Wes Anderson & Stefan Zweig

The piece I read of Stefan Zweig’s was In The Snow, which was his second story in The Collected Stories of Stefan Zweig. After seeing Grad Budapest Hotel and other works of Wes Anderson, it was fascinating connecting the dots and similarities between the two creators. With just reading this piece of Zweig’s, I was already able to distinguish elements Anderson may have taken from Zweig and applied it in his films. Comparing two types of authors over two different mediums is a unique opportunity, especially when they have multiple similarities. Of course if they were within the same medium, they would likely look and/or sound quite different based on the personal style in imagery or details. With that said, there are still apparent broad ideas that cross over between the two artists and their works.

            For example, both Anderson and Zweig are consistent in creating unusual and unique environments that are like no other and are never repeated in their work. They put a lot of effort in describing and creating these locations and worlds that could only fit in their story, and would not make any sense in any other.

            Some of the most original characters seen in films in the last couple decades have been found in Anderson’s films. There is no doubt that Zweig also shares this characteristic of characters. These unusual characters, their personalities and behaviors drive a lot of their stories in ways in which a lot of the time the audience wouldn’t not expect which brings new life to them. And although these characters seem very out of place and unreal in our standards, they completely embrace who they are and the world they live in without a fault.

            There are components of the narrative structures in their stories that are quite similar. The major similarity is the constant heightened and lowered drama moments found within the plot. A lot of stories and films try to keep decent gaps between the high and lows of the drama intensity, but not Anderson’s and Zweig’s. They go back and forth so often that it becomes humorous, and taken more lightly with a lot of overdramatic moments.

            One of the more popular techniques they both incorporate in their storytelling is the use of flashbacks. Both of them use them even to the extent where the audience can be confused which flashback they are still in or have the uncertainty of they’re in one or not. Although their use of them can be disorienting some times, it greatly widens the vastness of the world and time for them to play more with the story and get more ideas across.