"The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun" Visit the past and learn about the new. Reconstruction of Wes Anderson's artistry

A mourning for the disappearing magazine culture

``The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun'' is, without fear of misunderstanding, a very complex and difficult work. There are some parts that you won't be able to follow unless you have the prerequisites for 20th century French culture, history, and society, and because it's in an omnibus format, each episode is packed with information and density. Artistically, it is more playful than his previous works, and the content is far from simple. As a result, the depth of reception varies from audience to audience.

However, in a sense, this is inevitable, and on the flip side, this is also a work in which director Wes Anderson fully tried out a different approach from his previous films. The future possibilities of director Wes and their expansion are packed to the brim. The same goes for the composition and monochrome I've mentioned so far, and the same goes for the spatial presentation.

Until now, director Wes Anderson's works have basically had a screen composition pattern based on the X-axis (vertical) and Y-axis (horizontal), but in this work, the pattern is such that ``the brush is flying towards the screen''. The effects have been incorporated, and you can feel the Z-axis movement -- in other words, "three-dimensionality." Scenes in which a student played by Timothée Chalamet rides a motorcycle and rides into the midst of a demonstration have a strong sense of depth, and I think they feel fresh.

“The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun” (C) 2021 20th Century Studios. All rights reserved.

However, if you think this work is messy, that's not the case at all. These unconnected, separate stories reveal the significance of the magazine's existence as ``a place where stories with such diverse tastes are housed.'' The way it all comes together in the last episode is truly spectacular. And now, the concept of ``representing the magazine through film'' shines brightly.

Everything from art and politics, criticism and reportage, essays and comics are packed into one book. Perhaps that is the unique charm of magazines as a medium. That's why I can't help but feel a sense of sadness and warmth in the development of ``a magazine going out of print,'' which is both the premise and the conclusion of this work. Set in France in the 20th century, ``The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun'' explores the cultural heritage of the past, and also contains condolences for magazines that are being lost in the internet society. ing.

However, Coach Wes won't stop there. This work is filled with the spirit of aiming for ``beyond'' the work that has been done to those who came before. This work is full of love for the past, and I can't help but think that the many ambitious approaches he takes include a declaration of visiting the past and discovering the new. .

Interview and text: SYO

Born in 1987. After The Graduate from Tokyo Gakugei University, he worked at a film magazine editorial production site and a film information site before becoming a film writer/editor. Works on a wide range of topics including interviews, reviews, columns, event appearances, and recommendation comments. Contributed to ``CINEMORE'', ``Cinema Cafe'', ``Soen'', ``FRIDAY Digital'', ``CREA'', ``BRUTUS'', etc. Twitter「 syocinema 」

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"The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun"

Nationwide release on Friday, January 28, 2022

Distribution: Walt Disney Japan

(C) 2021 20th Century Studios. All rights reserved.