The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Wes Anderson

Writers (WGA):

Wes Anderson (written by) &
Roman Coppola (written by) ...

Release Date:

26 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other -- to become brothers again like they used to be. Their "spiritual quest", however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray), and they eventually find themselves stranded alone in the middle of the desert with eleven suitcases, a printer, and a laminating machine. At this moment, a new, unplanned journey suddenly begins.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Brother | India | Journey | Funeral

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Owen Wilson	...	Francis L. Whitman
Adrien Brody	...	Peter L. Whitman
Jason Schwartzman	...	Jack L. Whitman
Amara Karan	...	Rita
Wallace Wolodarsky	...	Brendan (as Wally Wolodarsky)
Waris Ahluwalia	...	The Chief Steward
Irrfan Khan	...	The Father
Barbet Schroeder	...	The Mechanic
Camilla Rutherford	...	Alice
Bill Murray	...	The Businessman
Anjelica Huston	...	Sister Patricia Whitman
Mr. A.P. Singh	...	Taxi Driver (as A.P. Singh)
Kumar Pallana	...	Old Man
Dalpat Singh	...	Waiter
Trudy Matthys	...	German Lady #1 (as Trudy Mathis)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Hindi | Sanskrit

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Ireland:15A | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-11 | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | USA:R (certificate #43707) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Germany:6 | Sweden:11 | Hong Kong:IIB | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:12 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Argentina:13 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | New Zealand:M | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

India

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

The abbey towards the end of the film was originally a royal hunting lodge belonging to the Maharana of Mewar in the Rajput era. It is located in Udaipur. To redecorate it, production designer Mark Friedberg was inspired by Michael Powell's Black Narcissus (1947) which takes place in an abbey in the Himalayas.

Goofs:

Continuity: Around 27 minutes into the movie, a scene is shown from Jodhpur, as one can see "The Umed Palace", this is not possible as the train is shown leaving Jodhpur in the beginning of the movie.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Businessman: That's my train.

Movie Connections:

References Shakespeare-Wallah (1965)

Soundtrack:

Symphony No. 7 in A. Opus 92: Allegro con brio

Wes Anderson delivers. Again...

Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzmann as three brothers who haven't spoken for years, on a train. In India. By Wes Anderson.

It's a good idea, isn't it? No...it's a great idea. Three good actors in three-well written roles in an open, exciting and unpredictable environment, while they're also stuck with each other in a cramped an uncomfortable train carriage. With more than a little baggage...

However, despite the bright, new and fantastically shot environment and the well-cast new member of the Anderson family, The Darjeeling Limited is what has become a typical Wes Anderson film. Despite its relocation from the suburbs, or more recently, the deep blue sea, it's still a film about a dysfunctional family and their endeavours to become...slightly more functional. The comedy is derived from sibling tension and the conflicts of the past, and even the music, that typical Anderson blend of quirky yet affecting relatively unknown tracks which is very good and works in all the right ways, feels comfortable and expected despite its "newness".

I seem to be griping because Anderson's fifth movie is as good as the others. And in a way, I am. The Darjeeling Limited is the work of a director who has found his groove (or in this case, his track) and doesn't show signs of trying to get out of it. As a result, not much of it really feels surprising. It's just as well he's good at what he does then, isn't it? It's the way Anderson handles the family drama that sets Darjeeling apart. While it's funny in all those idiosyncratic ways, making light of familial relations and awkward interactions, Anderson's warm, tender approach draws you into the lives of these characters. And, because of their respective flaws and quirks, they become more than characters; you can see them as people.

Anderson's movies have always had genuine heart buried not too far below the layer of offbeat style, so despite its familiarity, Darjeeling is arguably in this respect his best work. You can see a part of yourself in each of the Whitman brothers, and in cinema there is no substitute for that.