2008 Woodie Awards
DVD REVIEW
The Darjeeling Limited
Amanda Andreen
Issue date: 3/4/08 Section: Entertainment
Directed by Wes Anderson, "The Darjeeling Limited" is a breath-taking, introspective film that follows three American brothers along a spiritual quest throughout India. Out of touch, and out of their minds, the Whitman brothers-portrayed by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman-set out on a journey of self-discovery to rekindle their brotherly bond while mourning the death of their father.
Making their way through India on a train, specifically the Darjeeling Limited railway, their plan is quickly dissembled, as they encounter unexpected challenges and settings. Eventually they find themselves lost, stranded, and out of luck on a new and uncharted route. Toting eleven of their father's suitcases, a printer, and a laminating machine, the Whitman brothers allow viewers to grow along with them as they experience each bump in the road and new scenario.
According to The Onion's A.V. Club, it is theorized that there 16 films to which Anderson's style was most heavily influenced. Number 7 on the list is "The River." Anderson himself has mentioned that this film was the single greatest film influence on "The Darjeeling Limited." A 1951 film directed by Jean Renoir and written by Rumer Godden is a dramatic romance about three teenage girls living in Bengal, India (all of English decent), coming of age and falling in love with the same man. In both films, this foreign country, India, is the core landscape for the fruition of the plot and the evolution of the characters. It also becomes a place of healing and cathartic estrangement.
Though "The Darjeeling Limited" is not a romantic film in any sense of traditional conventions, there is romance in the film between the characters and the scenery. There are also hints of romance threaded through the film as it ideally is a fully conceptualized after-thought to the previously released "Hotel Chavelier", which also starred Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman. As both "The River" and "The Darjeeling Limited" take their characters on a voyage through an unfamiliar land, both Renoir and Anderson recognize through their visual interpretations, that their stories veer more towards a location transforming the main characters than it is about interpreting the cultural identity of India for their audiences.
That said, however, "The Darjeeling Limited" is all about Indian culture. It is the weird and wonderful things in India which the Whitman brothers encounter that change them and unite them.
Along with the incredible acting on behalf of Brody, Schwartzman, and Wilson, together with the likes of Bill Murray and Angelica Houston, "The Darjeeling Limited" is a succulent DVD treat for any viewer or Wes Anderson fan, full of incredible actors, beautiful mis-en-scene, and a transcendental timeless story.
Making their way through India on a train, specifically the Darjeeling Limited railway, their plan is quickly dissembled, as they encounter unexpected challenges and settings. Eventually they find themselves lost, stranded, and out of luck on a new and uncharted route. Toting eleven of their father's suitcases, a printer, and a laminating machine, the Whitman brothers allow viewers to grow along with them as they experience each bump in the road and new scenario.
According to The Onion's A.V. Club, it is theorized that there 16 films to which Anderson's style was most heavily influenced. Number 7 on the list is "The River." Anderson himself has mentioned that this film was the single greatest film influence on "The Darjeeling Limited." A 1951 film directed by Jean Renoir and written by Rumer Godden is a dramatic romance about three teenage girls living in Bengal, India (all of English decent), coming of age and falling in love with the same man. In both films, this foreign country, India, is the core landscape for the fruition of the plot and the evolution of the characters. It also becomes a place of healing and cathartic estrangement.
Though "The Darjeeling Limited" is not a romantic film in any sense of traditional conventions, there is romance in the film between the characters and the scenery. There are also hints of romance threaded through the film as it ideally is a fully conceptualized after-thought to the previously released "Hotel Chavelier", which also starred Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman. As both "The River" and "The Darjeeling Limited" take their characters on a voyage through an unfamiliar land, both Renoir and Anderson recognize through their visual interpretations, that their stories veer more towards a location transforming the main characters than it is about interpreting the cultural identity of India for their audiences.
That said, however, "The Darjeeling Limited" is all about Indian culture. It is the weird and wonderful things in India which the Whitman brothers encounter that change them and unite them.
Along with the incredible acting on behalf of Brody, Schwartzman, and Wilson, together with the likes of Bill Murray and Angelica Houston, "The Darjeeling Limited" is a succulent DVD treat for any viewer or Wes Anderson fan, full of incredible actors, beautiful mis-en-scene, and a transcendental timeless story.
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