The unlikely Steven Spielberg movie that Wes Anderson adores: “Possibly the best cast movie of all time”
The word ‘auteur’ was made for Wes Anderson.
Few directors have struck the balance between artistic integrity and financial success quite like the thin man from Houston, Texas. His films regularly appear in lists of the finest ever made, and there’s always a buzz surrounding his latest release, even from those who claim not to like him. His ultra-specific style does have its drawbacks, but at least you know that he always makes the film he wants to make exactly how he wants to make it.
One of the best things about an Anderson outing is the guarantee that you’ll spot at least a dozen recognisable faces in the cast. The idiosyncratic director has amassed a stunning array of famous faces who are queuing up to have even a bit part in one of his movies. His working relationships with the likes of Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, and Owen Wilson are well-established, with Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch and more recently joining his travelling circus. Then there are all the dream castings fans have been pushing for years, which is another topic entirely
Given that he is something of a casting master, it’s interesting to get Anderson’s perspective on how other directors divvy up their parts. Speaking to Letterboxd, the ‘Sultan of Symmetry’ revealed which film he thought had assembled the best team. While the director of the piece wasn’t shocking, the name of the movie certainly caught a few people off guard.
“Lincoln is one of my absolute favourites of Steven Spielberg’s films,” he explained, “Spectacular scenes and speeches, possibly the best cast movie of all time. There’s so many great performances so finely done, and it’s spectacular expertise and kind of exuberance in the filmmaking. And I feel you can feel the excitement of ‘Wow, look what Daniel Day-Lewis just did.'”
Released in 2012, Lincoln is Spielberg’s chronicle of the life and times of one of America’s most famous presidents. Beginning at the end of the Civil War, the action centres on ‘Honest Abe’ and his attempts to abolish slavery. The deal for Spielberg to make a film about Lincoln’s life had been inked in 2001, but, for various reasons, it took him over a decade to make it. The wait paid off, though, as the film was met with near-universal acclaim and was nominated for a staggering 12 Academy Awards.
One of those nominations was for Day-Lewis, who had the unenviable task of bringing the gigantic historical figure to life. He passed with flying colours, nabbing a record-breaking third award for ‘Best Actor’. Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones were also up for prizes for their performances as Mary Todd Lincoln and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, respectively. The Lincolns’ eldest son, Robert, was played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, while the rest of the cast spanned established names like Hal Holbrook and Tim Blake Nelson to future stars like Colman Domingo and Adam Driver.
When you think ‘Wes Anderson’, you don’t think ‘big, historical epic about a mainstream politician’. His appreciation for Lincoln might be a little left field, but it is still a Spielberg movie with a stunning cast and an all-time lead performance from one of the best to ever do it. He’s only human, for crying out loud.
