. His characters are melancholic adults and active children. His style is symmetrical frames and puppet scenery. His stories are about family dramas and finding yourself. From painting to painting, he honed his style and “The French Herald” became a continuation of this path, but there was space for experiments.
The film consists of several stories, which are conditionally connected by the scene (France of the 50s) and the magazine in which they are described. Each story appears from the point of view of the journalist who told it in the pages of the magazine. He acts as an “unreliable narrator” and on screen events are subject to his will. Therefore, there is little dialogue in the cinema, and the characters say and do what their voice indicates from behind the scenes.
The French Herald is probably the most puppet of Wes' films. The space in the frame is often built in a theatrical chamber and compressed. Heroes look caricatured: someone does not remove the helmet under any circumstances, someone straitjacket, and someone the whole character is concentrated in hairstyle. The same applies to stories - grotesque and exaggerated. Drawn in broad strokes, but sensual and interesting. Here the director is true to himself and even surpasses the saturation of past tapes.
Watching Anderson's visual exercises is enjoyable. He fills the cinema with vivid images, plays with editing and staging of the frame. Every person, every object and every costume here works for immersion. Cinema does not try to copy the real world, but creates its own and lives according to its conventional rules. To the arsenal of the director added flirting with color - he combines color and black and white scenes and shots, filling life with the most vivid moments of stories.
However, in my opinion, Wes Anderson played with the visual and missed the plot part of the film. The stories are individually interesting, the characters in them experience personal dramas that are interesting to watch. At the end of the film, there is a feeling of understatement and dissatisfaction. In addition, the author chose an unusual format of the story.
Bottom line:
It's not Wes Anderson's best work, but he's true to his style and looking for new ways to improve it. Fans of the director definitely recommend “French Herald”. Its pages are filled with pastel flowers, light melancholy and simple but interesting stories. For those who are not familiar with the author’s work, I recommend starting with the Grand Budapest Hotel and the Kingdom of the Full Moon.
Such a very capacious metaphor was chosen for the films of Wes Anderson by one of the hosts of the podcast “Big Plan”. Indeed, every few years, the American director gives the world a new work: a very aesthetic, playing with the visual style of cinema, the plot of which is usually similar to a parable.
The French Herald is the story of the latest issue of the fictional newspaper of the same name, in which Wes Anderson gathered this time an even more star caste of actors, with Bill Murray at the head. The film is a collection of stories from this farewell issue. Writing about what is happening in these stories does not make sense, you need to see it. Wes Anderson entertains the viewer's eye by juggling color and light - here are his favorite pastel tones, inserts of very masterfully drawn animation, black and white 'documentary' episodes. All these techniques work on the general concept - the viewer is really shown a newspaper, but transferred from a static printed format to a dynamic film format.
The film is worth watching for the sake of simple, but very beloved by Anderson themes of the path of the creator, reflection on the concept of art, youthful maximalism and growing up (Separate hello to the Full Moon Kingdom from the beautiful here Timothy Chalamet and Frances McDormand).
The film is worth watching for everyone who loves a beautiful shot, laconic editing, theatrical acting (really, the film resembles a theatrical production by its chamber and the construction of interaction between the characters), and witty dialogues in which the heroes will mix not jokes.
In the end, I want to say that through all the small details of the film, we can trace the love of Wes Anderson to his work. Therefore, the topic of the closing free publication is so important for him, the editor-in-chief of which did everything for his writers, often caring for them even more than for the readers of the newspaper (which seems very ironic if you shift the image of the editor to the director).
Of course, there is no deep philosophy and heavy techniques of cinema, but the French Herald for me has become an excellent and soulful attraction, the same biscuit cake that you receive periodically as a gift from Wes Anderson. As for me, it is this kind of non-exhaustive film that a person needs to distract from the problems surrounding him.
8 out of 10
Wes Anderson’s new film is always an event in the world of cinema; its own, unlike anything else, beautiful film language, touching stories that cause pleasant longing and a sense of nostalgia. Anderson’s cinema is suitable for both aesthetes and snobs, and for ordinary viewers. I was waiting for the French Herald. I waited a long time because of the transfers. Waited. The film was below my expectations, but as they say, your expectations are your problems. However, this does not change the fact that the picture turned out to be strange.
At the center of the story are three novels, united by the fact that they are articles in the newspaper “French Herald”, whose editor-in-chief died of a heart attack. These stories are no longer related to each other, and the film is a collection of short stories without a single plot.
