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The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (known simply as The French Dispatch) is a 2021 American anthology comedy-drama film written and directed by Wes Anderson from a story written by Anderson, Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman. The film is described as a love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional twentieth century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in "The French Dispatch Magazine".
The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Stephen Park, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson. The film's supporting cast features several of Anderson's recurring collaborators, including Liev Schreiber, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Saoirse Ronan, Schwartzman, and Anjelica Huston, among others.
It was released on October 22, 2021.
Plot[]
Arthur Howitzer Jr., the editor of the newspaper The French Dispatch, dies suddenly of a heart attack. According to the wishes expressed in his will, publication of the newspaper is immediately suspended following one final farewell issue, in which three articles from past editions of the paper are republished, along with an obituary.
The Concrete Masterpiece – by J.K.L. Berensen
Moses Rosenthaler, a mentally disturbed artist serving a prison sentence for murder, paints an abstract nude portrait of Simone, a prison officer with whom he develops a burgeoning relationship. Julien Cadazio, an art dealer also serving a sentence for tax evasion, is immediately taken by the painting after seeing it in a prisoner art exhibition, and buys it despite Rosenthaler's protests. Upon his release he convinces his family of art exhibitors to put it on display, and Rosenthaler soon becomes a sensation in the art world, with his paintings in high demand. Privately, Rosenthaler struggles with inspiration, and devotes himself to a long-term project.
Three years later, Cadazio and a mob of artists, angry at the lack of any further paintings, bribe their way into the prison to force Rosenthaler to come up with something, and discover that he has painted a series of frescoes in the prison hall. Angered that the paintings are irremovable from the prison, Cadazio gets into a physical altercation with Rosenthaler, but soon comes to appreciate the paintings for what they are, and later arranges for the entire room to be airlifted out of the prison into a private museum. For his actions in halting a prison riot that breaks out during the reveal of the paintings, Rosenthaler is released on probation.
Revisions to a Manifesto – by Lucinda Krementz
Lucinda Krementz reports on a student protest breaking out in the streets of Ennui that soon boils over into the "Chessboard Revolution". Despite her insistence on maintaining "journalistic integrity", she has a brief romance with Zeffirelli, a self-styled leader of the revolt, and secretly helps him write his manifesto. A few weeks later, Zeffirelli is killed attempting repairs on a small radio tower serving as a revolutionary pirate radio station, and soon a photograph of his likeness becomes symbolic of the movement.
The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner – by Roebuck Wright
During a television interview, Roebuck Wright recounts the story of his attending a private dinner with The Commissaire of the Ennui police force, prepared by legendary police officer-slash-chef Lt. Nescaffier. The dinner is disrupted when the Commissaire's son Gigi is kidnapped and held for ransom by criminals. After a series of interrogations, the police discover the kidnapper's hideout and begin a stakeout. Following a shootout, Gigi manages to sneak out a message in Morse code to "send the cook". Lt. Nescaffier is sent into the kidnappers' hideout, ostensibly to provide both them and Gigi with food, but secretly the food is laced with poison. The criminals all succumb to the poison, along with Lt. Nescaffier after being made to test it first, but one criminal escapes with Gigi, and leads the police on a chase. Gigi manages to escape out of the sunroof and jumps into the police car. At the French Dispatch office, Howitzer tells Wright to re-insert a segment in which a recovering Lt. Nescaffier tells Wright that the taste of the poison was unlike anything he had ever eaten before.
In an epilogue, the French Dispatch staff mourn Howitzer's death, but set to work putting together a final issue to honor his memory.
Cast[]
- Bill Murray as Arthur Howitzer Jr., the editor of the French Dispatch, based on Harold Ross, the co-founder of The New Yorker.
- Owen Wilson as Herbsaint Sazerac, a writer and staff-member of the French Dispatch, based on Joseph Mitchell, a writer for The New Yorker.
- Elisabeth Moss as Aluma, a copy editor of the French Dispatch staff.
- Jason Schwartzman as Hermes Jones, a cartoonist of the French Dispatch staff.
- Fisher Stevens, Griffin Dunne and Wally Wolodarsky as members of The French Dispatch staff.
- Anjelica Bette Fellini as Proofreader.
