Anderson's caper gets Berlinale rolling
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E-mail Shanghai Daily via agencies, February 7, 2014
The world premiere of Wes Anderson's keenly awaited caper "The Grand Budapest Hotel" opened the 64th Berlin film festival yesterday, joining the race for the Golden Bear top prize.
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A poster of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" [Photo/Mtime.com] |
The high-profile opening movie with an all-star cast led by British actor Ralph Fiennes marks a coup for the Berlinale, Europe's first major cinema showcase of the year.
The 11-day festival will screen more than 400 productions from around the world before a jury led by US producer James Schamus ("Brokeback Mountain") hands out the main awards among 20 contenders.
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" is Anderson's eighth feature and follows his bittersweet first-love story "Moonrise Kingdom," which launched the Cannes film festival in 2012 and became a critical and box office hit.
It will be the third time in the Berlinale competition for Anderson, who has striven to maintain quirky indie sensibilities while filming with ever larger budgets.
Anderson has lined up another stellar ensemble cast, including Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, Harvey Keitel, Lea Seydoux, Jeff Goldblum and Tilda Swinton, to light up Berlin's red carpet.
Insiders given a sneak preview of the movie indicate the picture is one of the strongest yet by Anderson, a three-time Oscar nominee.
The story revolves around the theft of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune left by dowager countess Madame D, played by Swinton.
Following the sudden death of Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, organizers said the festival would screen "Capote," in which he starred, as a tribute.
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