The first novel is called “Concrete Masterpiece” and tells about an artist serving time for murder. In prison, he has a relationship with a warden. Here attention is paid to the eternal problems of the creator: the creative crisis and the purpose of art. However, the story could not catch me, the characters do not look alive, rather like soulless stone statues, so it is impossible to penetrate them and empathize with them, Because of such heroes, interest in the story itself disappears, finally fading away and no longer burning in the middle.
So the second novel is called "Amendments to the Manifesto." In the center of her story is a reporter writing about a student protest in France. In the course of her work, she has a small affair with the leader of the rebels. I can't say that this story is very interesting, but of all three, it's clearly the most successful. A tribute to the rebellious and persistent French spirit, seasoned with romance and good heroes who no longer look emotionless.
And the third novel, The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner, which seemed to me the weakest, is a kind of criminal story with police, bandits, kidnappings and chases. It is the weakest because it tries to capture the viewer’s attention precisely as a crime, and not a parody of it, which is why it stumbles, hitting its face in the dirt.
Of course, it is impossible not to mention the direction of Anderson, which here probably reached its peak (at least for now). The director has gone so far into the visual style and was so eager to pay homage to old-school journalism and ponostalgia that he forgot to give the story some linchpin and strong support, dealing a blow to the narrative.
7 out of 10
“The French Herald” is Wes Anderson’s most unusual work, it is difficult to evaluate, and the reason for this is that it is partly not his picture. Here are a few stories from the weekly, which are provided to us on behalf of the authors themselves. On the one hand, we have the same Wes Anderson, with a surprisingly smooth composition, an interesting plot, but in this film there is one difference. Each story here is completely individual, with its own style, ton, pace, etc. Each artist has a passion for different things, and in the film it is perfectly shown, someone pays great attention to art, someone food, someone love, etc. It is the same only that the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, everyone was given complete freedom, to which he received completely different frank articles.
I would lower my grade for the fact that some stories are sometimes long, and some, as I thought, on the contrary, untold to the end. But I cannot, because these essays serve to show the diversity in art and all the inner cockroaches of each master.
After the death of the editor-in-chief, journalists publish the last magazine, so there is hardly a person who will give them as much freedom, who will also carefully treat their creation, who will also understand the artists as the previous editor-in-chief understood.
The message of the film is quite relevant in our time, because most of the producers simply do not let the authors speak, as sometimes it is too expensive and not profitable. Of course, it is very important to profit, but sometimes experiments can make a lot of money, because, as the Dalai Lama XIV said, “Keep in mind that great love and great success come with great risk.”
“Do you see the girl? Nope. Trust me, she's there.
After the Grand Budapest Hotel, I expected absolutely nothing from the French Herald, but I could not predict that even low expectations could not be met.
I can't call it a movie. A set of nominally related ‘stories’ that are quite different in quality and interest. If the script and the depth of the story were just weak and rather average, then here Wes once again spat in the face and shot the movie virtually without any digestible coherent plot. Why strain the brain, invent something and polish, when you can give out on paper an incoherent smear of letters called “script” and film them on camera under the influence of fantasies and allegories that only Wes can understand.
A prologue bike ride with Owen Wilson is of no interest. A set of beautiful, rapidly changing shots showing the town of Annuy in different time frames. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out what kind of movie awaits me.
The only hope I had before watching was Benicio Del Toro and Lea Seyda. And I didn't. The first novel is the most interesting and represents the main plus of the Herald. Del Toro and Seidu show a beautiful game, and the story about the mad artist is quite extraordinary. It is funny that in this article there is a banter of modern art, despite the fact that the "French Herald" itself is its vivid example - a meaningless mask, where everyone is trying to see something and for thoughtless praises the creator becomes known to the whole world.
The second article is the shortest among the others, but it feels like an eternity. Seriously, it's so boring that I kept looking at my watch and wanted to turn the movie off. Francis McDormand plays in his typical role, so there is nothing to look at except a good playing Timothy Chalamet. There is no semantic load here. Only endless taratorship, dull grayness and pretentious philosophy.
