Stefan Zweig and Wes Anderson

The writing of Stefan Zweig can be clearly admired in Wes Anderson’s films, but specifically I will focus on The Grand Budapest Hotel. Both the setting and the dialogue were both heavily inspired by Zweig’s writing, sharing mood and theme. One of Zweig’s almost, rose colored glasses themes was shown visually in The Grand Budapest Hotel with a very clear pastel color pallet through the entire film, which I found to be a very effective use for both mood and storytelling, giving it an almost storybook type feel to the film. The character introductions, or rather the character introducing the world and the exposition in Zweig’s writing is seen well in the Grand Budapest Hotel, the way the period is revealed along with the exposition. Truly it is like watching a story book come to life.

Almost immediately after I began reading Stefan Zweig’s works, such as Twenty-four Hours in the Life of a Woman, A Star Above the Forest, The Governess and A summer Novella, I was completely immersed in the form of writing and the unique characters. It is easy to see how Wes Anderson’s films and Zweig’s stories coalesced so well. Each were very connected and Anderson’s film style complements Zweig’s writing style quite nicely, as a perfect translation from written word into film. It is both Zweig and Anderson’s hyper sensitive attention to detail that crosses over so nicely. Each was perfectly designed, each detail belonging to the setting and world in which it belonged. In Zweig’s work, painting pictures in the readers mind of the setting in clear yet simply beautiful detail and in Anderson’s a lovely composition to behold, simple yet precise and meticulously planned. Even if the setting might not be relatable, the reader or viewer could feel right at home, noticing details and taking in the setting effortlessly.

The idealized worlds Anderson creates are well crafted and incredibly designed, which is clearly a common thread with Zweig’s works, sharing a sort of surrealism. This comes in both aesthetic and verbal forms as well as social situations. For instance, in Twenty-four Hours in the Life of a Woman, we begin following the story of the narrator, which we are introduced to, then we switch to follow the story of Mrs. C as she takes the story over. Nearly the same instance happens in The Grand Budapest Hotel, shifting from our introduced narrator, who we learn later comes back, to our main character Mr. Gustave, who becomes our new narrator that too could effortlessly fit right into one of Zweig’s stories.

The impression Zweig seems to have had on Anderson seems clear from the first 5 pages of any of Zweig’s works, but in my opinion has become a brilliant inspiration to Wes Anderson’s already fantastic stories. Each creative director’s works can be enjoyed separately, but I have enjoyed the comparison and contrast to each artist’s work. The inspiration has brought success and in turn has inspired me. I believe this to be a perfect example that steel sharpens steel.