- Anjelica Huston as the Narrator.
The Concrete Masterpiece
- Tilda Swinton as J. K. L. Berensen, a writer and a staff-member of the French Dispatch.
- Benicio del Toro as Moses Rosenthaler, an incarcerated artist.
- Tony Revolori as Young Moses Rosenthaler
- Adrien Brody as Julien Cadazio, an art dealer, based on Lord Duveen.
- Léa Seydoux as Simone, a prison guard and Rosenthaler's muse.
- Lois Smith as Upshur "Maw" Clampette, an art collector.
- Henry Winkler as Uncle Joe, one of Cadazio's "business-partner uncles".
- Bob Balaban as Uncle Nick, one of Cadazio's "business-partner uncles".
- Denis Ménochet as a prison guard.
Revisions to a Manifesto
- Frances McDormand as Lucinda Krementz, a journalist profiling the student revolutionaries.
- Timothée Chalamet as Zeffirelli, a student revolutionary; boyfriend of Juliette.
- Lyna Khoudri as Juliette, a student revolutionary; girlfriend of Zeffirelli.
- Alex Lawther as Morisot, a student revolutionary.
- Mohamed Belhadjine as Mitch Mitch, a student revolutionary.
- Nicolas Avinée as Vittel, a student revolutionary.
- Lily Taleb as Smart Girl, a student revolutionary.
- Cécile de France as Mrs. B
- Guillaume Gallienne as Mr. B
- Christoph Waltz as Paul Duval, an art collector.
The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner
- Jeffrey Wright as Roebuck Wright, a food journalist based on an amalgamation of writer James Baldwin and journalist A. J. Liebling.
- Mathieu Amalric as The Commissaire, a policeman with a kidnapped son.
- Stephen Park as Lieutenant Nescafier, a chef and police officer who solves a kidnapping.
- Winston Ait Hellal as Gigi, the Commissaire's kidnapped son.
- Liev Schreiber as Talk Show Host.
- Edward Norton as The Chauffer, a kidnapper.
- Willem Dafoe as Albert the Abacus, a prisoner and underworld accountant.
- Saoirse Ronan as Principal Showgirl, a member of the kidnapping gang.
- Rupert Friend as Drill-Sergeant
- Hippolyte Girardot as Chou-fleur
- Félix Moati as Head Caterer
- Benjamin Lavernhe as Toothpaste Spokesman
Release[]
In September 2019, Searchlight Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film.[3] It was set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 12, 2020, and get a wide release on July 24, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was cancelled and the film was pulled from the schedule on April 3, 2020.[4][5] The film was rescheduled for release on October 16, 2020, before being pulled from the schedule again on July 23, 2020.[6][7] It was then planned for a 2021 release, with reports that it could debut at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.[8] It was finally dated for a release on October 22, 2021, after its world premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival on July 12, 2021.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (June 3, 2020). "Cannes Film Festival Reveals 2020 Lineup: Wes Anderson, Steve McQueen, Kate Winslet & Pixar". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved on June 3, 2020.
- ↑ Croll, Ben (January 15, 2020). "Angouleme Delivers for Wes Anderson's 'The French Dispatch' Shoot". Variety. Retrieved on January 15, 2020.
- ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (September 19, 2019). "Fox Searchlight Acquires World Rights To Wes Anderson's Upcoming Movie 'The French Dispatch'". Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ Roxborough, Scott (June 3, 2020). "Cannes 2020 Lineup Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on June 3, 2020.
- ↑ Welk, Brian (January 29, 2020). "Wes Anderson's 'The French Dispatch' Gets July 2020 Release". The Wrap. Retrieved on January 29, 2020.
- ↑ Welk, Brian (April 3, 2020). "'Black Widow' Moves to November as Other MCU Films Shift Back to 2021, 2022". The Wrap. Retrieved on April 3, 2020.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 23, 2020). "'Mulan' Off The Calendar; Disney Also Delays 'Avatar' & 'Star Wars' Movies By One Year As Studio Adjusts To Pandemic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved on July 23, 2020.
- ↑ Wes Anderson's 'The French Dispatch' Leaves Oscar Race, Eyes Cannes 2021 Release Instead