540 The Darjeeling Limited

[Gregory]

There are still leftover copies available, though.
Pressing plant footage with a few soundtrack clips

[Yaanu]

My local record store still has three copies available. I'd have already bought one if they weren't $25.

[flyonthewall2983]

My bad, not RSD but May 19th.

[flyonthewall2983]

Did you not get a homoerotic vibe from The Darjeeling Limited when Barbet Schroeder's character, the mechanic, was told the father died, we cut to a close up of his face, and we his pain at the realization someone close has died? If that is the case, it would go a long way in explaining Anjelica Huston's character.

This is carried over from the Filmmakers thread on Anderson. I have to admit I didn't at first, and am not entirely sold on it but it's not entirely implausible.

[diamonds]

I just watched the scene again and was surprised at how much emphasis seems to be put on the mechanic's face. I don't know if it's a form of confirmation bias or what, but I agree it's in the realm of possibility now. The bit about it explaining Patricia Whitman's behavior is intriguing too, as without it her erraticism doesn't seem motivated by anything in particular.

[mfunk9786]

Considering that this film reveals impeccable depth to me with each rewatch (it's, at this point, my #2 Anderson film all-time and it's feeling less and less like a difficult position to take with each passing day [that's a little dramatic, I don't think about this daily]), I will be looking for this with great interest the next time I put this disc in.

[flyonthewall2983]

More than any other Anderson film, I feel like there is a lot unsaid or unexplained as to everyone's motivations. Of the three brothers, Peter is a little more transparent in understanding his backstory. Jack's relationship with Natalie Portman's character is pretty vague, even in Hotel Chevalier. Francis explains the reasons for the motorcycle accident at the end, but again how it's in relation with his own problems is never really spelled out.

Spoiler

Maybe the cyclical ending is indicative of another journey where at least Jack and Francis come to terms ultimately with those issues. The new ending to Jack's book indicates as much.

[manicsounds]

Caught this on TV and knew it had to be Anderson:

"Come Together" short film commercial for H&M
Basically a kind of sequel to The Darjeeling Limited.

[John Shade]

This is my first post on this board (side note: I enjoy lurking on this board). I think it is interesting to look back at the original posts around the time the film came out. It seemed at the time, and reflected here, that there was a general boredom and frustration sinking in with Anderson's work. By using a slow motion scene (shortly after a Bill Murray cameo) with a Kinks song right at the start, I think he lost many viewers. That the characters appear well within the Anderson world, or what people immediately think of when they think of that world, fairly quickly after this scene might not have helped either. And yet I really think this is worthy of some revision or second looks.

For one, I think this film has aged very well, though that's true with Anderson's work, but especially when compared to some of the "best" of 2007. Much of the discussion at the time seemed to be Anderson favoring his privileged upper class leads at the expense of the supposedly neglected Indian characters. Ironically, I think that opinion is very true of Slumdog Millionaire, another Western "view of India" and a critical darling ten years ago that I tend to think has aged poorly and did in fact use the poverty stricken surroundings for cheap thrills. Anderson's love of Indian cinema is mixed with an obvious knowing glance, with some clear symbolism, that his characters are using it as a bit of escape and spiritual exoticism.

In Darjeeling, Anderson recognizes the absurdity of the brothers' spiritual search ("We haven't located us yet", the laminated itineraries, etc)--he's in on the fact that they are using the place for spiritual reasons. I don't think this means appropriation (except maybe the way Schwartzman's character uses Rita, "sweet Lime") the way it does with Slumdog; there's a curiosity for Anderson about India along with the challenge of filming a fiction film in a nearly documentary-like way. In a way I think the challenge of this film, following what he seems to say was the hardest film he's made, prepared him for the excellent streak he's been on since (err, for this biased viewer I guess that streak is Bottle Rocket on...).

Even with the occasional ugly moments he treats the brothers humanely and sympathizes with them. I guess I also like that this is a film primarily about adult sibling relationships. This is a broken family at a crossroads, the spiritual search a desperate last second gasp to save themselves. I get that the baggage is an obvious symbol, but for me the last twenty or so minutes of the film generally are a spiritual experience.

[stevewhamola]

Obligatory post about Natalie Portman's ass.

