Blog Post 10: Royal Tenenbaums

I chose a scene from one of my favorite movies, The Royal Tenenbaums. This movie has so much great music in it that it was hard to pick just one scene. I chose this one, though, because I think that the music enhances the scene so much. The director, Wes Anderson, has a knack for picking music that enhances the emotion of his movies. Just for context, the man seen in the beginning of the clip is Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman). He’s been estranged from his family for some years, and has recently come back into their lives. He makes many attempts throughout the film to earn his family’s affection. In this clip, he’s trying to gain the affection of his two grandsons, who have been extremely sheltered by their father up to this point.

I think that the song choice, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard by Paul Simon, compliments the scenery, the emotion and the tone of the scene. Royal attempts to win his grandsons’ affection and respect by teaching them tricks of the trade. He’s desperate for them to see him as a cool, heroic grandpa. The song is playful and childish; it’s a perfect backdrop for the antics that the boys pull off – throwing water balloons at cars, stealing milk, riding on a trash truck. The whistling and happy guitar strums of Paul Simon’s song add innocence and playfulness to the scene. Without the music, this scene would be undoubtedly weird- a grandfather leading his grandkids into oncoming traffic, three relatives on a trash truck. But the music adds a layer of juvenile play that makes us see Royal Tenenbaum as one of the kids.

Another song/scene combination from this movie that I love is this one:

This movie (and most other Wes Anderson movies) is full of great songs that heighten emotion. I highly recommend it if you haven’t already seen it.