What do you think?
Rate this book
The Wes Anderson Collection #5
The Wes Anderson Collection: The French Dispatch
The official behind-the-scenes companion to The French Dispatch and the latest volume in the bestselling Wes Anderson Collection series The French Dispatch —the tenth feature film from writer-director Wes Anderson—is a love letter to journalists set at the titular American newspaper in the fictional 20th-century French city of Ennui-sur-Blasé. The film stars a number of Anderson's frequent collaborators, including Bill Murray as the newspaper's editor in chief; Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton, and Frances McDormand, as well as new players Jeffrey Wright, Benicio del Toro, Elisabeth Moss, and Timothée Chalamet, who bring to life a collection of stories published in The French Dispatch magazine.
In this latest one-volume entry in The Wes Anderson Collection series—the only book to take readers behind the scenes of The French Dispatch —everything that goes into bringing Anderson's trademark style, meticulous compositions, and exacting production design to the screen is revealed in detail. Written by film and television critic and New York Times bestselling author Matt Zoller Seitz, The Wes Anderson The French Dispatch presents the complete story behind the film’s conception, anecdotes about the making of the film, and behind-the-scenes photos, production materials, and artwork.
In this latest one-volume entry in The Wes Anderson Collection series—the only book to take readers behind the scenes of The French Dispatch —everything that goes into bringing Anderson's trademark style, meticulous compositions, and exacting production design to the screen is revealed in detail. Written by film and television critic and New York Times bestselling author Matt Zoller Seitz, The Wes Anderson The French Dispatch presents the complete story behind the film’s conception, anecdotes about the making of the film, and behind-the-scenes photos, production materials, and artwork.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published August 22, 2023
11 people are currently reading
376 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 4, 2023
This is a work of passion and creativity (a book) celebrating another work of great passion and creativity (the film). Long live Matt Zoller Seitz. Long live Wes Anderson!
May 29, 2025
Great insight into Andersons filmmaking process, going through lots of Details. Worth reading for every Anderson fan!
May 8, 2024
You get the feeling there wasn’t quite as much to write about this time round as it gets a bit tangential in paced but it’s as good a book as you’ll ever get about The French Dispatch.
September 1, 2023
How reassuring to know that somewhere out there, Matt Zoller Seitz is doubtless hard at work preparing the Asteroid City companion book for its release in a couple of years. In the meantime, appreciate the latest entry in his series of guides to Wes Anderson's filmography (though he passed off Isle of Dogs to Lauren Wilford and Ryan Stevenson).
Indeed, The French Dispatch actually has a pair of relevant written companions, also taking into account An Editor's Burial, a selection of pieces from The New Yorker that Anderson and editor David Brendel released via Pushkin Press. Between the two books, you get a very extensive sense of the director's inspirations for his work, as well as his creative processes and the functioning of his sets. While this is focused on the creation of the film in question, Zoller Seitz's interviewees provide a lot of details about their own histories with Anderson, so you get, for instance, Tony Revolori's account of coming to be in The Grand Budapest Hotel or Tilda Swinton's explaining how she wrote to Anderson over a decade ago to express a desire to be in one of his films and thus commenced a lengthy collaboration.
Zoller Seitz has an impressive array of interview subjects here, from core members of Anderson's production team to local residents in Angoulême who answered the casting calls for extras and bit players. I personally found the description of Anderson's screenwriting process the most illuminating segment, but there's plenty here that will be of interest to filmmaking enthusiasts. And the package is, of course, handsome.
Indeed, The French Dispatch actually has a pair of relevant written companions, also taking into account An Editor's Burial, a selection of pieces from The New Yorker that Anderson and editor David Brendel released via Pushkin Press. Between the two books, you get a very extensive sense of the director's inspirations for his work, as well as his creative processes and the functioning of his sets. While this is focused on the creation of the film in question, Zoller Seitz's interviewees provide a lot of details about their own histories with Anderson, so you get, for instance, Tony Revolori's account of coming to be in The Grand Budapest Hotel or Tilda Swinton's explaining how she wrote to Anderson over a decade ago to express a desire to be in one of his films and thus commenced a lengthy collaboration.
