Every great film has its debts, and \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d is no exception. Most obviously, the film is an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon\u2019s postmodern 1990 novel \u201cVineland,\u201d but Anderson was also influenced by several classic films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to gaffer Justin Dickson, the film is an homage to the low lighting used in William Friedkin\u2019s \u201cThe French Connection\u201d (1971). He told Aputure<\/mark><\/a> that this helped keep the crew \u201chonest in approach, technique\u2026visual language and visual style.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To build on this honest vibe, Anderson looked to Gillo Pontecorvo\u2019s \u201cThe Battle of Algiers\u201d (1966), a neorealist war film that Bob watches while hiding away at his cabin in \u201cOne Battle After Another.\u201d Many of the performers in \u201cThe Battle of Algiers\u201d are \u201cnonprofessional actors [or] people recreating the experiences they\u2019ve had,\u201d Anderson told TCM<\/mark><\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes [the movie] sing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Casting real-life military consultant and former Homeland Security special agent James Raterman<\/mark><\/a> as chief interrogator Colonel Danvers, and actual high school students<\/mark><\/a> to play Willa\u2019s classmates, helped the director attain the film\u2019s gritty, realistic quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anderson then turned to Richard Boleslawski\u2019s \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d (1935) to craft his movie\u2019s temporal structure. \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d had to establish the expository events of a revolutionary militia while also depicting the relationships between its main characters and diving into Willa\u2019s story. Anderson entertained the idea of a nonlinear structure with flashbacks, but it never felt right. \u201cI remember seeing [\u2018Les Mis\u00e9rables\u2019] and feeling like: That\u2019s what we should do,\u201d Anderson said in an interview with De Estreno<\/mark><\/a>, citing the large time jump between its \u201ccrazy\u201d first and second acts. Using a similar linear technique in \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d created \u201can emphasis on the child 16 years later,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d is set in an anonymous American city that lacks distinction yet feels completely unique, unifying locations spanning the entire West Coast of the U.S. into something cohesive. How did Anderson pull this off? Through diligent and relentless location scouting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scouting process took the production team \u201cfrom the redwoods to the desert,\u201d production designer Florencia Martin told Cond\u00e9 Nast<\/mark><\/a>. The scout began in 2022, spanning more than 25 cities in California alone. Anderson prioritized locations like Sacramento, El Paso, Eureka, and Humboldt that had not yet graced the silver screen in major ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diligent location scouting also contributed to the film\u2019s mesmerizing, nauseating final chase scene in which cars race down a road rising and falling over desert hills. Anderson told the Directors Guild of America<\/mark><\/a> that the team found the \u201criver of hills\u201d on a drive during location scouting between Borrego Springs, California, and the Arizona border.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Martin explained, \u201cWe got on this highway that started to descend and ascend, and all of a sudden we all just stopped and said, \u2018So this is something really special.\u2019 \u201d Anderson began filming on his phone, and the location sparked the idea for how his film should end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though he may be known for his iconic shots\u2014think of Joaquin Phoenix draped over the deck of a ship in \u201cThe Master\u201d (2012), or the silhouette of two lovers against the chaos of a New Year\u2019s Eve party in \u201cPhantom Thread\u201d (2017)\u2014Anderson believes that visuals must serve the story first. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s OK to not be gourmet in your photography,\u201d Anderson explained to De Estreno. \u201cYou\u2019re there to tell a story.\u201d The \u201cstrongest thing,\u201d he believes, should be \u201cthe story, the script, the people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help create a character-centered visual language, Anderson and cinematographer Michael Bauman filmed with VistaVision, aiming for a natural style rather than a highly stylized look. \u201cIt was a lot of naturalism,\u201d Bauman told the Motion Picture Association<\/mark><\/a>. \u201cThat was the whole thing on this job. Paul was like, \u2018Look, nothing should look perfect. Nothing should look like a movie. It\u2019s got to have this \u201970s vibe.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anderson\u2019s approach to \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d was far from the rigidity often ascribed to writer-directors; instead, he sought to invite creativity and spontaneity. \u201cIt\u2019s always important to walk in having a plan that you\u2019re prepared to throw out the window if the actors find something in the space,\u201d he told De Estreno.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, although the filmmaker originally decided that there would be no phones in \u201cOne Battle After Another,\u201d he changed his mind when Infiniti and DiCaprio disagreed. Following their pushback, Anderson decided that cell phones should not only exist, but even play a major role in the plot. \u201cI felt that he was very malleable with actors,\u201d DiCaprio explained to Esquire<\/mark><\/a>. \u201cHe really loves working with actors, and if you have input or feel like you want to go in a different direction, he\u2019s open to that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWatching Paul trust all of us on set and giving me the chance to communicate how I viewed Willa\u2026was really special,\u201d Infiniti added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Benicio Del Toro (Sensei Sergio St. Carlos) came in with ideas for the film, ranging from character backstories to worldbuilding, Anderson was all in\u2014which led to some of the film\u2019s most iconic moments. (\u201cLatino Harriet Tubman,\u201d anyone?) \u201cHe collaborates, and he creates a great atmosphere to explore your character,\u201d Del Toro told the Playlist<\/mark><\/a>. \u201cHe really wants to hear what you have to say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anderson also showed his actors he trusted them enough to make their own decisions while the camera was rolling. In a scene where Bob hides out from Lockjaw in Sergio\u2019s apartment, \u201cLeo runs in and goes to sit down; he tries to close the curtains, but they fall down,\u201d Bauman said<\/mark><\/a>. \u201cThat was never scripted or even intended.\u201d Instead of reshooting, Anderson let the actors roll with the mistake and lean into the moment\u2019s comic elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To shoot another scene in which Perfidia makes a drastic decision, Anderson cleared the set of nearly all cast and crew so that Teyona Taylor could comfortably try out different approaches. \u201cThey were just going to improv it,\u201d Bauman recalled<\/a>. \u201cWe did maybe eight takes, and every take she would just up it even more and more\u2026. I said to Paul, \u2018People will come here for the car chase, but they\u2019ll stay for the postpartum rant.\u2019 \u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/12\/rev-1-OBAA-MM-DSF7704_High_Res_JPEG-1024x683.jpeg\")
It\u2019s all about location, location, location.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Focus on storytelling first.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Trust your actors and create space for collaboration.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n