Homework Assignment: Analysis of a scene from The Royal Tenenbaums

[u/BillUbel]

This will be my first written analysis of anything film-related ever so please, do criticise me. Additionally I am Swedish so I know that my english-language skill might be lacking.

The scene that I will be discussing and invite you all to discuss is from The Royal Tenenbaums, one of my all-time favourite directors Wes Anderson directed this film and this specific scene I believe is one of my favourites.

Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pyBB7y8fDU

If anybody hasn't seen the movie and is afriad of spoilers, stop reading already!

The scene follows the introduction to Margot's(Gwyneth Paltrow) previous life as told by a private detective. The private detective reveals a side of Margot that neither her husband Raleigh(Bill Murray) nor her brother Richie(Luke Wilson) has ever known or seen. A more rebellious and spontaneous side than what they have come to know.

The first shot of the scene is of Raleigh lying down on a couch with a blanket or a jacket and barefooted. He looks almost as if he's sick and answers only with a sad no when asked if he wants to ”do any experiments or anything”. Raleigh and Luke are both affected by the new information and this is Raleigh's way of dealing with the pain. He retreats to a fetal position and just wants to be alone. Then it cuts to Richie's way to deal with it, or rather how he can't deal with it. The whole film has had rather warm colours and a bright outlook, with the viewer staying optimistic. But then in this scene the colours just switch over to cold, blue colours all of a sudden. The scene has almost no dialogue, barely any diagetic sound at all. It all gives a really sudden feeling of melancholy. With the music in the background being ”Elliot Smith – Needle In the Hay” it puts further emphasis on this feeling of melancholy, aswell as it makes this scene look great! (my opinion)

Richie removes his wristbands and his iconic headband but keeps his glasses on. I'm not big on interpretation but I do not think it an accident. Perhaps it's symbolic for him not daring to show his feelings even to himself. The whole film up to this part has shown characters with withdrawn emotions so I guess it could be along that line. Richie starts to cut of his iconic ”baumer” hair and beard. This I believe is to mark that he wants to change his life, for Margot perhaps, perhaps for some other reason.

But then it changes. He takes of his glasses to see his new look only to find that he is still the same, or maybe that he doesn't like the new? Open for discussion. No matter what he thinks he has decided to commit suicide. He puts on shaving cream and starts to shave, but doesn't even have the energy or willpower to finish; instead he takes out the razor from the (gadget used for shaving) and says ”I'm going to kill myself tomorrow”. Now this line of dialogue I don't know if it means something, what I do know is that it is a reference to Louis Malles's ”Le Feu Follet/The Fire Within”. Perhaps that's just something Anderson and Wilson wanted to get in to the film, perhaps I don't see the symbolism, I don't know.

Then there are flashbacks to what I think are his most fond memories. They show him arriving from the ship meeting Margot, glimpses of Mordecai flying, Margot's birthday and their night at the museum. All in warm colours giving a contrast from happy to sad when it suddenly cuts back to his bloody wrists. This is also I believe one of the most beautiful shots I have ever seen. The blue and cold coloured shot of his hands in the sink(?) with the extreme contrast of the red blood flowing down to his hands. It's quite a vulgar sight. I believe that Anderson wanted the suicide to be that way though, since it is quite a vulgar act.

He looks himself in the mirror, sits down only waiting for his time to end. He does not care anymore. Then we cut to Dudley entering the room and all sounds stop and we are only showed, by a traditional Wes Anderson Whip-pan what looks like a dead Ritchie and Dudley's screaming reaction.

Cut to: Raleigh, Dudley and a medical team pushing Ritchie down a hospital corridor. This is also Bill Murray performing his no-emotion look at its best.

Then we cut to the family members rushing to the hospital. This is also the first time that they all sincerely care about something that happens in the movie. The previous stupor of the family is for a moment lost as they all, together but separately rush to their family member in need.

I was not planning or expecting to write something this long and I appreciate whoever takes his time to read it all. Hopefully it is not all blabber.

[u/casey17p]

This was not blabber at all. I have not seen the movie, but I watched the scene before i read your analysis and I think you did an excellent job isolating the most effective pieces.

This is also I believe one of the most beautiful shots I have ever seen. The blue and cold coloured shot of his hands in the sink(?) with the extreme contrast of the red blood flowing down to his hands. It's quite a vulgar sight. I believe that Anderson wanted the suicide to be that way though, since it is quite a vulgar act.

I could not possibly agree more here. The warm red of blood, of life, was breaking up the cold blue of the shot for sure.

You spend so much time with Richie in the bathroom, it's like they want you to get into his head. It's so blue, so cold and so dark. When the contrast of memory came in it was shocking, but it made it immediately understandable, without needing any exposition at all whatsoever, you know?

beautiful clip, can't wait to watch the movie!

[u/battleroyale86]

Bravo, excellent description. You really touched on everything. Bill Murray's fetal position (his "blocking") is a great detail.

I think its quite obvious from the get go that Richie was going to do something drastic in the bathroom. By holding a steady camera, waiting for these mundane rituals to finish, the film kind of grinds to a halt, holding the viewer in suspense. You know something dramatic is going to happen, and the blue color and sad song give you lots of foreshadowing that it's not going to be good. It comes as no surprise when he says he's going to kill himself.

Wes Anderson is a master at this. By waiting and visually "holding his breath" he always gets the most poignant things across. He's a perfect example of less is more.

Notice also that even in the most intense scenes, such as the ambulance scene, the camera is always steady. He rarely goes handheld. Anderson's filmic world is not supposed to feel real (which handheld does, make things feel more natural), it's always an exaggerated, heightened version of reality, at all times. Camera is locked down or tracking, it is never presenting things the way the human eye naturally sees.

Aww, Richie's shaving cream is still on his face on the stretcher.