Wes Anderson On Oscar Contender ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’s Classic Movie Influences

EXCLUSIVE: One of the true Cinderella stories of this year’s Best Picture Oscar nominees, The Grand Budapest Hotel survived a March 7 release date to go all the way to lead all films (along with Birdman ) with an impressive nine — count ’em, nine  — nominations. No film released that early in the year since Erin Brockovich 14 years ago has managed to evade the curse of a late winter opening. And it has also managed all this Oscar love without a single acting nod. That’s significant because it means the film has gotten enormous support from the Academy’s craft branches for Production Design, Costumes, Makeup, Cinematography, Score and Editing along with writing and directing noms for Wes Anderson.

The movie is the perfect storm for Oscar recognition as it blends the true craft of classic Hollywood filmmaking along with the hip factor of Anderson, who grabbed his first Directorial Academy nomination for this and is also up for DGA and BAFTA awards this weekend. He has previously been recognized in writing and animated feature before, but this is his biggest shot yet.

In this exclusive featurette, the influences from some of the most memorable (and some more obscure) films of Hollywood’s past are evident. Check it out above.