Wes Anderson’s Unique Cinematic World Relies on Collaboration

What’s the Latest Development?

When Wes Anderson’s newest film, Moonrise Kingdom, opened the Cannes Film Festival this year, it was perhaps a fitting tribute to a director whose interest in the French film tradition runs deep. “I can’t imagine a greater honor,” he said. “Or a more stressful way to open a movie.” Anderson, who prefers to write and direct his own scripts while steering clear of large Hollywood productions, is the American director who most exemplifies the French auteur tradition and has created the most consistent and identifiable cinematic world since Alfred Hitchcock. 

What’s the Big Idea?

While Anderson’s cinematic vision is unmistakable, it is not the work of a lone wolf. His first film, Bottle Rocket, was written with Owen Wilson while the two were still in college and Anderson’s passion for collaboration has not dampened since. “Right now I am writing a script on my own, but I talk to a collaborator for an hour a day,” said Anderson. “And then I go write. These discussions are absolutely necessary. At this point I could just finish the thing. But getting it going, getting it figured out—I usually need help.” Anderson relies on the team of people around him to keep him from making mistakes. 

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