The third novel aroused some interest and I had the hope that I would not look at my watch again. A boring and long introduction, Jeffrey Wright’s tiring monologue and a million characters for every second of the article don’t let you cling to what’s happening. But then the plot gradually develops, there is DYNAMICS! It seems that it will be very interesting and... Of course, the narrative will be interrupted by another useless and bland dialogue between Wright and Liv Schreiber, who does not try to play at all and looks ridiculous in the role of the presenter, and then instead of a well-made chase, we will be shown a cartoon. After all, it is probably difficult to travel by car in total cardboard decorations. At the end, Wright will have a dialogue with Nescafier, who described his taste of the poison: '...bitter, rotten, peppery, spicy, oily, earthy. I've never tried that before. Not quite pleasant, extremely poisonous, but still a new taste. And you know, that's the movie. One gets the feeling that Wes himself understands this and speaks through Nescafier’s mouth to the audience.
The epilogue is absolutely simple and does not represent anything to waste time discussing it. When the final credits started, I thought, ‘This is it! The best part of the movie! Indeed, the film ran for just over 100 minutes, and it felt like 200+. Extremely exhausting sight.
Anderson just makes a movie for himself. He doesn’t care about the audience, doesn’t care about the script, the characters, the whole soul component. He only cares about the scenery, nauseatingly perfect symmetry and the staging of each individual frame.
The script is missing as such. Only the first story with varying success holds the brand of quality. The second one is terribly boring. The third is interesting, but it is full of unnecessary and eternal retreats.
The characters are even more cardboard than the scenery. They are absolutely flat and only with a stone face are tarnished with pathetic monologues, without causing any emotions (Del Toro and Seydu are an exception). And many famous actors have less than a minute of screen time and it looks absurdly ridiculous. I thought I saw Christoph Waltz in the movie. Yeah, I wasn't wrong, but he flashed for 10 seconds. Many actors in the film are part of the scenery, nothing more. Because of this, the presence of an impressive caste is unconditionally devoid of meaning and the potential of acting talents is spent nowhere.
The music is normal, but nothing more. Typical "fervent" motives for such a manner of narration. I don't remember it at all.
The sound is high, but not as good as the Grand Budapest Hotel. The difference in sound is palpable.
It's a good shot. There are a couple of unusual solutions and it looks very beautiful.
But with the symmetry of the frame again too much. She's too conspicuous. It seems that the director deliberately constantly makes accents on this and throws in our face with the words: 'Look how I can! I can do it the whole movie. Actually, that's what I'm going to do. Therefore, the French Herald seems to be a magazine about geometry, not about real life.
It's a beautiful setup, it's a very nice mix.
Staging. The scenery is high-quality, excellent costumes, filling the frame with every little thing above all praise, BUT. Visual style does not feel behind black and white. I love C/B, but this particular movie is bad for me. In those rare moments when the picture acquired color, it was possible to pay tribute to the artists - the frame is rich, juicy and colorful. The contrast game is excellent. But Wes thought it would work. In black and white, there is only a pesky and murderous symmetry, because everything else in the film is dead.
Conclusion
I have studied the reviews and reactions of viewers on many resources and a significant part of them turned out to be similar to my vision. However, people still manage to put above 6 points. If the movie is bad, it's a maximum of 4. If you do not understand anything, it does not mean that you are stupid, just understand nothing.
I want to put a three, but for the good efforts of Benicio Del Toro and Lea Seyda, in general, an interesting first and a good (albeit overflowing) third I objectively put “four”. And that's a fair assessment. More this "film-set of incoherent episodes" does not claim.
'The French Herald. Annex to the Liberty newspaper. Kansas Evening Sun (2021), or as it is also called more succinctly "The French Herald" (with your permission I will use this title, or it turns out very long) is the eighth feature film by American director, screenwriter and producer Wes Anderson. His style cannot be confused with any other filmmaker. His characters seem to inhabit a kind of surrealism, a parallel reality that is so similar to ours, but also markedly different. For his color scheme, Wes Anderson chooses warm, streamlined and pretentious tones, which sometimes gives the feeling that everything happens inside a dollhouse. Wes Anderson is also an avid music lover, so he always chooses the musical accompaniment for his films on his own, which allows you to feel a particular scene from the director more subtly. And the characters of Wes Anderson are somewhat eccentric, often impenetrable, but with a beautiful lexical syllable with extremely accurate and aesthetically vivid metaphors. . .
