VIEWING CUE: The Royal Tenenbaums

Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) tells the tale of an oddly dysfunctional family of former child prodigies parented by an estranged mother and father.

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Discussion Questions

After watching this clip from The Royal Tenenbaums, consider the questions below. Then submit your response.

Question 1.

For this opening sequence, how would you describe the different layers of its narration, including the tone of the narrative voiceover and the insertion of a visual text as "Prologue"?

Question 2.

How does the narration interact with the characters and events—the house, the divorce of the father and mother, the children—that are introduced? What expectations does it establish for the kind of story that will follow? Does it imply a tragedy or a comedy? Or something else?

VIEWING CUE: The Royal Tenenbaums

Instructions

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Discussion Questions

Question 1.

Question 2.