The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Wes Anderson

Writers (WGA):

Wes Anderson (written by) &
Roman Coppola (written by) ...

Release Date:

26 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other -- to become brothers again like they used to be. Their "spiritual quest", however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray), and they eventually find themselves stranded alone in the middle of the desert with eleven suitcases, a printer, and a laminating machine. At this moment, a new, unplanned journey suddenly begins.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Brother | India | Journey | Funeral

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Owen Wilson	...	Francis L. Whitman
Adrien Brody	...	Peter L. Whitman
Jason Schwartzman	...	Jack L. Whitman
Amara Karan	...	Rita
Wallace Wolodarsky	...	Brendan (as Wally Wolodarsky)
Waris Ahluwalia	...	The Chief Steward
Irrfan Khan	...	The Father
Barbet Schroeder	...	The Mechanic
Camilla Rutherford	...	Alice
Bill Murray	...	The Businessman
Anjelica Huston	...	Sister Patricia Whitman
Mr. A.P. Singh	...	Taxi Driver (as A.P. Singh)
Kumar Pallana	...	Old Man
Dalpat Singh	...	Waiter
Trudy Matthys	...	German Lady #1 (as Trudy Mathis)

Also Known As:

Viaje a Darjeeling (Argentina) (Mexico) (Spain) [es]
À bord du Darjeeling Limited (France) [fr]
Darjeeling Limited (Sweden) [sv]
Darjeeling Limited (Germany) [de]
Darjeeling s rucením obmedzeným (Slovakia) [sk]
Darjeeling s rucením omezeným (Czech Republic) [cs]
Il treno per il Darjeeling (Italy) [it]
Taxidi sto Darjeeling (Greece) [el]
Viagem a Darjeeling (Brazil) [pt]
Voz za Dardziling (Serbia) [sr]

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Hindi | Sanskrit

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Ireland:15A | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-11 | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | USA:R (certificate #43707) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Germany:6 | Sweden:11 | Hong Kong:IIB | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:12 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:13 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | New Zealand:M | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

India

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

The 11 suitcases seen in the movie are created by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton and they are decorated with giraffes, rhinoceros and antelopes designed by Eric Chase Anderson, the director's brother. They all have the initials JLW.

Goofs:

Factual errors: It is impossible for a train to be 'lost' on Indian Railways. It is SOP to default switches on mainline routes to 'trunk' positions. All unsignaled turnouts lead to dead-ends and have to be positively signaled for a train to be advanced down the track. A mistake (or a series of mistakes even) will not get the train more than a couple of kilometers before it derails on an auto-stop or dead-ends.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Businessman: That's my train.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Twistee Treat (2009)

Soundtrack:

Typewriter Tip, Tip, Tip

Saddest, Funniest Journey to the Most Beautiful Non-Destination

This is such a DAMN GOOD MOVIE.

It's this bright, expansive, random, happy, sad, funny, stupid, and wise trip that these 3 brothers take, and I'm not here to give you the play by play. Watch the thing, and you'll see how it's not something that adds up to the sum of its what-not. It's just Not One of Those kinds of movies.

Instead, it's one of those that has to be seen to be believed, and is worlds-better experienced than recounted. It's a Trip. Through the spaces between people, as well as within India.

And Yes, it has much in common with the rest of director Wes Anderson's stuff, visually and thematically and tonally, in the best ways, if you ask me. I think he was really hittin' his stuff on all cylinders in this one.

Just So Much that's implied rather than stated. So Much in the way that people and relationships can be both lamented And celebrated. He just brings So Much to the screen, but always leaves that space that demands the audience step up and meet him on the platform, with our own individual "baggage" we've brought along. It's Great.

And maybe it was the way it was shot and cut and directed and acted, all very subtly, vividly, kinetically...

Maybe it was the way the characters felt really REAL, fascinating and absurd and pathetic and majestic, all at the same time.

Maybe it was because India is so bright and beautiful and exotic, to the tourist's and movie-goer's eyes.

Maybe it was just random enough and specifically-rendered enough to really hit me RIGHT THERE, but IT DID.

I enjoyed this more than any movie I've seen in a long time.

Real Art made with Real Heart.

So Sad and Funny and Just Damn Beautiful.