Moonrise Kingdom Wes Anderson Research Paper

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Wes Anderson’s life experiences have contributed to his movie direction, as seen in the film Moonrise Kingdom. Wes Anderson was born May 1, 1969 in Houston. (R2) His father ran a public relations and advertising company (R2). His father and his mother divorced when he was young, and while he was coping with his parent’s divorce, he often acted out in school (R2). He was encouraged by those around him to turn his misbehavior into art, and directed movies with his brother. Anderson attended St. John’s School in Houston for his primary education and the University of Texas at Austin (R2). There, he met Owen Wilson, his lifelong writing partner, and with whom he collaborated on the majority of his films (R2). Playing many characters in his films, …show more content…

And I always sat in one corner, not really at the table, and Owen always sat in another corner, not really at the table, and we never spoke the whole semester." (R2) Together, Anderson and his team worked together to create his first two full length films, Bottle Rocket and Rushmore. Wes Anderson’s seventh film is titled Moonrise Kingdom and is set in 1965, off the New England coast, on the fictional island of New Penzance (D1). The character of Suzy Bishop, played by Kara Hayward, lives on the tip of New Penzance with her lawyer parents, portrayed by Bill Murray and Frances Mcdormand (D1). She is in love with Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman), a Boy Scout, who had previously met Suzy during her production of “Noye’s Fluddle.”(D1) Sam and Suzy become pen pals and craft a plan to run away together (D1). Sam is an orphan with no guardianship, and because of this unwanted mess, he is able to mostly inconspicuously run away; however, Suzy is dearly beloved by her well meaning parents, a contrast that is stressed time and time again …show more content…

Geoffrey O’Brien, writer for Criterion and film critic, explains the core of the Moonrise Kingdom, “Moonrise Kingdom (2012) is an adventure movie in the true sense. It breathes an air of freedom and curiosity and what can only be called elation as it charts the flight of a pair of young runaways just emerging from childhood.” (R8) However, these chase scenes feel unnatural, with the character moving with precision. This movement is realistic to one’s own life, yet it is shot in a manner that does not feel natural. (R4) As previously stated, Anderson highlights his own filmmaking, directly against the mainstream directors who choose nature over realism. (R4) Human habits in Anderson films often have the qualities of grotesque and unnatural outgrowths, constrained to their natural surroundings, such as when Scout Master Ward gives Sam whiskey to numb the pain of entering adolescence while he drinks due to his midlife crisis. (R8) Sam represents the departed values of days past, forging his own destiny in nature, while Suzy carries with her the modern sensibilities of 1965. Suzy enjoys the new freedoms of women of her time, such as listening to music, reading books, and wearing short skirts. When Sam and Suzy meet, Sam is wearing a Boone-like frontier cap, smoking a little pipe. Sam’s theatrical and classically masculine style is undercut

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