13 Commercials by Wes Anderson
January 1, 2017 2:00 PM Subscribe
The most recent is first. The rest are sorted by duration, company, and title. Those that are a minute or less are below the fold.
- “Come Together” for H&M (3:52)
- “Castello Cavalcanti” for Prada (7:45)
- “Prada Candy”, parts 1, 2, and 3 for Prada (3:45)
- “My Life. My Card.” for American Express (2:00)
- “Stella Artois Commercial” for Stella Artois (1:00)
- “Mind of a Child” for Sony (1:00)
- “Actor” for AT&T (0:30)
- “Reporter” for AT&T (0:30)
- “Salesman” for AT&T (0:30)
- “Modern Life” for Hyundai (0:30)
- “Talk To My Car” for Hyundai (0:30)
- “Living Room” for Ikea (0:30)
- “Softbank commercial” for Softbank (0:30)
That train seems internally inconsistent to me; the exterior shot suggests that the carriage is double-decker, but the interior shot of the corridor shows a curved ceiling, suggesting that the corridor reaches the top of the carriage.
posted by acb at 2:27 PM on January 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by acb at 2:27 PM on January 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
I dunno. Anderson has certainly made some good movies, but overall, I don;t get the hype. That's just me.
posted by New England Cultist at 2:41 PM on January 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by New England Cultist at 2:41 PM on January 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
Aww. The H&M one was unexpectedly charming.
I watched it with mr hgg and said, "That was great, but I don't know what it had to do with H&M."
He said, "Well, they put their name at the end of it and paid for it."
I think I really like Wes Anderson's ads because they are all sort of like this. A company pays him to make a short film, which he does, pretty much in his own Wes Anderson way, and it may or may not really have much to do with the company. It's just a good little film.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 3:23 PM on January 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
I watched it with mr hgg and said, "That was great, but I don't know what it had to do with H&M."
He said, "Well, they put their name at the end of it and paid for it."
I think I really like Wes Anderson's ads because they are all sort of like this. A company pays him to make a short film, which he does, pretty much in his own Wes Anderson way, and it may or may not really have much to do with the company. It's just a good little film.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 3:23 PM on January 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
Ah, an unexpected pleasure to have some Wes Anderson ad/shorts to see. A fine way to start the new year. Much obliged.
As to Anderson's notoriety, he has a singularly recognizable style, is an impeccable craftsman, and has a balance of humor and drama in his works that translates well for different purposes. Those are the main reasons he shows up so frequently as a subject of parody or imitation and why he would be attractive as a crossover advertising creator. He basically is the star, or co-star, of all the ads, even if you don't see him, since the look of the commercials alone signal his involvement. That he has a strong affinity for semi-nostalgic looks at "foreign" countries too counts as a bonus, providing the ads with a warm tone colored by an essentialized view of "modern" past, yet being tongue in cheek enough to be of the present.
That's why we see so much related to him on the web, but it isn't a summary of the merits of his films which would require a more extensive explanation than would make sense here, at least from my perspective, others may of course differ in their opinions.
posted by gusottertrout at 3:24 PM on January 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
As to Anderson's notoriety, he has a singularly recognizable style, is an impeccable craftsman, and has a balance of humor and drama in his works that translates well for different purposes. Those are the main reasons he shows up so frequently as a subject of parody or imitation and why he would be attractive as a crossover advertising creator. He basically is the star, or co-star, of all the ads, even if you don't see him, since the look of the commercials alone signal his involvement. That he has a strong affinity for semi-nostalgic looks at "foreign" countries too counts as a bonus, providing the ads with a warm tone colored by an essentialized view of "modern" past, yet being tongue in cheek enough to be of the present.
That's why we see so much related to him on the web, but it isn't a summary of the merits of his films which would require a more extensive explanation than would make sense here, at least from my perspective, others may of course differ in their opinions.
posted by gusottertrout at 3:24 PM on January 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
Enjoyed these, thanks!
posted by freethefeet at 4:36 PM on January 1, 2017
posted by freethefeet at 4:36 PM on January 1, 2017
I just came across this yesterday and it's sort of on topic: What if Wes Anderson directed the X-Men?
posted by sevenyearlurk at 5:05 PM on January 1, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by sevenyearlurk at 5:05 PM on January 1, 2017 [5 favorites]
Wes Anderson presents his new feature film Isle of Dogs.
posted by Grangousier at 3:18 AM on January 2, 2017
posted by Grangousier at 3:18 AM on January 2, 2017
he has a singularly recognizable style
I was standing in line at H&M a few weeks ago, and happened to glance up at the screen they had behind the checkout counter, and all it took was one split-second glimpse of a worried Adrian Brody in a conductor's cap talking on a corded telephone for me to think, "Ah, Wes Anderson".
