The Grand Budapest Hotel ****

A delightful, intricate comedy, encased like a gem in several boxes within boxes of narration, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" details the story of its most celebrated, meticulous, attentive, considerate, and rather randy concierge, M. Gustave (a perfectly cast Ralph Fiennes). Wes Anderson's latest work is set in a mythical Eastern European country at a mountaintop resort in the period between the great wars, lending it a darker tone than we've seen from Anderson lately as the military becomes more and more evident and in control.

Told from the viewpoint of the lobby boy who will one day own the hotel (not a spoiler), Zero Moustafa (a superb Tony Revolori) becomes the protégé, confidant, co-conspirator, and friend of the resourceful, exceedingly well-mannered, cultured fountain of poetry that is M. Gustave. They barge into a dangerous situation when they go to pay their respects to an aged long-time regular guest (an unrecognizable Tilda Swinton) who turns up murdered after she returns home. Her bequest to M. Gustave precipitates events involving rapacious relatives and imprisonment for the legendary concierge.

It's a fast-moving story, told with wit and inventive composition. Exteriors of the hotel have a cutout, marzipan quality. Camera work in chase scenes take on the spirit of the 'twenties. For most of the movie, Anderson even changes the aspect ratio of the frame to what was the style in the 'thirties after peeling back the layers to get to the story.

Supporting actors are a delight, including Jude Law, Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, and Tom Wilkinson. Saoirse Ronan strikes just the right tone as Zero's girlfriend and help mate. Composer Alexandre Desplat deserves special praise for his choices, arrangements, and compositions. And thanks to director Wes Anderson, who also has a writing credit, for giving us another great movie.