Liberal Arts alumnus Wes Anderson (Philosophy ’90) won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy in January and also received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014). The whimsical and complex comedy earned a total of nine Academy Award nominations and took home four trophies in February for best costume design, makeup, production design and musical score.
Anderson’s previous Academy Award nominations were for “Moonrise Kingdom” and “The Royal Tenenbaums” for Best Writing and “Fantastic Mr. Fox” for Best Animated Feature.
Set in the 1930s in the fictional Republic of Zubrowka, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” recounts the adventures of M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), a concierge at a famous European hotel, and Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his friend. After the mysterious death of hotel patron Madame D. (Tilda Swinton), Gustave finds himself the recipient of a priceless Renaissance painting, “Boy with Apple,” and is accused of murder. A pastry-aided prison break ensues.