The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

A writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.

Director:

Wes Anderson

Writers:

Stefan Zweig (inspired by the writings of), Wes Anderson (screenplay)

Stars:

Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric

Top Rated Movies #187 | Won 4 Oscars. Another 130 wins & 226 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Fiennes	...	M. Gustave
F. Murray Abraham	...	Mr. Moustafa
Mathieu Amalric	...	Serge X.
Adrien Brody	...	Dmitri
Willem Dafoe	...	Jopling
Jeff Goldblum	...	Deputy Kovacs
Harvey Keitel	...	Ludwig
Jude Law	...	Young Writer
Bill Murray	...	M. Ivan
Edward Norton	...	Henckels
Saoirse Ronan	...	Agatha
Jason Schwartzman	...	M. Jean
Léa Seydoux	...	Clotilde
Tilda Swinton	...	Madame D.
Tom Wilkinson	...	Author

Storyline

This movie recounts the adventures of M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune - all against the backdrop of a suddenly and dramatically changing continent.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | lobby boy | prison escape | first person narration | painting | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexual content and violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ludwig's tattoos are a direct copy of the character of Pere Jules in L'Atalante (1934). The "MAV" tattooed on his left arm is the abbreviation of the French saying "mort aux vaches", which translates to "death to cows", "vaches" being street slang for "cops", or policemen.

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Goofs

Zero grabs his hotel trousers and hat as he leaves Agatha while he is still in his underwear. When he's on the roof moments later, he's wearing the trousers and hat. He could not have put on his trousers while on the roof.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Author: It is an extremely common mistake. People think the writer's imagination is always at work, that he's constantly inventing an endless supply of incidents and episodes; that he simply dreams up his stories out of thin air. In point of fact, the opposite is true. Once the public knows you're a writer, they bring the characters and events to you. And as long as you maintain your ability to look, and to carefully listen, these stories will continue to...
Author's Grandson: [...]

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Crazy Credits

Near the end of the closing credits, an animated Russian figure does a traditional dance.

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Connections

Featured in Late Night with Seth Meyers: Ralph Fiennes/Allison Williams/Mike Birbiglia (2014)

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Soundtracks

Svetit Mesyats
Written by Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev
Performed by The Ludmila Zykina State Academic Russian National Balalaika Ensemble and the Orchestre de Balalaikas Saint-Georges

User Reviews

Funny, sweet, inventive and wonderfully acted

A wonderfully funny fable of the adventures of world's greatest hotel concierge (a brilliant, inventive and hilarious performance by Ralph Fiennes) and the friendship he strikes up with the hotel's new lobby boy (a strong debut by newcomer Tony Revolori).

The story goes in many unexpected directions, every one entertaining and eccentric, and the cast is full of first rate highly comic performances by F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, with terrific cameos by Bill Murray, Harvey Keitel, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, Jude Law and others I feel bad for forgetting here.

While not Anderson's most profound film, it may be his most joyful. I don't think I stopped smiling from first frame to last, and I laughed out loud quite a few times. And yet, as in any good fable, there is some real poignancy as well. A top notch marriage of a lovingly crafted art-film and a wacky human comedy, something rarely pulled off with such panache. Even my friends who don't enjoy Anderson's work in general had nothing but good things to say. The sweetest treat of the movie year so far.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

28 March 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Filming Locations:

Görlitz, Saxony, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$811,166, 9 March 2014

Gross USA:

$59,301,324

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$172,940,180

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Indian Paintbrush, Studio Babelsberg

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1