I do love his style though, so thanks for these!
posted by lollymccatburglar at 5:08 AM on January 2, 2017
I was standing in line at H&M a few weeks ago, and happened to glance up at the screen they had behind the checkout counter, and all it took was one split-second glimpse of a worried Adrian Brody in a conductor's cap talking on a corded telephone for me to think, "Ah, Wes Anderson".
I do love his style though, so thanks for these!
posted by lollymccatburglar at 5:08 AM on January 2, 2017
One does tend to wonder if he is capable of working outside his established style, but then it occurs to one how disappointing one would find a Wes Anderson film that did not look like a Wes Anderson film.
posted by maxsparber at 5:46 AM on January 2, 2017
posted by maxsparber at 5:46 AM on January 2, 2017
it occurs to one how disappointing one would find a Wes Anderson film that did not look like a Wes Anderson film
I was so looking forward to watching Grand Budapest Hotel, and when I finally did, I was a bit disappointed - visually, it was wonderful! The acting of Ralph Fiennes was superb, but the scriptwriting was rather terrible - or rather, they tried to cover so many stories in the span of the 100 minutes, everything became so diluted.
posted by bitteroldman at 6:12 AM on January 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
I was so looking forward to watching Grand Budapest Hotel, and when I finally did, I was a bit disappointed - visually, it was wonderful! The acting of Ralph Fiennes was superb, but the scriptwriting was rather terrible - or rather, they tried to cover so many stories in the span of the 100 minutes, everything became so diluted.
posted by bitteroldman at 6:12 AM on January 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
I watched it with mr hgg and said, "That was great, but I don't know what it had to do with H&M."
It did prompt me to do a search to remind myself what an H&M was. Now I know that it's a clothing store and there are three in my area so I guess it succeeded as a commercial.
posted by octothorpe at 6:53 AM on January 2, 2017
It did prompt me to do a search to remind myself what an H&M was. Now I know that it's a clothing store and there are three in my area so I guess it succeeded as a commercial.
posted by octothorpe at 6:53 AM on January 2, 2017
One does tend to wonder if he is capable of working outside his established style, but then it occurs to one how disappointing one would find a Wes Anderson film that did not look like a Wes Anderson film.
I think there is reason to believe he could. Not just because he's so exacting a director already, though that too is significant, but because within his movies there are ample hints that he could branch out to other genres or more "mainstream" works if he chose. The scene, for example, in Darjeeling Limited where the brothers come upon the group of young friends caught up in the river shows he has a clear sense of action, something too that he plays against in other movies, using his knowledge of what we expect from convention to defy that expectation.
So, for at least basic film grammar, I don't think there's much question that Anderson is well aware of it all and could be more conventional if he wanted. Now, whether he could go further into pushing his style to do something equally singular, but less, well, Andersony and still make an impact is a different question. Could he, for example, make a more serious drama that is his own but still powerful without the so-called twee? I suspect so, but also imagine his personality or values might make that a more difficult challenge.
posted by gusottertrout at 6:57 AM on January 2, 2017
I think there is reason to believe he could. Not just because he's so exacting a director already, though that too is significant, but because within his movies there are ample hints that he could branch out to other genres or more "mainstream" works if he chose. The scene, for example, in Darjeeling Limited where the brothers come upon the group of young friends caught up in the river shows he has a clear sense of action, something too that he plays against in other movies, using his knowledge of what we expect from convention to defy that expectation.
So, for at least basic film grammar, I don't think there's much question that Anderson is well aware of it all and could be more conventional if he wanted. Now, whether he could go further into pushing his style to do something equally singular, but less, well, Andersony and still make an impact is a different question. Could he, for example, make a more serious drama that is his own but still powerful without the so-called twee? I suspect so, but also imagine his personality or values might make that a more difficult challenge.
posted by gusottertrout at 6:57 AM on January 2, 2017
I watched it with mr hgg and said, "That was great, but I don't know what it had to do with H&M."
H&M sells the clothes worn by the passengers.
- Smart, inexpensive men's business/casual attire.
- Comfortable clothes and undergarments for women.
- Sure, some kids stuff too.
