Wes Anderson

A beautiful and wise book about beautiful and wise movies. Numerous pictures and illustrations are accompanied by extensive analysis of the idea behind every title and their reception after releases.

A perfect Christmas gift for every Wes Anderson fan.

Thanks to the publisher, Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I devoured this in a single sitting. Wes Anderson films feel like this perfect piece of scenery. Any part of any of his films could be captured and framed and look beautiful.

And this book captured that feeling perfectly. It was stunning and I’m really excited to have a solid fully formed copy in my hands so I can see all the incredible pictures in vivid detail. The essays were informative and this was just overall a really lovely way to spend an evening.

A wonderful and fun look inside the world of one of my favorite directors, Wes Anderson. This is the perfect book for anyone who has always wondered about Wes Anderson and how he comes about his films. It features a deeper insight into all of his films and his process. It was a delightful read and I loved learning more about my favorite films made by him!

I may not have watched the entirety of Anderson's filmography, however his distinct aesthetics, his narrative style and cinematic composition make for an absolutely compelling cinematic experience.Nathan's analyses of Anderson's movies are spot on, whilst the presentation of the book is amazing, quite Anderson-esque; I will definitely be buying a physical copy.

The ultimate book for any Wes Anderson fan. The author lays out each film in chronological order with stories and facts that make it seem fresh and like you're discovering them for the first time.

A great collection of photography and movies. I love Wes Anderson this is a very interesting book about his thoughts process in filmmaking.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review Wes Anderson

Are you a Wee Anderson fan? Then his is the book for you. Each chapter brings you some wonderful stories and photos from Mr Anderson’s movies.

The life and work of Wes Anderson is a wonderful addition to this series of visual biographies. I love the style of the art and continue to enjoy these books, with their wide range of focus from popular culture.

I’ll be honest. I wanted to read this one because of the pictures. I’m a sucker for Anderson’s aesthetic as a director, and the photographs in this volume do not disappoint. They are beautiful and take up whoe pages, but you know what else is pretty cool about this book? The text.

Cool layout aside, I love Nathan’s passion for the auteur and his excitement to dig deep into the characters, plot, themes, and even actors in Anderson’s films. The book moves chronologically by film and has neat, little inserts about different motifs, actors, and influences across films.

Would recommend this book for any Wes Anderson fan and or film nerd from a film enthusiast. I love geeking out with other people about film, and reading this book felt like a conversation with my movie buddies. It’s out next week, so pick up a copy from your favorite local bookstore, or request through your library.

This is a richly illustrated study of Wes Anderson’s films, in a format and style matching the author’s hugely popular book on Tarantino and his very recent book on Ridley Scott. The books are elegant objects with big glossy pictures, organised around a study of the works, film by film. The format is hugely appealing and Anderson fans, in particular, will love it.

The secret of its success is not just the design, but the way the writing complements the design: the book aims to be a pleasure to read as it is to look at. Nathan is a film critic whose aim is to communicate his own enthusiasm for directors with a distinctive voice and aesthetic. The focus is very much on the films, not the critic - he explains the background to each film, the casting and production details, runs over the plot, picks out themes and stylistic elements and their popular reception. But this is done in a fun, conversational tone - more like a magazine article, not in a heavy academic or encyclopedic style. He does provide a good amount of info, he just uses text books for the technical aspects (signature camera techniques; key filmic influences, and such like). This works well, keeping the text light.

Nathan explores each of Anderson’s works in turn, up to and including The French Dispatch (which at the time of writing still exists only in trailer form). The characterisation of each film is very deft. Moonrise Kingdom, for example, is a mix between Bonnie and Clyde with Swallows and Amazons. Bottle Rocket’s pairing with Schultz’s Peanuts is aptly described as ‘understated poignancy’. There are lots of these little insights - they are neat little packets of info - and they are very apt when describing Anderson’s films, which he notes are like stamp albums with their own collection of influences, neatly laid out. Only once or twice did I think the info might be adjusted - the idea that Bertolucci’s The Conformist is a general influence on Anderson is mentioned, but not really explained (the controlled use of colour and framing to support the storytelling).

Great films, great book, great text - highly recommended!

What a treasure this book is, especially for Wes Anderson fans! If, like me, you have a few of his films on your personal list of all time favorites, then you’ll find a lot to discover here. And such beautiful photographs! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC for review.