In general, you can talk about the author’s style of films from Wes Anderson, because he certainly deserves it, but let’s go directly to his eighth film “The French Herald”. In fact, he became a kind of homage to journalism of the 60-70s of the last century, because Wes Anderson himself is an ardent fan of the weekly The New Yorker. For the location of the "French Herald", Anderson, together with the co-authors of the script, came up with the town of Annuy-sur-Blaze (translated "Boredom nad-apathy"), where the French branch of the American newspaper Liberty is located. Kansas Evening Sun. It has long been run by a peculiar Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray), who has, by the way, like many characters of the French Herald, a real prototype. But he goes to a better world, and according to his will, the reporters of the French Herald begin to work on the final issue. This is the background, and the film itself is divided into four segments, as well as the conventionally called “obituary” and will try to evaluate each of them.
The first segment is called "The Reporter on a Bicycle" and stars Wes Anderson's longtime friend Owen Wilson. He talks about the current state of Annoy-sur-Blaze, comparing it with the events of the past and analyzing the changes that have occurred. This is a city tour, which on the inner perception sends us to the local comfort of French towns with their contrast and charm to the elegant music flowing from Montmartre and pleasing to our ear. But the epistolary style of the town of Owen Wilson is beyond praise. And this is the shortest segment in the French Herald, and the next one is the Iron Concrete Masterpiece, the longest. It tells the story of a criminal with a mental disorder who suddenly becomes a thunderbolt in the clear sky in the art market. An unusual story, which is presented from different angles - from the words of the journalist and, in fact, sketches about the creative genius, as well as his muse and philanthropist. In “Concrete masterpiece” first of all I would like to highlight the acting game of Benicio Del Toro, Lea Seidu (she performed in a very unusual style), Tilda Swinton and permanent actor Wes Anderson Adrien Brody.
The third segment of the “French Herald” – “Amendments to the Manifesto” – hosted the three-time Oscar-winning winner for Best Actress Frances McDormand, as well as the young talent of Timothy Chalamet and Lin Kudry. In this story, one can easily recognize that the May events of 1968 in France or the Red May events were the basis. And in this case, I will highlight the charming work of the operator of the “French Herald” Robert D. Jowman, who with a frozen camera transmitted literally photographic slides that give rise to their comprehension, that is, here Jowman created masterpieces of short film frames, when the viewer feels as if frozen time. And finally, the fourth segment, called the "Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner", the genre of which can be attributed to a comedy gangster detective with many characters. And then Wes Anderson brought something from the animation, because he had already had experience with it when he worked on the films “Incomparable Mr. Fox” (2009) and “Island of Dogs” (2018). And this is another nuance that makes the film "French Herald" as diverse and entertaining as possible.
Anyway, the French Herald. Annex to the Liberty newspaper. Wes Anderson’s Kansas Evening Sun once again proves its uniqueness. And the fact that once again in his film played a huge number of stars of the first magnitude, even in episodes and without lines, speaks of the great authority and love for Anderson. Probably, even superhero films from Marvel can not boast of such a cluster of star actors on a handkerchief. A bright, visually impeccable, remarkable picture, which is very difficult to attribute to any particular genre, which can be analyzed, recalled and discussed for a long time. That's what Wes Anderson is all about.
9 out of 10
As soon as the news reports that Wes Anderson is making his new film, it becomes a big deal. The director tries to work exclusively for his own pleasure, refuses major studios proposals for cooperation, as he primarily honors creative freedom and, despite the fact that he does not shoot blockbusters, always collects full theaters. Now he has returned to us with his new work, The French Herald.
Now let’s talk about the story... There was no sadness in the editorial office of The French Herald until its editor, Arthur Howitzer Jr., died suddenly of a heart attack. But he felt that he could die at any time, and therefore wrote a will that must be executed in any case.
Hovitzer was very fond of his magazine, but could not even think of him continuing after his death. So the journalists of the publication will have to work on the farewell issue, which will mark the end of the long journey of the French Herald. It may be a little sad, but the decree of the editor can not change anything.
And before paying all journalists salaries, it is very important to finish the history of the French Herald on a major note, and this is what Erbsen Sazerak takes up, who went on a trip to the town of Annuy-sur-Blaze to tell readers (well, the audience too), about the most amazing places of the city, about which the French Herald always wrote with such warmth and love.
As in Wes Anderson's past works, so here, history is built as an almanac of stories. That is, we have several amazing novels under the same sign that tell stories that do not overlap with each other. At the same time, it should be noted that the film still has a so-called end-to-end plot, which revolves around the editorial office of the French Herald and its boss, Arthur Horowitz.
