Wes Anderson brings his signature cinema to Montblanc's luxury pens

In its latest commercial, Montblanc has enlisted the services of cinema's obsessively symmetrical auteur, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Wes Anderson.

The German writing instrument house, understanding that in 2025, even fountain pens require their own extended universe, has unveiled Let's Write, a follow-up to last year's centenary celebration campaign for its luxury pens Meisterstück.

Set within the fictional Montblanc Observatory High-Mountain Library, a snowbound retreat that exists somewhere between The Grand Budapest Hotel and a well-appointed ski lodge, the film reunites Anderson with his repertory company of actors.

Rupert Friend returns from last year's critically acclaimed centenary celebration, where he appeared alongside Jason Schwartzman and Anderson himself in a whimsical fictional Montblanc headquarters atop Mont Blanc. 

This time, Friend is joined by Michael Cera, whilst Waris Ahluwalia and rising star Esther McGregor complete the ensemble cast. True to Anderson's style, the film delivers a cinematic, rehearsed, and clinically choreographed delivery of dialogues, that, while being paced to Anderson’s liking, manage to put the brand right at the centre.

What makes Let's Write particularly clever is its meta-theatrical approach to advertising itself. The film opens with Friend's character acknowledging that "this is the second instalment" of their Montblanc collaboration, whilst openly discussing the campaign's themes and slogans.

"There's a new theme," Wes Anderson then explains, before describing it as "a transformative, unhurried journey of self-discovery and aspiration". The ad film recognises the artifice whilst celebrating the genuine craft behind both filmmaking and pen-making.

The film's central conceit involves the characters exploring the observatory's various spaces, including a writing room where Anderson demonstrates what he calls "the Scribbler" (der Schreiberling)—a pen of his own invention that prompts gentle ribbing from his colleagues about advertising his own product within their Montblanc commercial. 

The meta-commentary continues as they examine other Montblanc offerings: a portable writing table, a traveller's bag, and a pocket watch, all presented with the sort of casual reverence Anderson brings to everyday objects.

Co-directed by American filmmaker and music video director Roman Coppola, the film positions itself as an ode to the art of writing (and creating)—a rather tongue-in-cheek stance for what is, fundamentally, an advertisement for pens. Yet this is where Anderson's particular brand of ironic sincerity proves valuable to Montblanc's strategic ambitions.

The collaboration represents something of a marketing evolution for the brand, building upon the success of last year's partnership, which celebrated the Meisterstück's centenary.

That inaugural campaign, also written and directed by Anderson, explored the heritage and craftsmanship of Montblanc through his signature visual storytelling, characterised by pastel hues, symmetrical compositions, and playful, self-referential wit. 

The narrative delved into the brand's connection to writing and creativity, using an alpine setting as a metaphor for perspective and reflection, themes that Let's Write continues to develop. 

This approach sidesteps the conventional luxury marketing playbook entirely. Instead of bombarding viewers with heritage narratives or celebrity endorsements, Let's Write constructs an entire fictional world around the act of writing itself.

The mountain observatory setting serves as both a literal backdrop and a metaphorical framework, suggesting that the simple act of putting pen to paper is worthy of the same reverence one might reserve for stargazing.