Jack Withan (Jason Schwartzman, seen in Anderson’s Rushmore), leaves his enigmatic lover (Natalie Portman) to join his brothers Peter and Francis on a train journey across India on The Darjeeling Limited. Following the death of their father, they seek to heal the emotional rifts in their relationships and to find their missing mother. They also hope to attain, in India, a state of enlightenment and to shed baggage (emotional, and designer), usefully aided by a laminating machine. The journey takes the brothers in many unintended directions, and their childhood characteristics still both unite and divide them. Wes Anderson’s style is lavish as always and many of his pet themes about family dysfunction and eccentricity are included. With pleasing cameo roles from Bill Murray and from Anjelica Huston as the mother. (Cert 15)
Dir: Wes Anderson 101 mins USA 2007
Comments
HOTEL CHEVALIER
“The short was necessary to the feature but it was confusing and dull (at) first. My view of it changed once I had seen the feature.”
THE DARJEELING LTD.
“Utterly charming!”
“Thoroughly enjoyable!”
“Delightful film. Surprisingly light touch on cross-cultural stuff – well done, the director!”
“I’m glad to have made this arrangement to see this charming film again! OH, CHAMPS ELYSEE !!”
“(You’ll) never go wrong with Wes Anderson/Bill Murray – both hugely underrated/neglected by mainstream audiences [comment barely legible]”
“Brilliant photography”
“Great music. A most unusual ‘road/rail’ film. Humorous but a bit deeper (as well).”
“Super travelogue – incomprehensible plot – Indian Marx Brothers?”
“Three overgrown little boys but charming!”
“Enjoyable and entertaining, although I did not find any great spiritual message hidden within. Was there one?”
“Enjoyable if weird!”
“Quite (good) fun but …”
“Good in parts – I liked (the) scenes in the village.”
“1970s Californian nostalgia. Acronyms – what does EST mean again?”
“I don’t know if they found themselves but I lost the plot! Quite good fun but a very silly film.”
“A global version of God’s Wonderful Railway (GWR)?”
“A long road to nowhere, my lovely”
“Not my cup of tea”
“The death of the child was mawkish and unnecessary.”
“The short was OK because it was short but either I’m stupid or the feature was a load of rubbish. I couldn’t wait for it to end.”