Far and away one of the most confident and idiosyncratic filmmakers of his generation, Wes Anderson knows his way around cinema. Like all good directors, Anderson is a student of the medium, and he goes to great lengths to put his influences up on the screen, mimicking shots, themes, and stylistic choices. Where the meticulous auteur breaks through, though, is in his ability to take all these influences and mold them into a succinct style all his own — you know a Wes Anderson film when you see it, without a doubt, a compliment that can be said about very few.
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Now, to help parse some of these influences that run rife through Anderson’s work, Beyond The Frame has put together a tidy video essay that juxtaposes dozens of memorable shots from Anderson’s oeuvre and their cinematic counterparts. The two-minute “The Influences And References Of Wes Anderson” runs the gamut of his films, highlighting what must be some of the director’s favorite works, like “The 400 Blows,” “The Graduate,” and “Citizen Kane,” among a wide variety of others.
The short supercut also brings to light one of Anderson’s best references: Gene Hackman’s Royal Tenenbaum driving a go-kart in a scene perfectly riffing on Hackman’s epic car-chase-that-redefined-car-chases from “The French Connection.” It’s a moment that works on so many levels, perfectly embodying Anderson’s visual flair, his peculiar tone, and the emotionally stunted men that populate his films.
“The Influences And References Of Wes Anderson” is a must-watch for fans of the director, if only because it might turn you onto some of the films that helped to turn Wes Anderson into the filmmaker he is today. Check out the video and share your thoughts in the comments below.