In this N.Y. Times video piece, Darjeeling Limited Wes Anderson discusses how he threw a scene together, partly, as it happened, in the dark.
I know things look bad for Wes right now. Critically Darjeeling seems to be faring roughly the same as The Life Aquatic, only the patience of the pulse-takers has worn thin. The film has a fairly crummy 50% rating from the Rotten Tomatoes cream-of-the-crop right now, it will almost certainly die commercially, the sharks are circling and I’m told that Wes’s attorneys are negotiating right now with industry prosecutors to keep him out movie jail.
But things will turn. They always do for hard-working people of faith. Wes is too smart and clever not to paddle his way out of this. He’s a gifted filmmaker. He made Rushmore. The Gods will help him bounce back.
I’m going to write something semi-substantial later today about it, but I didn’t despise Darjeeling Limited — it’s so carefully compsed and beautiful to look at, and I absolutely love those two songs (“Where Do You Go To, My Lovely?” and “Les Champs Elysee“), and there’s something to be said for a staid, airless film that’s obviously been made by a guy with a sense of style and impeccable taste.