The Phoenician Scheme

Front Row at the Movies by Shirrel Rhoades

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Some moviegoers find Wes Anderson’s films “too precious.” They certainly are quirky and artsy.

I like them for Anderson’s stylistic storytelling.

Anderson’s work is often classified as “postmodern,” thanks to his nostalgic attention to detail, subversion of mainstream conventions of narrative, and the depiction of eccentric characters.

His films have also been called “literary geek chic.”

He is noted for extensive use of “flat space camera moves (pans, tilts, and zooms within scenes that look two-dimensional), symmetrical compositions … and a deliberately limited color palette.”

As Anderson puts it, “Things that connect my movies to each other, which is whatever system I’ve developed and my own visual handwriting, let’s say, the surface has become the thing people sometimes focus on. You can tell it’s me, I totally understand and acknowledge that. There’s no question. But, for me, each one is a different story, a different set of characters, and it’s a whole undertaking. To me, what the movie is the new thing. I feel like so often people seem surprised that my movies are clearly mine. But I am me ….”

You will see these techniques in his films ranging from “Moonrise Kingdom” to “The Grand Budapest Hotel” to “Asteroid City” to “The French Dispatch.”

And you will also find them in Wes Anderson’s latest outing, “The Phoenician Scheme.” You can catch it at Tropic Cinema.

“The Phoenician Scheme” is the episodic story of a ruthless arms dealer known as Anatole ‘Zsa-zsa’ Korda, a high-living tycoon who is frequently targeted for assassination. His estranged daughter, Sister Liesl, is a nun. He has an ongoing business dispute with Marseille Bob, a nightclub owner. He crosses paths with Marty, a fast-talking investor. He is engaged to his distant cousin, Hilda. His assistant, Bjørn, is a bug expert. He’s trying to cover “The Gap,” a financial deficit that threatens to bankrupt him. The assassination attempts lead to a near-death experience.

Rotten Tomatoes calls it “A caper made with all the intricacy of a Rube Goldberg machine.”

This black comedy was produced, written and directed by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with his frequent collaborator Roman Coppola.
Anderson usually relies on a familiar repertoire of actors. However, two frequent ones (his college roommate Owen Wilson and brother Luke Wilson) don’t appear in this film, although many others do.

Benicio del Toro takes on the role of Zsa-zsa Korda. Mia Threapleton (Kate Winslet’s daughter) plays the heir he wants to take over his financial empire. Mathieu Amalric is cast as Marseille Bob. Jeffrey Wright plays Marty. Scarlett Johansson makes the perfect fiancée. Michael Cera is the Norwegian entomologist. Benedict Cumberbatch shows up as Zsa-zsa’s half-brother. Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston pop up as grouchy business associates.

Other recognizable faces include Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, F. Murray Abraham, Stephen Park, Riz Ahmed, and Hope Davis. Bill Murray appears as God.

Alexandre Desplat composed the score, his seventh collaboration with Wes Anderson.

“I had the image of Benicio playing a Euro business tycoon, like somebody in an Antonioni movie,” Wes Anderson says. “I could just see him in it; I could see him and his sunglasses.” He wrote the part with Del Toro in mind.

Anderson adds, “But one of the main inspirations – along with a handful of real European businessmen – but the more personal connection is my wife’s father, Fouad Malouf. He’s Lebanese, and he was an amazing kind of larger-than-life figure … The thing about him was he was somebody who is wise and very intelligent, but a little bit scary … There are many details of this character that draw on him.”

“Ultimately,” he says, “our story is a pastiche, our land is a pastiche, and our history is a pastiche, and it is a bit of a fantasy.”

But I suspect Phoenicia is a real place – in the fertile imagination of Wes Anderson.

Email Shirrel: srhoades@aol.com