A delightful book, well laid-out and offering valuable insight into Wes Anderson's films, his creative process and the man himself. I came to this book as a big fan of the director's work, plus a strong familiarity with Ian Nathan's writing in Empire magazine. The book is almost like a series of extended magazine articles, one devoted to each of his films, including the as-yet-unreleased The French Dispatch. Nathan's commentary is brilliant, combining his own analysis of the films with a large body of sources to give a compelling story to the making of each. There are a ton of great photos, which lend the book a coffee-table-book quality, though it can easily be read cover-to-cover. I would highly recommend this to anybody with a keen interest in Anderson's oeuvre.

Truly a treasure-trove of Anderson's filmography. Filled with facts, photos, and just a beautifully done book design, this is a must for all lovers of Wes Anderson.

A fantastic book for fans of Wes Anderson’s and of cinematography alike. Each chapter is based around each film, chronologically. Although it was tempting to skip straight to my favourites and devour the pictures (a lot of the production ones are new to me) I started at the beginning and thoroughly enjoyed each part. I especially loved the added extras about influences, meaning and the distinctive Wes Anderson “look”
A truly great piece of work that really does justice to this much loved filmmaker

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a lover of all things Wes Anderson, this book was absolutely fantastic, it was so informative and educational and I feel like I've fallen even more in love with Wes Anderson's incredible aesthetic just through reading this book. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Such a beautiful book, I'll probably buy it when it comes out!

This was such fun book to read, but really the joy was getting to relive the movies through the pictures in the book. Thank you, Ian Nathan, for compiling this beautiful book, and allowing us to learn about the inspiration behind all the movies, as well as the financial information, the work of finding the just right locations to shoot, the actors, and the public acclaim.

Highly recommend to all my fellow Wes Anderson enthusiasts!

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read and enjoy this book.

Wes Anderson is a cultural icon and one of my favorite directors. The essays are an informative and fascinating dive into the mind behind so many beloved films. Reading through this felt like watching his films for the first time.

It's the perfect gift for any Anderson fan and a great display piece or coffee book.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group for the DRC!
Wow, this is such a great tribute to Wes Anderson's work. It's amazing to learn more about this process. I was already a fan of his movies before, but now I admire him even more. Nice read!

As the man behind films such as Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited and The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson has established himself as one of the most original, imaginative and endlessly inventive filmmakers of the 21st century so far. Frequently collaborating with Bill Murray (who is in all but one of his eleven films), Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman, Anderson's body of work is always visually pleasing regardless of whether he is producing a full blown animation (as in the case of The Fantastic Mr Fox or the often bizarre Isle of Dogs) or in one of his never ordinary live action films. With an impressive range of pictures and extra features (for example, detailing the recurrent visual motifs in Anderson's work) this book by film expert Ian Nathan is the perfect coffee table accompaniment to the director's work doing full justice to him, just as Nathan's earlier volumes on Tim Burton, the Coen Brothers and Ridley Scott did for those talented filmmakers.

"The definitive reference for all Wes Anderson fans.

Loaded with rich imagery and detailed analysis of his incredible films - including the classics The Grand Budapest Hotel, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom as well as Anderson's highly anticipated new release The French Dispatch - this is the first book to feature all of Wes Anderson's movies in a single volume.

Acclaimed film journalist Ian Nathan provides an intelligent and thoughtful examination of the work of one of contemporary film’s greatest visionaries, charting the themes, visuals, and narratives that have come to define Anderson’s work and contributed to his films an idiosyncratic character that's adored by his loyal fans. From Anderson’s regular cast members - including Bill Murray and Owen Wilson - to his instantly recognisable aesthetic, recurring motifs and his scriptwriting processes, this in-depth collection will reveal how Wes Anderson became one of modern cinema’s most esteemed and influential directors.

Presented in a slipcase with 8-page gatefold section, this stunning package will delight all Wes Anderson devotees and movie lovers in general."

I just adore that this book looks and is a giant chocolate box of wonders from the world of Wes Anderson.

This book is a wonderful look into the amazing work of film maker Wes Anderson. His aesthetic as a film maker, a look into his films with many fantastic cast and set photos. This will be a great book for fans of his work.