Wes Anderson’s new movie Darjeeling Unlimited launched this weekend. I won’t ruin it for you by saying too much other than to say that it was a fun ride. The buzz about the movie is quite positive. Here’s what the ever-insightful Flavorpill had to say:
Director Wes Anderson may be the best aesthetician working today in
film, but not since 1998’s Rushmore have any of his projects boasted
a substance even approaching his tremendous style. Happily, The
Darjeeling Limited redeems that early promise and then some. Jason
Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, and Owen Wilson (sporting injuries that
spookily forebode his recent real-life troubles) star as three
estranged brothers embarking on a spiritual quest through India.
Though these boys don’t remotely resemble each other, they achieve a
fraternal chemistry — all deadpan humor and hangdog glamour — that
hurdles them, in a turquoise-and-pink train, toward their (and
Anderson’s) true adulthood.
If you have seen any of Anderson’s other movies like The Life Aquatic or The Royal Tennenbaums, you know you can expect a quirky movie that is sure to surprise and delight. What you might not have expected is an interesting bit of marketing innovation. Rather than simply coming out with the typical trailer, Anderson produced a 13-minute prequel which he hopes everyone will watch online (available free at the iTunes store) before seeing the feature. And like the dutiful Anderson fan, I did just that.
I won’t review the prequel, called the Hotel Chevalier, other than to say it is like a shard of bitter sweet chocolate topped with a naked Natalie Portman. Not a lot happens but it is none the less worth the watch. Which leaves me to answer my own question–is this good marketing? Well, it is good fun. It is good in that it gets you involved in the story even before you experience it on the big screen. It is good in that it is a novel approach that will be sure to be copied. What remains to be seen is if it helps generate good box office results. We’ll know how good it is soon enough.
SIDE NOTE:
Here’s a good idea for a weekend of international fun right here in New York City. Take a gypsy cab or train to see Darjeeling Unlimited and then have dinner at a really good Indian restaurant like Dawat. Follow this up with a trip to Afghanistan by seeing the Kite Runner (loved it!) accompanied by an Afghani repast at Pamir (it’s the only Afghani place I’ve tried).