The director has revealed what’s keeping him entertained during lockdown, including works by Spike Lee, Marco Ferreri, David Lean, and more
At the beginning of lockdown, Wes Anderson blessed us with a list of films he’s been enjoying in quarantine – from new discoveries to longtime favourites. Now, the director has shared an updated watch list, to satiate our collective appetite.
In an interview with The New York Times – in which 23 filmmakers relive their favourite moments from Cannes, in honour of this year’s cancelled festival – Anderson revealed that he’s been watching a movie every night with his family.
Among his list of recent favourites are: George Stevens’ 1935 romantic drama film, Alice Adams, 1953 adventure comedy by John Huston, Beat the Devil, William A. Wellman’s 1937 comedy, Nothing Sacred, Spike Lee’s 1989 comedy-drama film, Do the Right Thing (watch below), The Long Voyage Home (1940) by John Ford, Kenji Mizoguchi’s 1954 film, A Story from Chikamatsu, 1973’s La Grande Bouffe by Marco Ferreri, David Lean’s 1949 romantic drama, The Passionate Friends, as well as Seth Holt’s 1962 drama, Station Six-Sahara, 1932’s What Price Hollywood? by George Cukor, and William Richert’s 1979 neo noir satirical thriller, Winter Kills.
Anderson has also been reading in quarantine, telling NYT: “I have a four-year-old daughter so, like many others in our situation, I am now a part-time amateur school teacher. Much of what I am reading has to do with ancient Egypt, dinosaurs, insects, and the Amazon rainforest.”
Discussing his memory of Cannes – at which he premiered Moonrise Kingdom in 2012 – the filmmaker said: “I’ve only been once. Thierry Frémaux (the festival director) really knows how to throw a film festival. There were good movies of every kind from all over the planet, and what could be better than watching a perfectly restored 251 minutes, Once Upon a Time in America (1984) on the shores of the Mediterranean?”
It was announced in April that Anderson’s upcoming film, The French Dispatch – starring Timothée Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, and more – has been delayed due to the coronavirus crisis. Originally slated for release in July, the film is now set to premiere on October 16.
As well as sharing his viewing recommendations, Anderson has spent his time in quarantine narrating his original storyboard his 2014 film, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Last week (May 5), the director shared a stripped back version of the film, giving an insight into the planning process behind the opening scenes, featuring sketches of the landscape and hotel interior.
Watch the trailer for The French Dispatch below.