Grand Budapest Hotel Pre-Premier Screening, Organised By Corinthia Hotel Budapest

The Corinthia Hotel Budapest organised a pre-premier screening of the film Grand Budapest Hotel, on Tuesday March 18th. The event took place in the VIP Section of Cinema City at Arena Plaza, where local and international media guests had the pleasure of tasting fine food and drinks before the film commenced.

Thomas Fischer, General Manager of the Corinthia, greeted everyone with a warm and welcoming speech. He revealed some historical facts about the Corinthia Hotel Budapest, its connection to the movie business, and to this Wes Anderson comedy - starring Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, and Harvey Keitel, amongst others.

A work of fiction, this critically acclaimed film was inspired by the Grand Hotel Royal, ancestor of the current Corinthia Hotel in Budapest. The first ever movie screening in Hungary was held at the beginning of the 20th century in the hotel’s legendary Grand Ballroom. It was later renamed twice, and was a functioning cinema up until 1997. The hotel itself has attracted a long list of Hollywood legends as guests since 1896.

Although this particular the movie was not shot in Budapest, the film crew made the effort to come and check-out the Corinthia Hotel Budapest, and its history as the former Grand Hotel Royal, to make the fictional hotel more credible and authentic.

The resulting film, about the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, goes on show today in Hungary - and is well worth a watch.

Words by Timea Klincsek for XpatLoop.com