Hotel Chevalier, colourful emotions

Written and directed by Wes Anderson  

 Starring Jason Schwartzman (Jack) and Natalie Portman (Jack's ex)
Her is a link to the film if you have not seen it.
https://youtu.be/MICi9_sZK84

This short film from 2007 surprised me as I was stumbling my way through other short films. The main reason for this is that I didn't know it existed, also I didn't know it was a prologue to the Darjeeling Limited, but with the feeling of familiarity washing over me as the short progressed, I remembered the plot points and references in this sort that came from the Darjeeling Limited. I have to admit, It was a lovely surprise, and it ties Jack's story up nicely. 

The Darjeeling Limited
Directed by Wes Anderson
Written by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola & Jason Schwartzman

It felt it a little odd near the end of the Darjeeling Limited, there's a beautiful scene where different carriages of an Indian train is moving slowly from one to another, showing us other characters in the film that were never prominent, and you're left to guess who Natalie Portman is supposed to be, you can surmise and easily guess, but I enjoy this short filling in the gap, and, if I'm truly honest, I'm always delighted to have more of Wes Anderson's stories in my life. 

Oliver (1968)
Freely adapted from "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens

The short itself. It's a simple story of 2 people who have broken up and are dealing in part, with their now broken relationship. You never really find out if Jack completely ends his relationship with his ex, even at the end of the Darjeeling Limited. But what you do learn with this short, is as to possibly why. Their relationship was obviously a serious one and one that they both have deep feelings for. But Jack's ex clearly did something to break his trust, so severely, that he ran away from her, to Paris, to stay in the Hotel Chevalier, where he seems to have been for months, trying to express his emotions. Then his ex unexpectantly turns up and a whole host of perturbations and other strong feelings clearly overcome him, leading them to have a passionate exchange and leaving us, with the two looking out from the balcony of the room, somewhat happier together.

The cinematography is simply stunning, with Wes Anderson's style of using a limited colour pallet to show or emphasising our main characters mental state, as yellow tends to be a colour of frustration and energy, which is shown perfectly here with the relationship status and Jacks quick reaction on the news of his ex suddenly appearing. With the excitement that someone who he clearly has strong romantic feelings for has arrived, but also confusion/frustration at the damaged history of said relationship and seeing a person who has hurt him. Definitely, the right colour to end Natalie Portman's character with at the end of the film.

I find the grey and almost black colours one of the most attention-grabbing colours here, for the simple reason that they are not bright and bold as almost all of the other colours tend to be in this film, and who is wearing them? The two main characters when they meet again for the first time in months. Grey tends to be a serious, impartial and controlled colour, one that the 2 main characters seem to want to portray to one and other upon meeting again. even though we know that their emotions are only surface deep as only minutes later they cast the grey off, for a passionate exchange. Then we see Jack return to his grey suit as if to say "I'm still in control of myself" whereas his ex now wears bright yellow, telling us either jacks perception of her has gone from impartial and controlled, to confused but excited, or, her feeling has done the same, probably both I'm guessing. 

 Then we move onto the green/dark blue colour, offsetting the sharp yellows in small locations in the film, Green evokes a calm restful feeling, along with compassion, optimism and growth. Jack seems to have been resting and healing in Paris away from his ex, and now, has not shunned her away upon her surprise visit, perhaps in the hope of rekindling their relationship. With the blue, it's a calming and sad colour, as it's highlighted just after they have an intimate moment and go out onto the balcony, the mood changed and you see the blue as the dominant colour, possibly showing Jack's mindset with his grey suit together, and the now extremely bright yellow of his ex, as a bright yellow rock in his sea of calmness.