How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Quote #1
We are introduced to M. Jean, and behind him we see Boy with Apple, displayed nonchalantly behind the concierge desk. Later, Mustafa will straighten it when he grabs their room keys.
The pristine Boy with Apple is juxtaposed with the lazy Jean, leaning against the desk and smoking a cigarette. We see that the times have changed. Not only is the Budapest in a shabby state of disrepair, but even the van Hoytl classic is disregarded, treated like any other cheap print in a cultureless era.
Quote #2
THE AUTHOR: The thermal baths are very beautiful.
MR. MUSTAFA: They were in their first condition. It couldn't be maintained, of course—too decadent for current tastes. But I love it all just the same, this enchanting old ruin.
"Too decadent," Mustafa says, highlighting the difference between what used to be considered beautiful and what is now considered excessive. However, despite the fact the Hotel has lost its luster, it (and its wonderful memories) is still cherished by their keeper.
Quote #3
GUSTAVE: Oh, dear God. What have you done to your fingernails?
MADAME D.: I beg your pardon?
GUSTAVE: This diabolical varnish. The color is completely wrong.
MADAME D.: Don't you like it?
GUSTAVE: It's not that I don't like it. I am physically repulsed.
Well, what can we say; sometimes he's charming and sometimes he's a bit rude. At least he's straightforward.
Quote #4
MR. MUSTAFA: He was, by the way, the most liberally perfumed man I had ever encountered. The scent announced his approach from a great distance and lingered for many minutes after he was gone.
Gustave was quite the fan of L'Air de Panache; it was very much a part of his identity, just like the purple suit and the mustache.
Quote #5
GUSTAVE: How fast can you pack?
ZERO: Five minutes.
GUSTAVE: Do it. And bring a bottle of the Pouilly-Jouvet '26 in an ice bucket with two glasses so we don't have to drink the cat piss they serve in the dining car.
Maybe you think being a concierge seems like a lowly or mediocre-at-best kind of job. Gustave makes the most of it, though. Not only does he speak like an upper-class man of the 19th century, but he treats himself like one too. Acting classy isn't enough… you have to actually be classy.
Quote #6
GUSTAVE: This is van Hoytl's exquisite portrayal of a beautiful boy on the cusp of manhood: blonde, smooth, skin as white as that milk, of impeccable provenance, one of the last in private hands, and, unquestionably, the best. It's a masterpiece. The rest of this s*** is worthless junk.
Well now, we can't talk about art and culture without talking about Boy with Apple, can we? Not only is the painting an invaluable classic (we'll take Gustave's word for it) but also the subject of the painting is a well-dressed young lad posing with an apple. It's a portrait and speaks to both the wealth and desire for art of those who commissioned it.
Quote #7
GUSTAVE: Actually, we should sell it—sooner rather than later—in case they try to steal it back.
So much for Boy with Apple being a priceless classic. It's a tough question really, placing value on art. Is a painting only as good as what you can get for it?
Quote #8
GUSTAVE: …you wouldn't know chiaroscuro from chicken giblets.
We're pretty sure we could tell chiaroscuro (which is a type of shading) from chicken giblets—those are the things under the beak… right?
Quote #9
GUSTAVE: What happened, my dear Zero, is I beat the living s*** out of a sniveling little runt called Pinky Bandinski, who had the gall to question my virility. Because, if there's one thing we've learned from penny dreadfuls, it's that, when you find yourself in a place like this, you must never be a candy-ass.
What's a "penny dreadful," you ask? It's basically old school pulp fiction, worthless in terms of literary merit but entertaining the masses nonetheless (they came out serially and you could buy one for a traditional penny).
Quote #10
GUSTAVE: Who drew this?
LUDWIG: What do you mean, "who drew this?" I did.
GUSTAVE: Very good. You've got a wonderful line,
Ludwig. This shows great artistic promise.
Hey, who says hardened criminals can't be artists? Maybe Ludwig was an architect in his past life, you never know. The point is that art in The Grand Budapest isn't confined to The Budapest or Lutz or anywhere else—it permeates even the most unlikely places.
Quote #11
GUSTAVE: What on God's earth possessed you to leave the homeland where you obviously belong and travel unspeakable distances to become a penniless immigrant in a refined, highly cultivated society that, quite frankly, could've gotten along very well without you?
Ouch, Gustave is really digging in here. What is his ultimate insult? That Zero and his homeland are not as "refined" as Zubrowka, which is presumably a cultured place steeped in the arts.
Quote #12
GUSTAVE: How does one come by front-row aisle seats for a first night at the Opera Toscana with one day's notice? How does one arrange a private viewing of the tapestry collection at the Royal Saxon Gallery? How does one secure a corner table at Chez Dominique on a Thursday?
It sounds like the Society of the Crossed Keys is quite the artsy, sophisticated secret society. Normally these kinds of things are focused on overthrowing the government and whatnot, but the Chez Dominique? A corner table? On a Thursday!? This is true power, and all for the sake of the arts.