For Wes Anderson, it has long been a trademark that he invites exceptionally good friends to his films and The French Herald is no exception. On the screen, we will again see Bill Murray, Adrian Brody, Owen Wilson and other favorite actors of the director. This is already a fully coordinated acting ensemble, which invariably pleases its audience.
"The French Herald" is a great movie, in which I personally do not want to look for flaws. While watching, you feel a kind of amazing lightness and in general you want the film not to end. It would be very cool if the French Herald had a sequel or prequel. This movie definitely deserves it.
I got acquainted with the work of Wes Anderson a couple of years ago, when the cult Hotel Grand Budapest appeared at the box office. Since then, I have seen all the works of this talented director and it is logical that I also wanted to see the French Herald, which gathered under its banners a super-star cast. The film did not disappoint, and that is the main thing.
If we talk about the plot, it begins with the fact that the Author Howitzer Jr., the editor-in-chief of the same “French Herald”, dies. This is a very bad thing not only because a very powerful man has left our world. The problem is that Hovitzer does not want his magazine to work without him, and therefore gave the final order to close the French Herald in the next issue.
It is clear that for such an important event, any report that comes across is not suitable. The matter must be treated very carefully and carefully. Thus, after much deliberation, it is customary to publish in the journal an article about the tour of the town of Annoy-sur-Blaze, three past and significant reports, as well as an obituary. So the most interesting thing is just beginning, and Mr. Anderson and I embark on an amazing journey through the French picturesque outback.
In this film there is a single end-to-end plot that holds together disparate chapters or novels. In one, we are caught up in a student revolution, in another, we find ourselves in prison with a brilliant artist, and then take part in the investigation of the kidnapping of the son of the police commissioner. As you can see, you will not be bored here.
From the actors I want to highlight an old friend of Wes Anderson, Bill Murray, who played the editor-in-chief of the magazine. The role may not be the biggest, but definitely memorable. I also really liked Adrian Brody as a craftsman and painter. Well, Frances McDormand, one of the reporters of the “French Herald”, is always good in her rightful place.
In this film, there is a kind of light bulb that we so often lack. Yes, I do not argue that the film flirts with hard, sharp moments in places, but at the same time the director skillfully ironically and turns each of the novels into a kind of fairy tale, from which you absolutely do not want to get out.
Overall, I liked the French Herald. To be honest, Wes Anderson doesn’t have a single passing film, and this one will be remembered for a very long time. I wish you the most pleasant viewing. Important point. On most platforms, the film must be purchased separately. The exception is the online cinema IVI, which gives free access if you have a subscription.
8 out of 10
I adore director Wes Anderson and his artistic vision, incomparable to anything I’ve seen before. Anderson creates unique stories that tell us about simple, but at the same time very important things like family, friendship and love. But he does it in a special way. So sweet, eccentric, and yet charming that his every new work instantly becomes an event. The French Herald is no exception.
If we talk about the plot of the film, it tells us the story of the magazine “French Herald”, as well as its employees. It so happened that the editor-in-chief of the publication dies, leaving only a will, which clearly states that the next issue of the Bulletin should be the last. This means that only the most worthy materials should be included in it. This is what we will see in the future.
Thanks to the final “French Herald”, we will get acquainted with the wonderful place of Annoy-sur-Blaze, where you can ride your bicycle so much fun. It seems that this town stuck out of time has retained its amazing atmosphere, which is not in a hurry, but pleases with its measuredness.
We will also meet here a slightly strange, but brilliant artist Rosenthal, who was imprisoned because of his unstable, hot-tempered character. But as you know, genius always wanders along with madness, so there is nothing to be particularly surprised here.
We are also shown a student manifesto featuring passionate young people who want to change the world for the better. And gradually their rebellion turns into a kind of chess game, which I personally was very interesting to watch.
Finally, another story tells of a dinner with the police commissioner. The journalist has to interview him extensively and interestingly, but everything is interrupted by the most important thing when a policeman’s son is kidnapped. Something needs to be done, and urgently.
In each novel, Anderson tells a unique story involving famous actors. The whole film looks like a theater, but this is the beauty of the director’s work. He tells us about simple things in unusual language and does it so deftly that viewers follow each story with incredible interest, trying not to lose sight of the most important thing.
For me, the French Herald was a big event. The film is really cute, exciting and moderately sharp. So if you want to have a great time watching a movie, then choose “French Herald”, especially in IVI it can be viewed by subscription without additional financial investments.
8 out of 10