The film The Grand Budapest Hotel, directed by Wes Anderson, is based on a legendary concierge of a famous hotel in the fictional Republic of Zubrowka, Gustave H , who is framed for murder. Desperate to prove his innocence, Gustave teams up with his lobby boyfriend, Zero Moustafa. The film is set in a challenging time between World War I and World War II, inspired by the writings of Stefan Zweig, and tests the relationship between an exclusive concierge and a bellboy, both with extremely different backgrounds. During the meetings that Gustave and Zero have to proclaim Gustave's innocence, Gustave realizes that Zero is not just a low-end lobby boy and begins to build a friendship with him. Likewise, Zero begins to see Gustave as a role model and continues to learn from him throughout the film. Through the use of motifs such as sound and symbolism, Wes Anderson develops the important idea that breaking down social hierarchy helps people understand each other better. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Sound techniques are used throughout the film by director Wes Anderson to highlight a progressive friendship that is forming between Gustave and Zero. In a moment of desperation, when Zero is helping Gustave break out of prison, Gustave gets angry at Zero saying "In this highly cultured society that honestly could have been fine without you." Wes Anderson is devilishly sarcastic in using Gustave as a portrait of the European upper class. Through the use of diegetic sound between characters, the audience understands that Gustave and Zero come from extremely different backgrounds. In popular terms a “highly cultured society” is often the culture of an upper class and represents broad cultural knowledge. Gustave attempts to prove himself to be the legendary exclusive concierge that he is and is quick to assume that Zero is a lower class citizen in comparison. However, Gustave's supposed insult towards Zero was a desperate response in an extreme knowledge that Gustave would be lost without Zero on his journey. Next, non-diegetic sound is used when a siren sounds, causing the prison yard to shake. Immediately, both Gustave and Zero find themselves in a sense of panic and a state of disarray. However, their ability to act urgently and evacuate quickly shows that their friendship grows stronger. The prison's loud, plaintive alarm also serves as a reminder of the journey that Gustave and Zero have made thus far and proves to be another obstacle that they will overcome together, despite their different backgrounds and social positions in society. This further demonstrates the idea that breaking down social hierarchy can help people bond. Later, diegetic sound is used to demonstrate that there is no longer a social hierarchy between Gustave and Zero when Zero tells Gustave "We are brothers". Zero's reference to Gustave as a brother highlights that Zero thinks of Gustave as someone close to him, as a family to him and this strengthens the strong bond between the two. Although at the beginning of the film Gustave had a significant social hierarchy compared to Zero, despite the obstacles they overcame together, Zero and Gustave were able to progressively form a bond and begin to understand each other further. Zero's reference to Gustave as "brother" serves to highlight the strong bond between the two which is the result of the collapse of the social hierarchy. Anderson uses symbolism through the crossed keys, "Mendl's" and "L'Air de Panache" in the film to reinforcefurther the idea that people are able to understand each other better when the social hierarchy is broken down. Anderson points out that the crossed key symbol was taken “directly from Zweig's life and work” in a film interview with George Prochnik. The symbol of the crossed keys was taken from Stefan Zweig's novel “The Society of Crossed Keys”. So the crossed keys are a symbol throughout the film of a secret society and represent the keys used behind the concierge desk, which open and lock hotel rooms. The keys are also used to represent the management and leadership needed as a concierge and the responsibility of satisfying and caring for hotel guests. However, the keys themselves are a symbol for unlocking something, providing security. Crossed keys are also used to symbolize unity, similar to the unity and security between the characters in the film. Gustave and Zero have the ability to unlock and remove each other's classified facade to understand each other. Similarly, Gustave removes his high-class facade when in prison to understand and befriend his fellow inmates. The crossed keys serve to remind the audience that if the social hierarchy is removed, people are able to understand each other better. "Mendl's" is a shop in the film that features delicate pastries, however in the film it is used as a symbol of deception. Mendl's pastries were not only used in the film to smuggle tools into prison, to help Gustave escape, but also used as Gustave and Zero also disguise themselves as Mendl's employees in the film. Most importantly, Mendl's represents the deceptive facades of the film's characters and serves to reinforce the different social rankings in the film. Mendl's represents characters such as Gustave, who appears vapid and superficial in his high rank in society, but when he forms relationships with Zero, inmates and hotel guests his true substance, courage and loyalty is shown. Mendl's reminds us to look beyond the facade to truly understand people. The 'Mendl's' itself on the surface appears to be a light and perfectly presented frozen treat, however the filling is described as rich and substantial. L'Air de Panache is Gustave's favorite perfume in the film and a symbol of his reputation. L'Air de Panache is described as a powerful perfume and, together with its imaginative French name, matches Gustave's exclusive and elegant demeanor. Mustafa describes the scent that Gustave leaves: "the scent announced his approach from a great distance and persisted for many minutes after he was gone." The Air de Panache is a representation of the social hierarchy between Gustave and Zero throughout the film. After Zero helps Gustave escape from prison, Zero's forgetting to bring a bottle of his signature perfume infuriates Gustave. Without L'Air de Panache, it seems that the social hierarchy between the two has been broken down. The lack of Gustave's signature scent begins his insulting tirades against Zero, promoting Zero to open up to Gustave, which later causes Gustave to beg for exoneration and learn to love Zero like a brother. After they bond, Gustave shares a new bottle of L'Air with Zero, symbolizing their new brotherhood and their ability to break down the social hierarchy that once existed between them. This further develops the important idea that breaking down social hierarchy helps people understand each other better. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay At the Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson succeeds by using motifs such as sound techniques and symbolism to highlight an order.