Zoller Seitz has an impressive array of interview subjects here, from core members of Anderson's production team to local residents in Angoulême who answered the casting calls for extras and bit players. I personally found the description of Anderson's screenwriting process the most illuminating segment, but there's plenty here that will be of interest to filmmaking enthusiasts. And the package is, of course, handsome.
February 13, 2024
The most New Yorkery thing I've ever read.
Ostensibly a collection of analyses and interviews about the film (interspersed with beautiful still frames and decorative adornments), but delving so very deeply into the various contexts, themes, design, political history and life of director Wes Anderson that it took me literally months to chew through and digest it all.
The writers involved in these collected expositions are, for the most part, understandably high-brow cultured professorial types, and as such the language is fancy indeed, just how my plebeian self imagines New Yorker articles are written.
At the end of this experience I feel above all conflicted; it was a trial of focus to carefully process the hefty prose (I could scarcely manage more than a handful of pages in a sitting), but I also came away with a sense of appreciation and enrichment - not just from the insights to the masterful film itself, but the quality and depth of writing produced by the many authors contributing to this book. I'm curious to pick a copy of the New Yorker one day to see if it's the same energy - I have my suspicions it just might be.
A befuddled 4 stars, given the immense caveat you're actually a big fan of the film.
Ostensibly a collection of analyses and interviews about the film (interspersed with beautiful still frames and decorative adornments), but delving so very deeply into the various contexts, themes, design, political history and life of director Wes Anderson that it took me literally months to chew through and digest it all.
The writers involved in these collected expositions are, for the most part, understandably high-brow cultured professorial types, and as such the language is fancy indeed, just how my plebeian self imagines New Yorker articles are written.
At the end of this experience I feel above all conflicted; it was a trial of focus to carefully process the hefty prose (I could scarcely manage more than a handful of pages in a sitting), but I also came away with a sense of appreciation and enrichment - not just from the insights to the masterful film itself, but the quality and depth of writing produced by the many authors contributing to this book. I'm curious to pick a copy of the New Yorker one day to see if it's the same energy - I have my suspicions it just might be.
A befuddled 4 stars, given the immense caveat you're actually a big fan of the film.
June 23, 2024
The latest in Matt Zoller Seitz’ ongoing companion series on the films of Wes Anderson is his greatest yet. Far beyond a delectable coffee table prop (though it is that), this is a painstakingly researched BTS account of The French Dispatch’s shoot, an artful exploration of its themes, and—above all—a thoroughly convincing ode to Anderson’s polymathic genius. Seitz and his collaborators don’t approach their examinations of the film’s many aspects and techniques seeking to prove Anderson’s brilliance, it just asserts itself honestly through their awed reports, each one speaking to it in distinct but complementary ways. By taking us through each section of the movie and each element of its creation—from script to score—the auteur’s hand is made abundantly clear in aggregate, generously but virtuosically conducting his symphony of gifted artists en route to yet another masterpiece. I hope he never stops making movies, and I hope Seitz never stops writing books this terrific about them.
January 18, 2025
I thought this was very informative and engaging. I learned more than I ever thought there was to know about the film and now I love it even more. I thought the essays at the conclusion of the book were a great way to get an in-depth analysis from other people with various background knowledge for multiple components of the film. I also loved hearing from both the actors and the crew and them discussing how important their contributions were.
Read
September 30, 2025Really great collection of essays, interviews, and analysis, that functions as way more than a companion or ‘behind the scenes’ piece. Some cool stuff here that ties together the film with its influences and inception. Perhaps the best of Zoller Seitz’s ongoing collection.
October 11, 2023
wes wes wes wes i love him
February 5, 2024
Constantly amazed by how in depth Zollet Seitz gets with his books! Used this for an essay on the film which was very helpful. Also, everything's just organized beautifully!
Read
January 24, 2025really enjoyed. love wes anderson. enjoyed reading about the process of the making of the french dispatch even if it isnt one of my favorite wes anderson movies.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews