The+Darjeeling+Limited

Almost all Wes Anderson films have plots that deal with 'family troubles'. __The Darjeeling Limited__ is no exception. The movie tells the story of three brothers that have drifted from one another after their fathers death. In attempts to bring them all closer, eldest brother Francis invites his brothers on a trip to India he believes will be life changing. Although each of the individual characters have seperate problems of their own, they all need to cope with their fathers death and their mothers disappearance from their lives, and find happiness elsewhere within their lives.
 * 1. Plot**

Wes Anderson is a fan of using the same actors within all of his movies. Bill Murray, the Wilson brothers and Jason Schwartzman are his favorites, meaning one will be present if not all! In __The Darjeeling Limited__ Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman are all actors within the movie. Although Bill Murray has a fairly minor roll, he is one of the first people we see in the movie. He plays the role of a business man trying to catch his train, but instead is outrun by a young man who we are later introduced to as Peter Whitman). Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman both take up larger roles, by playing two out of the three Whitman brothers.
 * 2. Actors**



If there is one thing Wes Anderson is best known for, is the cinematography within his movies. Anderson uses lots of symmetrical shots to frame the subjects within the frame. Often times it may just be the characters alone, but in other instances it may just be the way he choses to present a location or a group of people. In __The Darjeeling Limited__ symmetrical shots are very much prevalent. They can be seen in a number of instances, but most often we see them by the way in which a character is framed. This draws our attention to the character, making us focus on what they are doing or saying.
 * 3. Cinematography - //Symmetrical Shots//**



Another shot that is often seen in Wes Anderson movies is the overhead POV shot. These shots often show important items the characters within the movies own, use or are looking at. This shows us the minor details of objects that we wouldn't be able to see if they were just shot normally within the scene. In __ The Darjeeling Limited __ there are a number of overhead POV shots that show different items within the movie.
 * 4. Cinematography - //Overhead POV Shots//**



All Wes Anderson movies have a similar color palette to them. Often we can see dominating warm tones accompanied by primary colors. In __The Darjeeling Limited__ colors such as orange, yellow, blue, green and red are all dominant. The colors go well with the setting of the vibrant India, but like all of Anderson's movies, they also further contribute to the mood. The warm tones go well with the plots that deal with family troubles, as they bring up feelings of both love and hate.
 * 5. Color**

Set in India, The Darjeeling Limited is perhaps one of Anderson's movies that doesn't have a soundtrack that relies as heavily on 1960's songs. However, music from the 1960's is still present. For the most part the soundtrack is mostly composed of indian music, but songs from The Kinks are used throughout the movie to create a nostalgic feel.
 * 6. Sound**

Although not entirely underwater, __The Darjeeling Limited__ does have a shot that occurs within the water. As seen in The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore, underwater scenes seem to reoccuring shots that are included in Anderson films. The 'underwater' seen in __The Darjeeling Limited__ occurs when the Whitman brothers go to save the three boys that fall into the river.
 * 7. Cinematography - //Underwater Shot//**



Every detail is almost always planned out in Wes Anderson movies. One thing that is common in all Wes Anderson movies is the amount of detail that is put on the costumes of the characters. In __The Darjeeling Limited__ all the Whitman brothers dress the same throughout the entire thing. Not only do they individually always wear the same outfit, but they dress very similar to one another (they even wear similar pajamas). Although this movie is about the brothers regaining their sense of closeness with one another, their similar outfits imply that still have something in common, and perhaps even more significant, that they all are holding onto something.
 * 8. Mis-en-scene - //Costumes//**



No Wes Anderson movie can end without his famous slow motion tracking shot. Not only is this an indication of the end (duh), but it is an indication of a positive resolution to the troubles within all of the characters lives. At the end of __The Darjeeling Limited__ we see the Whitman brothers running to catch a new train. As they run, they leave behind their fathers old luggage that they have been lugging around with them throughout their entire journey. This implication here then is that they are 'leaving behind their father' and 'letting him (his death) go'.
 * 9. Cinematography - //Slow motion tracking shot//**

Futura font is a clear indicator that you are watching a Wes Anderson movie (Alongside the very clear credit that says "(A film) directed by Wes Anderson". In fact, no Wes Anderson movie is complete without it. This non diegetic element is always used in the titles, subtitles and credits of every Wes Anderson movie.
 * 10. Non Diegetic Elements**