Wes Anderson uses many cinematic tricks in his filmmaking, from slow motion to voiceover narration to soundtrack needle-drops. His characters are distinctively dressed and his stories are tragicomic in tone. On top of all that, almost all of Anderson’s movies have meticulously edited montages.
From the titular family’s introduction in Rushmore, Anderson’s movies are filled with perfectly spliced montages.
Margot’s Dating History In The Royal Tenenbaums
When Raleigh begins to suspect that Margot is having an affair, he hires a private investigator to follow her around and get some background information. As it turns out, her extramarital dalliances are even more widespread than Raleigh feared.
Set to the Ramones’ “Judy is a Punk,” the private eye runs through Margot’s entire dating history, right up to her recent relationship with Eli Cash.
Max’s Extracurricular Activities In Rushmore
When Max Fischer introduces himself to industrialist Herman Blume at the beginning of Rushmore, the titular academy’s heaster warns Herman that he’s “one of the worst students we’ve got.”
The Creation’s “Making Time” kicks in on the soundtrack as a montage of Max’s extracurricular activities explains why he’s too busy to do well in his studies.
Herbsaint Sazerac’s Cycling Tour Of Ennui In The French Dispatch
The bulk of The French Dispatch is an anthology movie made up of stories from within the pages of the titular magazine, but there are a couple of opening sequences that set the tone and establish the world of the film.
One such sequence sees Owen Wilson’s quirkily named Dispatch reporter Herbsaint Sazerac giving the audience a cycling tour of Ennui-sur-Blasé.
Mr. Fox Robs Boggis, Bunce, And Bean’s Farms In Fantastic Mr. Fox
Anderson returned to a familiar genre framework – the heist movie – for his first family film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, a stop-motion animated adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic of the same name.
After promising his wife to give up a life of crime, the titular fox grows bored of his mundane legitimate career. So, he teams up with his old partner-in-crime, Kylie, to break into the farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean and make off with a boatload of livestock and produce.
Team Zissou Prepares To Hunt Down The Jaguar Shark In The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
After his best friend is eaten by a sea creature that he can only describe as a “jaguar shark,” Steve Zissou becomes determined to track it down and exact revenge.
Ahead of this voyage, Steve fixes up the Belafonte to the best of his ability and gets his team into shape with runs on the beach. Ned learns how to swim (and briefly drowns in the training pool).
Introducing The Tenenbaums In The Royal Tenenbaums
The soundtrack of The Royal Tenenbaums kicks off with the Mutato Muzika Orchestra’s cover of the Beatles hit “Hey Jude.” The camera pulls down on the Tenenbaum household before introducing the estranged patriarch, the comionate matriarch, and the three prodigious children.
This montage is filled with great standalone moments introducing the characters’ eccentricities, and the whole sequence is tied together by Alec Baldwin’s voiceover narration.
The Society Of The Crossed Keys In The Grand Budapest Hotel
After escaping from prison in The Grand Budapest Hotel’s second act, M. Gustave gets himself to a public phone, dials a number, and says, “I am formally calling on the special services of...” Cut to a title card introducing “The Society of the Crossed Keys.”
Concierges around the globe, all connected to this underground society, answer phone calls from other to get M. Gustave the help he needs. Whether they’re giving a toast or providing life-saving R, they all tell their lobby boys to take over so they can answer the call.
Sam And Suzy’s Correspondence In Moonrise Kingdom
Like many of Anderson’s films, his underappreciated coming-of-age romance Moonrise Kingdom follows a nonlinear narrative structure. Sam and Suzy run away to be together, then the story goes back to show how they met at a pageant.
Over the following weeks, Sam and Suzy sent secret love letters back and forth, getting to know each other better and eventually arranging to run off together. The montage of this correspondence is pure Anderson.
Royal Takes Ari And Uzi Out For A Day Of Mischief In The Royal Tenenbaums
Chas is reluctant to let his estranged father meet his sons, Ari and Uzi, in The Royal Tenenbaums. And, on top of that, he’s become overly conscious of the boys’ safety in the months since his wife ed away.
Against Chas’ wishes, not only does Royal introduce himself to his grandsons; he takes them out for a day of wildly dangerous activities – shoplifting, dogfighting, running through traffic, hanging from a moving garbage truck – in a montage set to “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” by Paul Simon.
Max And Herman’s Vengeful Back-And-Forth In Rushmore
After Max learns that Herman is dating the love of his life and Herman learns that Max is responsible for the breakdown of his marriage, the two engage in a prank war in one of Rushmore’s funniest sequences. The Who’s “A Quick One, While He’s Away” provides the perfect musical accompaniment for Max and Herman’s practical jokes.
Throughout the montage, the recklessness of the pranks escalates until Max finally takes it too far: Max funnels bees into Herman’s hotel room; Herman drives over Max’s bike with his car; Max cuts the brakes of said car; finally, Herman reports Max to the police.
