Movie Monday February 13: The French Dispatch

My pick this week is the latest Wes Anderson film, The French Dispatch. Like most of his films, it’s a highly stylized, star-studded ensemble piece. Unlike his other films, it’s an anthology of stories bookended by what is essentially a love letter to journalists, writers, and editors.

**Warning, mild spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t watched the movie yet, what are you doing?**

Upon the death of editor Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray), as per his wishes, The French Dispatch, a foreign magazine associated with Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper, is dissolved after one farewell issue. It contains one cycling tour description, an art piece “The Concrete Masterpiece”, a social political article “Revisions to a Manifesto”, a food review turned true crime story “The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner”, and finally Howitzer’s obituary. Herbsaint Sazerac (Owen Wilson), also known as The Cycling Reporter, introduces the audience to Ennui-sur-Blasé, France. He shows how much of the town has changed over time, yet is still much the same. Relying on the seedier descriptions of the alleyways, prostitutes, and vermin, Sazerac sets the scene for the stories that follow. 

In “The Concrete Masterpiece”, J.K.L Berensen (Tilda Swinton) recounts the life and work of artist and convicted murderer Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio del Toro). Incarcerated in an Ennui prison, former painter Rosenthaler finds a new muse in guard Simone (Léa Seydoux). He paints an abstract nude of her that catches the eye of art dealer and inmate Julian Cadazio (Adrien Brody). Upon his release, Cadazio makes Rosenthaler and his work famous. Three years later, after Rosenthaler promised to paint more art for Cadazio to sell, he presents him and a waiting crowd with a series of frescoes on the concrete prison walls. A wealthy art collector offers to put all of the frescoes on hold till they can be removed and Rosenthaler is released after helping stop a prison mob. 

“Revisions to a Manifesto” follows journalist Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand) and her involvement with student revolutionary Zeffirelli (Timothée Chalamet). The students of Ennui set out to change the status quo and create a borderless utopia, they soon split into factions. Though initially she tries to stay neutral, Lucinda eventually influences the students’ movement, specifically Zeffirelli’s manifesto. She and Zeffirelli start sleeping together. Fellow revolutionary Juliette (Lyna Khoudri) calls out her involvement and her relationship with Zeffirelli, but Lucinda just tells her to be young and “go make love” to Zeffirelli. Lucinda distances herself from the dying revolution when Zeffirelli himself later dies trying to repair a pirate radio tower. 

Though food critic Roebuck Wright (Jeffery Wright) initially sets out to write about police officer and chef Nescaffier (Stephen Park), the story then evolves into following the kidnapping of the commissioner’s son. The kidnappers work on behalf of the warring syndicates of Ennui’s criminal underworld. Enter renowned chef Nescaffier. He serves the kidnappers poisoned food, killing all but one. After a long car chase, the commissioner’s son is returned. Nescaffier, also poisoned but later resuscitated, tells Wright about the new flavors he tasted in the poisoned food.

The staff gather and mourn their editor’s death, but soon get to work writing his obituary.

So, What Do I Think?

I didn’t know much about the plot of The French Dispatch going into it, but that makes sense to me now. A lot of his other films have loose plots and are more about the characters than the story, but this film takes it to another level. The only thing really holding these anthologies together is the fact that they are all articles in a magazine. It’s a really interesting concept, but makes for a boring movie at times.

Though it was definitely slow in pacing, I did enjoy the film. The visuals, as usual, were stunning. I like Anderson’s dollhouse-like sets and how intentional the aesthetic is for every shot. In the age of big blockbusters and franchise, sometimes it’s nice to watch a beautiful and well acted film. There are too many big names to count, from small cameos like Rupert Friend and Christoph Waltz to Anderson mainstays Bill Murray and Willem Dafoe. 

Another difference from other Anderson films was the consistent use of black and white. Almost all of his other films use highly saturated palettes that make the world of the film look like a storybook. The contrast between color and black and white differentiates stories told by the journalists from actual events. It isn’t apparent at first though, so it might come off as convoluted or confusing.

My biggest critique of The French Dispatch is that it is very style over substance. Though I do love Anderson’s stylized and choreographed cinematography, there isn’t a lot to flesh out characters and stories. But maybe that’s the point. The film is a love letter to journalists, with each segment highlighting and drawing from well known writers. It’s about the people behind the stories, not so much the stories themselves. In a perfect world, there would be a bit more meat on this bone, but there’s just enough to satisfy fans of Anderson.

I’d give The French Dispatch 7 typewriters out of 10.