When Does "The Phoenician Scheme" (2025) Take Place?
"The Phoenician Scheme" is a comedy spy film written by Wes Anderson with Roman Coppola that released May 29th, 2025. So when is "The Phoenician Scheme" set?
It takes place in the years:
We know this because about a quarter into the story a character’s x-ray photograph as part of a "medical report" appears dated: "02-04-1950". So it must be after February (or April) of 1950 AD.
1950 AD
We know this because about a quarter into the story a character’s x-ray photograph as part of a "medical report" appears dated: "02-04-1950". So it must be after February (or April) of 1950 AD.
More importantly, early in the movie a "The INTERNATIONAL REPORTAGE Nightly" newspaper front-page with a headline referring to an event shown in the previous scene is dated for "SUNDAY OCTOBER 1, 1950". More specifically, a "message" "intercepted" by a mysterious organization of bureaucrats is dated for "OCT16TH" and marked as "RECEIVED" on "OCT18TH1950". So, it's certainly October of 1950 AD during the majority of the narrative.
Furthermore, immediately the movie gives us a time and place setting title card reading, "1950 Above the High Balkan Flatlands".
Finally, much later during the segment labeled " "CHEZ ZSA-ZSA" (Epilogue)" another "The INTERNATIONAL REPORTAGE Nightly" front-page is shown dated for "MONDAY OCTOBER 1, 1951". It's headline refers to the general conclusion of events but not clearly depicting any one point. The character of Zsa-zsa Korda has visibly grayer hair. So it must be after October of 1951 AD but is otherwise unplaceable.
