The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Society of the Crossed Keys

I watched The Grand Budapest Hotel and then read the last part of the Society of the Crossed Keys, “Twenty Four Hours in the Life of a Woman.” The story structures were very similar. They both took place in an old hotel. The narrator would notice an unusual character that stayed regularly at the hotel. They would befriend the narrator and then tell them their story. Their story would be about an adventure with another person who lived in a delusion. Ultimately, the other person would disappear from their lives and the storyteller would be left behind. And the narrator would walk away, having gained an experience from hearing that story.

I enjoyed the storytelling method. Rather than give you the purpose of the book or movie right away, the director and writer instead chose to give you pieces of information gradually. Since the narrator was curious and was also trying to figure things out, it made you feel like a detective. Also, the ways that they revealed the information in The Grand Budapest Hotel were comical. When M Gustave and Zero go over the incidents that just happened, they end it with, “Zero, confused.” This also sums up the viewer’s feelings.

The Grand Budapest Hotel borrowed a lot of ideas from Stefan Zweig. But I don’t think that was necessarily a bad thing. No art in the world is original. Everything has an idea taken from something else. Also, The Grand Budapest Hotel did something helpful for Stefan Zweig. It made him more popular. By declaring itself as a kind of tribute, The Grand Budapest Hotel made more viewers aware of the Society of the Crossed Keys. They even reference it in the movie. What happened was beneficial for both artists.