Inside the meticulous world of Wes Anderson's 'The Phoenician Scheme'
Since March 19, employees at the Paris Cinémathèque française film institution have noticed some unusual visitors. Despite the spring weather, more and more young people have come to visit clad in red woolen hats, heavy suede jackets or ties adorned with foxes – a nod to the characters of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2005), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) or Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), all films by Wes Anderson, to whom the Parisian institution has dedicated a vast exhibition, which runs until July 27.
Unbothered by the warm temperatures, many of the exhibition's visitors – 53,000 in just one month – might have arrived in a Margot Tenenbaum-style fur coat, one of Mr. Fox's corduroy outfits or in many other impeccable items – starched shirts and fitted tracksuits – that Anderson typically adorns his characters with. In November, when the exhibition travels to the Design Museum in London, some visitors may don Bjorn Lund's (played by Michael Cera) rust-colored jacket, or the pristine suit with a club tie worn by Prince Farouk (Riz Ahmed) in The Phoenician Scheme, the 56-year-old American director's 12 th feature film, which is competing at the Cannes Film Festival and set to arrive in French cinemas on May 28.
Anderson's cinematic universe is not just about clothing but also sets, props, music and graphic identity. "It is an immense body of work, with the unique ability to deploy itself throughout a space," explained Matthieu Orléan, the curator of the exhibition at the Cinémathèque française. "That's why we showcase so many objects." This includes the puppets used in the making of Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs (2018), magazines chronicling the exploits of the gifted Tenenbaum family members, cross-stitch landscapes from the imaginary island setting of Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and the bathrobe from the short film Hôtel Chevalier (2007).
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