[therewillbeblus]

For all the detractors that accuse Anderson of emotional artificiality, Hotel Chevalier is exhibit A on his willingness to sit with piercing emotional pain and his understanding of the intangible truths that make this terrain with limitations in expression, that if acknowledged open up possibilities too many filmmakers have feared to see in favor of eye-rolling forced demonstrations in Dramatics. Aside from the maturity in presenting us with a complex relationship whose history we are allowed to pierce together through shifts in power dynamics and eventual shedding of protectors to achieve murky waters of vulnerabilities without tools to communicate them, Anderson shows the tools we do use to work through these surging and complicated emotions and validates them all. He doesn’t judge the desire to harm, the use of sex to feel alleviation, the self-destruction people commit with full awareness of the detrimental effects. Anderson sees us as the emotionally driven beings we are with our own internal logic, and validates these tools we use to feel better, to feel something and support ourselves through ineffable experience without judgment.

What we do know is that in this relationship is shame, resentment, passivity, regret, false confidence, apathy, sadness. There was also enough joy and love in the past to create the pathos exuded by both characters, and enough nostalgia and passion to bring them back together. There is a connective longing with a recognition of impossibility - rooted in a mismatch of characteristics, personal doubt from low self-esteem and negative core beliefs yielding self-destruction, or a history with too much baggage to start fresh, probably all and more. This is a film for all the people who have experienced what it’s like to be in love and be loved back and yet still mutually understand the futility of the relationship, which Anderson knows too. Otherwise I don’t think he could have made a film this authentic.

[flyonthewall2983]

Woke up today wondering how much we can either praise or blame this for bringing “gaslighting” into our modern vernacular. Unless it went over my head before seeing this I clearly remember asking myself what it meant when Brody’s character blurts it out at one point.

[knives]

The terms been around for a long time and as much as I love this movie it frankly isn’t popular enough to be blamed for anything in society.

[CSM126]

Woke up today wondering how much we can either praise or blame this for bringing “gaslighting” into our modern vernacular. Unless it went over my head before seeing this I clearly remember asking myself what it meant when Brody’s character blurts it out at one point.

If we’re going to blame a movie for the word “gaslighting” it should probably be Gaslight

[J M Powell]

If we’re going to blame a movie for the word “gaslighting” it should probably be Gaslight

That's a lie and you know it. Stop darjeelinging us.

[therewillbeblus]

Are you sure Brody uses that term in this film? I’ve seen it many times and am pretty sure it’s not used. Either way, knives is right, and we can blame a lot of trends/(social) media outlets for how the term “gaslight” has been socially constructed to broaden it’s definition from condescending diagnostic manipulation towards mere disagreement posing as perceived invalidation.. though Anderson’s ‘07 box office hit ain’t one of ‘em

(Edit: If I'm wrong and the word is indeed in the film, I apologize for gaslighting!)

[domino harvey]

I first heard the term from an ex-girlfriend who read it on some relationship advice website about eight or nine years ago. I was like, “You mean like the movie Gaslight?” and she said that wherever she read it credited Cukor’s film specifically, which she actually bought after reading about it (certainly the only studio era film in her collection)

[DeprongMori]

I first heard the term from an ex-girlfriend who read it on some relationship advice website about eight or nine years ago. I was like, “You mean like the movie Gaslight?” and she said that wherever she read it credited Cukor’s film specifically, which she actually bought after reading about it (certainly the only studio era film in her collection)

[colinr0380]

I was recently watching The Right Opinion's video on the rather despicable seeming figure of Onision (Zac Efron would be a shoe-in to play him in the eventual film!) and found it amusing TRO calls gaslighting "the Bishop Brennan effect"!

[Mr.DarjeelingLimited]

“Ahh could you move back a little? You just spit in my face.”
An all time favorite of mine is finally on a 4K UHD disc. That Wes set will be my fastest sale purchase ever.

[dvakman]

Just FYI (straight from Criterion), this will be the only title in the upcoming Wes Anderson box to have an updated Blu-ray. All the rest will be identical to the standalone releases.

Wes recently supervised a new encode and color grade for this title.

[tenia]

That's, hmm, weirdly specific but why not.

[jt938]

Wish Criterion would just always include remastered bds but alas.

[dvakman]

I agree. If all of the BDs of the older films had been sourced from the 4K remasters, I might have gone with the box, since they probably would have been exclusive to the set. Later 4K standalone releases are highly likely to always be paired with the existing standalone BDs. As much as I like Darjeeling, the box including only one BD in the above category is a lot less enticing.

[andyli]

Yeah, you'd think when a remastered blu-ray has been authored it should feature in any future stand-alone releases. I mean, why remain exclusive? 8 1/2 is one recent example.