From the LA Times:
What is Brad Pitt doing in this strange Japanese TV commercial?
Well, it’s directed by Wes Anderson, so there’s that. And according to Us, it’s a remake of the 1953 French film “Les Vacances de Monseieur Hulot.” Pitt shot the Softbank commercial in Normandy on Sept. 20.
“There were lots of children on the set, and Brad was very friendly to all of them,” a set source tells Us. “Some of the children had complicated French names. He turned to them and said, ‘What is your name?’ in the most perfect French. He’s obviously been studying hard.”
As well as learning French, Brad is also mastering Japanese. “Brad also used a few Japanese words to the Softbank execs too,” the source told Us. “He’s becoming a master of many languages.”
Apparently, the Pittster’s been doing wackadoodle Japanese commercials for a few years.
Thanks to everyone who sent this along.
More soon. Sorry if it feels like we’re operating on a tape delay.
Wes has become such a sellout.
Sofia Coppola, Michael Mann, David Fincher, David Lynch, Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Wong Kar Wai, Ridley Scott, amongst many other directors, have done a few commercials. I think a lot of directors look at it as an opportunity to try things out, have some fun for a few days and travel to an interesting place, maybe even work with someone you never would otherwise. Selling out would be changing his style or his stories to be more commercial, and I don’t think in any of the commercials Wes has done, he’s sacfriced his style. His AMEX spot even works as a great short.
It’s cool and all…but I don’t see what it has to do with Softbank. But I guess the Japanese are known for their weird commercials.
As strange as it seems to say this about something Wes Anderson directed, I really didn’t like this commercial. I disagree with Loraxaeon too, I felt like he did sort of sacrifice his style a little in this one. The AT&T commercials and the American Express ad, those were great, this is a corny copy of a French film, and I know he probably had to use Brad Pitt since it was Japanese, but Brad Pitt in that yellow outfit looked far too horrible for words.
But I wouldn’t call him a sell-out, just a director who’s gradually making each film and commercial worse than the one before it. He’s also relying too much on foreign locations now. Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and the Royal Tenenbaums could have been filmed anywhere and they would have still been great films. The Darjeeling Limited and commercials like this use scenery so much for story quality that Anderson might as well start making documentaries for PBS. A lot of people will people on here will probably disagree with me, but I feel like he’s giving up. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t write with Owen anymore, maybe it’s because he’s been in France so long he’s lost the ability to make an amazing American film, or maybe he just can’t rebound from the bad reviews for the Life Aquatic, whatever the reason his films just aren’t as good as they used to be.
I think it’s less to do with Anderson selling out and more with him being able to make the films that he wants to make and having fun, without feeling the pressure of having to please everyone.
Personally I prefer The Darjeeling Limited to Rushmore and Royal Tenenbaums. In fact it’s probably one of the most re-watchable films I know. And I don’t find this ad corny at all. It’s a fun pastiche on Tati and if I had the chance to earn some money spending a few days making an ad like this I wouldn’t even have to think twice about it. It’s an ad for christsake, it’s not like he’s sacrificing his artistic integrity as a director. Even Salvador Dali created the Chupa Chups logo.
I hope one day Anderson will start writing full-length films on his own, without co-writers as Hotel Chevalier shows so much promise.
I think the ad has none of the charm of his American Express commercial, and all of the mundane, self indulgent failings of his AT&T commercials, and his little seen Dasani commercials as well. I wanted to love The Darjeeling Limited, but feel it’s his weakest film, and represents a decline in his artistic career. Hotel Chevalier was equally unimpressive. Wes could benefit from somebody else writing a script for him to visually realize.