Analysis of Film Techniques in Run Lola Run and The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson and Tom Tykwer are two directors who have created their own style of directing motion pictures, allowing them to create engaging and suspenseful moments. This has led them to be prominent names in American and German cinema respectively. This essay will analyze how each director uses a combination of editing, sound, and cinematography techniques to create unique viewer experiences in two similarly dramatic scenes. The scenes that will be referred to throughout this essay are from The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and Run Lola Run (1999). In The Grand Budapest Hotel, the two protagonists, Gustave and Zero, are on a train headed to Lutz when their journey is interrupted by army officers attempting to arrest Zero for being stateless. In Run Lola Run, the protagonist Lola interrupts a tense conversation between her father and his co-worker, whom he is having an affair with. She points a gun at his head and demands money in a manic fashion. The use of continuity editing to highlight expressive performances exaggerates and prolongs the tension in both scenes.

In Run Lola Run there are a series of medium and close-up shots that frame the characters individually. The frame cuts between Lola, her father, the female co-worker, and the security guard (who has just entered the room behind Lola). These shots are quickly interchanging, creating an antsy feeling for the audience. Even though these edits are expanding the duration of the action, they provide a sense of rhythm and speed within the scene. The scene then cuts to a close up of Lola’s hands pulling the trigger. The magnification of this action in slow motion which heightens suspense and creates explosive tension in the room. Lola pulling the trigger, her father dodging the bullets, and the women cowering in shock are all cut close together. Although these events would have happened simultaneously, Tykwer has chosen to show all of them in separate shots to give more intensity to the scene. After the gunshots are fired the cuts are slightly further apart allowing the viewers to collect themselves after a climactic moment. The editing in this scene has been utilised to create a scenario where a conflict can play out in a dramatic yet comprehensible way. It also added a rising sense of intensity wherein the character’s expressions remain the most important part of the shots. This rhythmic editing has been described as a characteristic element of the energetic movie. 

A similarly effective use of editing in The Grand Budapest Hotel train scene allows the viewer to follow along with the brewing tension. Several ‘point of view shots’ give focus to the three prominent characters of the scene and allow the viewer to experience each character’s nervous expression. This wavering between ‘comedy and tragedy’ is a commonly used device by Anderson to make his films more captivating. These shots also bring a comical element to this scene. The ‘point of view’ shots show each character’s hesitation to act first. The use of editing presents the performance in a childlike and humorous manner. Anderson and Tykwer’s unique styles of editing allow them to emphasise other elements of the scene which enhance excitement, such as actor’s dialogue and expressions. The directed performance by actors within these scenes sets the tone and engages the audience. The close-up shots clearly framing the actors face in both scenes are what enable the actors to provide captivating experiences and instigate the sense of rising suspense. In The Grand Budapest Hotel, stylised performance is one of the ways the scene’s intensity is softened by a humorous edge. The operatic expressions by the actors imply that the purpose of this scene is to raise tensions and excitement. The quick and obviously exaggerated eye movements by Gustave, Zero and Corporal Muller in their consecutive close up shots add hilarity to the scene. The performance by these actors is sophisticated. They are able to portray both seriousness and the absurd comical nature of this scene and the rest of The Grand Budapest Hotel. The facial expressions and body movements of the actors are reminiscent of a theatrical performance. The combination of this and the more serious elements of this narrative moment is an example of the way Anderson uses ‘contradictory devices’ to create engaging moments within his films. 

Run Lola Run features stylised acting in an opposite sense. In this scene, Lola, played by Franka Potente, is extremely reserved considering she has stormed into a bank and is holding a gun to her father’s head. Subtle elements of her performance, such as sharp calculating eyes, and strong, defiant body movements suggest an uncontrollable force within this young girl. Her performance puts the audience on edge as she seems as though she is too controlled and could explode into an emotional frenzy at any moment. She takes a deep breath and a shaky exhale. This works in conjunction with the rise in suspense to mimic the brewing tension that the viewer is feeling. She has a furrowed brow and an intense gaze which is fixed on her father. After she shoots and misses her father’s head, her hardened expression barely falters, leaving the audience without any sense of relief after the climactic moment. This performance by Potente is an example of one of the engaging elements of this movie, the strength and determination of the central character, Lola. The actors’ performances within these scenes are supplemented effectively by the sound elements which provide an immersive experience. The incorporation of sound within these two scenes is a crucial part of subtly conveying the tones of the two scenes to the audience. Sound plays an important role in creating the energetic nature of Run Lola Run. The non-diegetic musical track becomes subtly louder as the tension of the scene builds and quietens only for the sound of the characters dialogue. This rising volume is an effective way Tykwer used sound in order to alter the audience’s emotions and heighten their anticipation. The emphasised sound of Lola pulling the trigger and the loud gunshots with the heightening paced music add to the chaotic conflict of the scene. Tykwer is known for his impressive use of music and sound in his films in order to connect the audience to the characters and plot on an emotional level. In this scene he uses usually ‘dispassionate’, fast paced electronic dance music, and connects it to the rising drama of the scene and the growing frustration of the protagonist in order to pull the audience deeper into the suspense of the film. 

Sound, both diegetic and non-diegetic, is also an important way in which Anderson captivates the audience in this scene of The Grand Budapest Hotel. The non-diegetic music is ominous and reminiscent of a military marching band. The obvious connection between the music and the soldiers adds to the comical element of this scene. Coinciding with the cuts between the three close-up shots of Gustave, Zero and Corporal Muller, there is a loud orchestral sound which emphasises the tension within the carriage and adds to the suspense in an ironic way. The use of diegetic noises, a train whistle and a door slamming open, signals the break in this climax, when all the action has frozen and the music has stopped. These sounds introduce one of Anderson’s characteristic shots, the tableau vivant. All of the actors within the frame are frozen in the midst of their conflict, looking directly at the camera. The rhythm and staccato nature of the musical piece accompanying this scene builds tempo and the dramatic nature of the scene. As the action builds, so does the loudness and fullness of the sound, until the climax of the scene when the sound halts and the performance of the actors is given the importance in the frame. The styles of music in the two scenes are notably different. One is an electronic dance beat and the other is a classical orchestral piece. However, they both play the same role in the respective scenes: to build tension and indicate the rising suspense and intensity. 

In summary, these two influential and celebrated directors, Wes Anderson and Tom Tykwer, have unique methods of implementing editing, sound, and cinematography techniques as well as elements of mise en scene. This is what led to these two climactic moments of The Grand Budapest Hotel and Run Lola Run having different impacts on the audience in similar moments of drama. The use of sounds to enhance emotion, the building of suspense, quick cuts and the ‘point of view’ shots, and the emphasis on the actor’s performance were all elements of the director’s styles that worked together to create drama and suspense for the viewer. The personal decisions of the director on how to execute these techniques in relation to the narrative and style of the respective films was the reason the scenes emulated two different feelings for the viewer.