In a bizarre turn of events reminiscent of his own meticulously crafted films, acclaimed director Wes Anderson has fallen victim to a real-life theft of a cherished movie prop. The filmmaker discovered that a portable record player featured prominently in his 2012 coming-of-age drama Moonrise Kingdom was stolen from his personal apartment.
The Missing Artifact
The theft came to light when Wes Anderson was assembling memorabilia for a major career retrospective exhibition in London. The 56-year-old director specifically looked for the portable record player but realized it was missing from his collection. According to The Times newspaper, Anderson firmly believes the item was stolen rather than misplaced.
"There is one thing we couldn't find. The record player. Somebody did take it. It was in my apartment," Anderson stated, adding with his characteristic dry humor, "I guess it's a good sign if we can really fret about just one missing thing." When questioned if the prop might have been simply lost, the filmmaker responded unequivocally, "No, I think it's stolen."
Irony in the Theft
The situation contains a layer of irony that wouldn't be out of place in an Anderson film. In Moonrise Kingdom, the character Susie Bishop, played by actress Kara Hayward, takes the very same record player from her brother without permission. Now, life has imitated art with the unauthorized removal of the prop from Anderson's own home.
The theft was discovered during preparations for 'Wes Anderson: The Archives' at The Design Museum in London. This comprehensive exhibition, which launched on November 21 and continues until July, features more than 700 objects spanning Anderson's three-decade career in the film industry.
The London Exhibition
Despite the missing record player, the exhibition offers an unprecedented look into Anderson's creative process. The Design Museum website explains that this marks the first time most of these objects will be displayed in Britain. The collection includes:
- Original storyboards and sketches
- Handwritten notebooks and Polaroids
- Puppets and miniature models
- Dozens of character costumes
- Work-in-progress material and maquettes
Notable highlights include a detailed model of the Grand Budapest Hotel and vending machines featured in his recent film Asteroid City. The exhibition particularly emphasizes Anderson's celebration of traditional and hand-made film-making techniques, especially his work with puppets and stop-motion animation.
The stolen record player might be absent, but the exhibition continues to showcase the distinctive visual style and meticulous craftsmanship that have made Wes Anderson one of contemporary cinema's most recognizable auteurs.