The one I couldn't figure out was the “Castello Cavalcanti" Prada ad. That definitely felt like they were selling an attitude rather than any visual aesthetic you saw in the commercial. Unless they're really trying to bring hats back?
posted by carsonb at 7:29 AM on January 2, 2017
H&M sells the clothes worn by the passengers.
- Smart, inexpensive men's business/casual attire.
- Comfortable clothes and undergarments for women.
- Sure, some kids stuff too.
The one I couldn't figure out was the “Castello Cavalcanti" Prada ad. That definitely felt like they were selling an attitude rather than any visual aesthetic you saw in the commercial. Unless they're really trying to bring hats back?
posted by carsonb at 7:29 AM on January 2, 2017
I love Wes Anderson's work, but it pains me to see his talent spent on advertising. His ability to deliver a beautiful message ought not be persuading people to rack up charges on an Amex or switch to a different cell phone network. But I dislike advertising in general; I feel that organizations ought to succeed or fail on their own merits, not on charisma rented from outsiders.
posted by Hot Pastrami! at 8:15 AM on January 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Hot Pastrami! at 8:15 AM on January 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
It's got to be fun for Anderson to put together short films like these with the budget that only advertising allows.
posted by octothorpe at 8:51 AM on January 2, 2017
posted by octothorpe at 8:51 AM on January 2, 2017
One lazy afternoon a few years back, it must have been over some holiday because everyone was home, we stumbled onto TCM just at the start of some french movie we'd never heard of. We watched with a sort of detached curiosity at first, wondering what this was and where it was going. But our amusement grew into a kind of charm and in addition to finding ourselves saying, "Wow, this has some nice Wes Anderson vibes" a few times (including that scene the delightful AmEx commercial pays homage to), we were soon completely enchanted by this little slice-of-filmmaking-life flick and its troupe of characters. And despite everyone being mostly busy doing their own thing, I noticed whoever stumbled into the TV room, standing at the threshold watching a few moments of whatever scene they walked in on, ending up taking a seat and watching through to the end of the movie with the rest of us.
It's a lovely, unassuming flick, one of my favorite movies-about-moving-making, probably my favorite Truffaut, a clear source of inspiration to Wes Anderson, and one of those great movies for turning on some holiday when everyone is home and things are sort of crazy and hectic, but you know that the sort of everyday random moments are adding up to something more, something meaningful and important, something you'll think back on with fondness despite perhaps not having all that much fun at the time, like a sort of collage of memories from a wedding you attended as a child, too young to really know what's going on, but special and strange enough to stick with you in loose impressions.
I'm of course talking about the movie mentioned in the AmEx youtube description, Truffaut's Day for Night from 1973. I guess all that was to say, it's worth giving a shot if that's your kind of thing and you don't expect too much.
posted by Flaffigan at 8:53 AM on January 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
It's a lovely, unassuming flick, one of my favorite movies-about-moving-making, probably my favorite Truffaut, a clear source of inspiration to Wes Anderson, and one of those great movies for turning on some holiday when everyone is home and things are sort of crazy and hectic, but you know that the sort of everyday random moments are adding up to something more, something meaningful and important, something you'll think back on with fondness despite perhaps not having all that much fun at the time, like a sort of collage of memories from a wedding you attended as a child, too young to really know what's going on, but special and strange enough to stick with you in loose impressions.
I'm of course talking about the movie mentioned in the AmEx youtube description, Truffaut's Day for Night from 1973. I guess all that was to say, it's worth giving a shot if that's your kind of thing and you don't expect too much.
posted by Flaffigan at 8:53 AM on January 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
I've been seeing the H&M ad constantly on a big screen outside my work, and I'm weirdly disappointed to find out that this bit of pastiche is the genuine article.
posted by tapesonthefloor at 10:25 AM on January 2, 2017
posted by tapesonthefloor at 10:25 AM on January 2, 2017
I noticed that both the Anderson HM Xmas ad and the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox featured "unaccompanied minors." I posted this observation on Facebook.
Crickets.
posted by 41swans at 3:18 PM on January 2, 2017
Crickets.
posted by 41swans at 3:18 PM on January 2, 2017
I presume Castello Cavalcanti is a reference to the film director Alberto Cavalcanti?
posted by Grangousier at 4:25 PM on January 2, 2017
posted by Grangousier at 4:25 PM on January 2, 2017
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posted by the_querulous_night at 2:16 PM on January 1, 2017 [1 favorite]