The poster for Wes Anderson’s “The Darjeeling Limited” has hit the Internets and this time it’s for real. Definitely much more real than that fake poster that was circulating as the legit thing back in May. You’ll notice this real one has a very similar color scheme and font as Anderson’s much-maligned “The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou.”
Closer inspection of the poster confirms thing we already know: the film is written by Wes and Roman Coppola (Sofia’s big brother) and Jason Schwartzman.
The cast in the poster has no mention of Natalie Portman or the alleged cameo for Bill Murray and just mentions the three principals (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Schwartzman) and Anjelica Huston.
Does that mean Portman isn’t in it? (a cameo isn’t going to be listed, period). Hard to say, her role could also be very small.
The big omission that catches our eye is the exclusion of longtime musical collaborator Mark Mothersbaugh. The former Devo-ite who has scored all of Wes’ films up until now is apparently not on board for this one. Instead the poster reads “featuring music from the films of” Satyajit Ray (“The Apu Trilogy“) and Merchant Ivory (British/Indian production duo of uptight early 20th Century British mien) which means the music of Ravi Shankar definitely and possibly Ustad Vilayat Khan (another Sitar maestro) and classical sarod player Ali Akbar Khan. After 1961’s “Teen Kanya,” Ray began composing much of his own music for his films, so there’s a strong possibility his own compositions will make the ‘Darjeeling’ cut.
Merchant Ivory actually makes sense for those scratching their heads – many of their early films are set in India (where the ‘Darjeeling’ takes places) and written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, a Polish/German novelist who married an Indian architect and based many of her early books on her experiences in said country. The 1969 Merchant Ivory film, “The Guru,” was based loosely based off George Harrison’s first visit to India in September 1966 to study with Ravi Shankar, for example (the aforementioned Khan wrote the music).
Wes, like Tarantino, is not afraid of recycling original film music and reused Bob Dylan’s “”Billy (Main Theme”) in “The Royal Tenebaums” (Dylan composed the original song and score for the Sam Peckinpah 1973 film, “Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid”; Dylan also took a role as “Alias,” a minor member of Billy’s gang. Wes also used Zimmy’s “Wigwam” from Self Portrait in the film.). Anderson also recycled himself: the Mothersbaugh reconciliation piece, “Snowflake Music” was used in both “Bottle Rocket” and “Rushmore” in the exact same manner.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be no pop or trademark ’60s Anderson-esque British Invasion rock in the film as music not originally made for the film is never listed on film posters, but we’re thinking without Mothersbaugh, we might be in store for something entirely different.
According to Anderson the film is about three brothers on a spiritual trip after their father has died “but it really just turns into a bender.” Fox says the film is “an emotional comedy about three brothers re-forging family bonds. The eldest, played by Wilson, hopes to reconnect with his two younger siblings by taking them on a train trip across the vibrant and sensual landscape of India.” “As happened his previous film, The Darjeeling Limited” is already set to appear as a Criterion DVD release.
Download: Mark Mothersbaugh “Let Me Tell You About My Boat”
Download: Bob Dylan – “Main Title Theme (Billy)”
Download: Bob Dylan – “Wigwam”
Download: Mark Mothersbaugh – “Snowflake Music”
