The Darjeeling Limited
The story involves three estranged brothers (played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman) who take a train ride through India after the death of their father. The fictional long-distance train "Darjeeling Limited", apparently named after the short narrow-gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, provides the backdrop for the brothers trying to grow closer together.
Member Reviews
A ride worth taking - Nikki
A quirky comedy about three brothers who, at the insistence of the oldest, take a train ride through India together in order to strengthen their bond. Witty script, gorgeous photography, a superb soundtrack and terrific performances from its three leads. A must see if you are a Wes Anderson fan.A Slow Train To Nowhere - CharleyJames
It's hard to approach a Wes Anderson film without feeling like you've walked into an argument.
There's something about his dollhouse aesthetic, his storybook formality, his miniaturist's attention to detail and his dogged belief in the power of objects to elicit the most oblique emotions that seriously sets people off. It's this staunch commitment to artificiality that makes his work what it is.
Like all of Anderson's movies, "The Darjeeling Limited" takes place primarily in a single, evocative location. In this case, it's a train, although it's not so much an actual train as it is a romantic amalgam of the Orient Express and just about every other fragment of cultural nostalgia Anderson can access. Shot beautifully in India by cinematographer Robert Yeoman, "The Darjeeling Limited" was also writtenin country by Anderson, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, who collaborated on the script as they traveled together.
But to say it's actually set there is a stretch.
The India of the movie is more an idea than a reality, a whimsical Western projection that combines elements from 1930s picture books, films by Jean Renoir, the Beatles' immersion in Eastern religion in the '60s and centuries of Orientalism. Exotic, spiritual and, according to Peter Whitman (Adrien Brody), "spicy"-smelling.
It's a magical mystery place where wayward foreigners can go to get their souls back on track.
Or so Francis (Owen Wilson) thinks. After the death of his father, the eldest son of the far-flung Whitman clan hustles his estranged younger brothers, Peter and Jack , aboard the Darjeeling Limited, hoping to embark on a spiritual journey across the Rajasthani desert. Francis has painstakingly mapped out the trip with the help of his assistant Brendan.
This kind of over-the-top absurdist symbolism is why Anderson is often accused of being in love with himself.
Worth watching as long as you don't expect too much.Self-Indulgence Masquerading as Cinematography - Yogini
It is not only Owen Wilson's well-known habit of self-indulgence that is exploited in this film, it is the rampant self-indulgence of immature males, ad nauseum. It reminded me of the film, Until the End of the World, which was a fine, if quirky, film, but The Darjeeling Limited falls far short, and Owen Wilson, doomed to cinematic failure in the role of central protagonist, simply doesn't have the depth of William Hurt, and should never have been expected to carry any film purporting to be "heavier" than a Jackie Chan spoof. I was embarrassed for Angelica Huston, but then she doesn't get much by way of roles at any time. Various other cultural faux pas were sources of embarrassment. Oh well, I suppose that a pay-cheque is a pay-cheque, especially if you're poor, marginalized, and third-world.
Member Reviews
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A ride worth taking - Nikki
A quirky comedy about three brothers who, at the insistence of the oldest, take a train ride through India together in order to strengthen their bond. Witty script, gorgeous photography, a superb soundtrack and terrific performances from its three leads. A ...A Slow Train To Nowhere - CharleyJames
It's hard to approach a Wes Anderson film without feeling like you've walked into an argument.
There's something about his dollhouse aesthetic, his storybook formality, his miniaturist's attention to detail and his dogged belief in the power of objects ...Self-Indulgence Masquerading as Cinematography - Yogini
It is not only Owen Wilson's well-known habit of self-indulgence that is exploited in this film, it is the rampant self-indulgence of immature males, ad nauseum. It reminded me of the film, Until the End of the World, which was a fine, if quirky, film, but ...