THE FRENCH DISPATCH (Wes Anderson 2021)

[Chris Knipp]

Glad you liked it, but how could you not? Agreed it's up there and I happen not to like Budapest Hotel all that much, for all its accomplishment, as I've said. Next time I watch it (THE FRENCH DISPATCH, that is), I will look for the use of miniatures that you describe here, which I confess I was not prepped for and did not appreciate.


THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE NEW YORKER

Not only a homage to journalists but specifically to journalists of The New Yorker magazine, as was fully detailed in a 16-page freebie magazine-style pamphlet ("The French Dispatch, 149e Série, No 12, 200 Old Francs"), given to me when I bought my ticket at Century 16, Pleasant Hill, CA. Thurber and White are both famous NYer people, Thurber primarily but not only a cartoonist, White a writer but famously also an editor, witness the classic writer's bible, "Strunk and White", AKA The Elements of Style. Bill Murray's character refers to the NYer's first two editors, Harold Ross mostly and to some extent William Shawn. There are also references to specific NYer pieces, and Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand) is inspired by Mavis Gallant and Lilian Ross. Wes says the film is "not based on The New Yorker bur totally inspired by it" and that he has been an admirer and reader of the magazine, which dates from 1925, since the age of twelve, which would be around 1981.


THE FREEBIE COVER IS THE SAME AS THE POSTER, I GUESS

The freebie magazine also lists films that inspired or influenced THE FRENCH DISPATCH. There are 32 films - I just counted them A lot are French but there are also POolanski, Wilder, De Sica and Coppola. You can see why I treasure this little pamphlet they gave me.

I too plan to see it again but so far have not been able to due to other interesting new films to see (here anyway, in the Bay Area) in theaters, such as THE RESCUE, TITANE, PASSING, SPENCER, THE SOUVENIR: PART II and today, TICK,TOCK, BOUM! THE FRENCH DISPATCH also (largely chronicled in that magazine) refers to many other real-life personalities beside. Attendance has been sparse at these: at THE RESCUE and SPENCER I was the only person inn the audience. But I am very happy that theaters are open and I can see these excellent films on a BIG SCREEN. Most people's home "big screens" are actually about 1/200th the size, at best.