Who Is Wes Anderson An Auteur Director?

This essay explores Wes Anderson as an auteur director and how race and class are dealt with in his work. The narrative and unqiue hybrid genre of Rushmore will also be discussed.
Wes Anderson is certainly an auteur filmmaker. An auteur is someone who has creative authority over a project and gives it their own unique style or theme. Like Anderson, who directs and writes all of his films, auteurs are often hyphenates.
Anderson is constant in his visual approach, to which his second motion picture Rushmore is no exception. It has Anderson’s signature symmetrical and wide angle shots throughout. One of his distinctive slow motion shots emerge when Max comes on stage after the debut of ‘Serpico’ and at the end of the film. Orgeron points out that

“Anderson slows the images down as the film draws to its conclusion” to enlongate the moment we see Max’s “newly discovered extended family” (2007, p40-65).
Anderson loves nostalgic aesthetics, making his costumes, props and settings reminicient of bygone eras.

For example, Max’s Beret in Rushmore and Suzy’s records in Moonrise Kingdom. This could be because of the inpiration he takes from French New Wave films. Thomas (2012, p97-117) suggests “these are designed to evoke the cultural memories of Generation X spectators”.
The story of Anderson’s films are often centred around dysfunctional, white, middle or upper class families. Though Rushmore isn’t about a middle class family, it is about a boy from a working class background trying to find a family and fit into the middle/ upper class he is surrounded with. Dean-Ruzicka (2013, p 25-40) understands that “Max lies to make sure it seems as though he comes from the right class to fit in at Rushmore, trying to keep up his position and whiteness.” Instead of admitting his father is a barber, he pretends he is as wealthy and privileged as “the rich boys” (Murray, B., Rushmore, 1998).
Many of the recurring themes in Anderson’s films are inspired by the director’s own life. His parents got divorced when he was young (a plot point in The Royal Tenenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited), he misbehaved in school to cope with problems at home (this inspired Moonrise Kingdom, The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore), he attended private school (part of Rushmore was actually shot at the school Anderson attended), and at school Anderson became known for his elaberate play productions (like Max in Rushmore).

Anderson has numerous trademarks which can be used to identify his films, such as choice of actors. Bill Murray has appeared in all of Anderson’s motion pictures apart from Bottle Rocket. Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman are also regularly recruited. Other repeated motifs include children’s theatre and intelligent and irritating protagonists.
Rushmore’s genre, and Anderson’s entire body of work has been much debated. Broadly speaking, they are comedy-dramas, but perhaps they can be catagorised further. Rushmore can be considered a romance, coming-of-age and revenge story, but many claim that Anderson films should be in their own genre, because “the only movies Wes Anderson films look like are other Wes Anderson films” (Browning, 2011, ix).
MacDowell regards Rushmore a ‘quirky’ film due to its comedy and visual style, along with its “ironic detachment with sincere engagement”. He says that quirky as a grouping is comparable to film noir “which critics have long viewed not as a genre but rather as something closer to a sensibility, a particular way of looking at the world”.
Another word used to describe Anderson’s films is “melancomic” (Thomas, D. J., 2012, p97-117). This is a fairly new term that comes from a melancholic mood combined with comedy. Anderson’s comedic style is described as deadpan, “see: […] Herbert in Rushmore announcing coolly, ‘Mmm, I’m a little bit lonely these days’, while puffing on two cigarettes simultaneously” (MacDowell, 2012, p6-27). This dry humour dates back to 1920s but has started being used in many popular sitcoms like The Office.
The term “indiewood” has been assossiated with Anderson, too. King describes this genre as an area in which Hollywood and independent films overlap (King, G., 2009) and argues that it has become a distinctive region of contemporary American film. It is clear to see that this genre has evolved from the rise in popularity of indie films in the 1990s/ 2000s. The indie genre embodies individualism and authenticity, though it is acknowledged that these ideologies become hollow when the genre is combined with mainstream Hollywood. Adorno claims that mainstream films are “pre-digested” “baby-food” that boast of their likeness to other successful films rather than conceal it. Because of this, “all mass culture is fundamentally adaptation” (Adorno, 2001, p67). Meaning, a blockbuster filmmaker’s ideal is popularity and straightforward viewing; conflicting the ideal of an indie filmmaker.
Rushmore cannot easily be applied to narrative theories, though it can be attempted.

Propp’s plot theory is compatible with the storyline as Max has a ‘lack’ of academic success and love. Then, he goes on a ‘quest’ to win Cross’s heart. He does not encounter a ‘helper’ but he meets Blume, who at the beginning does help Max. Max faces ‘tests’ in the form of Cross’s rejection, his expulsion and Blume and Cross’s affair.
There are two evident binary opposites (theorised by Levi-Strauss) in Rushmore. Youth is a apparent theme, and this contrasted against the old. For example, Max vs. Blume or Max vs. Dr. Guggenheim. Another binary opposition is the private school of Rushmore and Grover Cleveland High (the school Max moves to after he is expelled). (WRITE ABOUT RACE AND CLASS).
Some of Propp’s character functions directly relate to characters in Rushmore, for instance, Max is the hero, despite him being an unlikable protagonist much of the film is from his perspective. Rosemary Cross is the princess as Max and Blume are in competition for her affections. Dirk Calloway is undoubtedly the helper as he assissts Max consistently. The donor could be Margret as she gives Max the motivation to go back to school and reconcile with Blume and Cross. Dr. Guggenheim, the headmaster of Rushmore, can be seen as the dispatcher because he puts Max on academic probation, which kickstarts the storyline. The villain in Rushmore is less clear, some might say it is Blume as him and Max are in competition

for Cross’s affections, however, they are not rivals at the beginning or the end.
As well as being the hero, Max is also the narrating agent and the character-focaliser. He does not literally narrate, nevertheless he has most of the screen time and we see his fantasy. There are also some point-of-view shots, for example, we look down at the yearbook and see Max’s hands as if they are our own.
Anderson has proved himself as a esteemed auteur director through his unmistakeable visual approach and autobiographical subject matter. Yet, it is evident that he must become more conscious of how he is presenting race and make his films more diverse.