Photo Cred: Freestocks, Unsplash
“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Other Stories," from the mind of Roald Dahl, have come to life in Wes Anderson’s iconic style. Wes Anderson has written and directed four of Roald Dahl's short stories: "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar," "Poison," "The Swan," and "The Rat Catcher." This set of short stories were more adult and mature than what Dahl normally tells, but the film had the same unique flair he always brings to his storytelling. Anderson has brought one of Dahl’s stories to life before with the 2009 Stop-motion film "Fantastic Mr. Fox,” which was a box office success with two Oscar nominations.
Anderson has been a fan of Dahl’s for years and has been trying to figure out how to bring these stories to life. In his vision, he has decided to direct short film versions of Dahl's stories and has decided to use the same actors for all four films: Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade, and Ralph Fiennes.
The first short is a 39 minute telling of "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar." This short came from the collection of short stories published in 1977 “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six Others.” This story follows the main character of Henry Sugar, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Sugar is a wealthy man who has never had to work a day in his life and pays great attention to how he is perceived by others. He isn’t a moral man and is willing to cheat or lie to get whatever he wants.
Henry Sugar's one goal is to become more wealthy, and he finds a new strategy from reading a book about a man who can see without his eyes. The man in question is Imdad Khan, who is portrayed by Ben Kingsley. Khan is studied by doctors Chatterjee and Marshall, played by Dev Patel and Richard Ayoade. The main theme of the story is that money isn’t everything, because once Sugar achieves the ability to see without his eyes and can achieve infinite wealth, he isn’t satisfied. He becomes a better man and starts to give the money away to help people.
"Poison" is a 17-minute short with actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel, and Ralph Fiennes. This story is one that Dahl published by itself in 1950. This short tells the suspenseful story of a man who has had a poisonous snake, called a krait, fall asleep on his stomach. This short has the same story-telling elements with which Wes Anderson directed the others, but there is a difference in the way they talk. The dialogue is slow and hesitant, which adds to the suspense of the story. The short follows the man, Harry, and his friend, who are trying to prevent the snake from biting with the help of a doctor. The ending of this story is peculiar because it doesn’t tie up the story and leaves the audience wanting a stronger resolution.
"The Swan" is another 17-minute short of a smart boy who is being bullied and harassed by some bigger boys. This story comes from Roald Dahl’s book “The Mildenhall Treasure,” and tells the true story of something that happened in 1942 in Mildenhall. The boys Ernie and Raymond torment Peter in various ways, like tying him to train tracks. The bullies have recently gotten rifles and have had a blast shooting birds. They come across a swan, and despite Peter's pleas, they kill it. They tie the swan's wings to Peter and make him jump off a willow tree. Peter is able to fly away, hinting at symbolism of swans, which is strength and wisdom.
"The Rat Catcher" is the final of the four short stories directed by Wes Anderson and comes from the book “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six Other Stories." “The Rat Catcher" follows a rat man, played by Ralph Fiennes, who hopes to catch his prey. He tells his plan to a car mechanic and a reporter, played by Rupert Friend and Richard Ayoade. This short is the most unsettling of the four. The lighting choices, the line-ups of the shots, and especially Fiennes’s portrayal of the rat man all add to the disgusting and unsettling ambience.
All four shorts are Wes Anderson through and through. They have the usual bright colors and unique shots. In “Henry Sugar,” Roald Dahl follows the characters around while they speak, and when switching scenes, he has stage hands moving around props and settings. The actors in the story deliver the lines into the camera unless they are speaking dialogue, when they will normally give a slight turn of the head to address the other character, then return to looking into the camera. There are makeup assistants who help change the features of the character and stage assistants who hand characters props or change their costumes. The backdrops also change and have connecting sets that add to the play-like production.
These shorts are a great watch if you love anything by Wes Anderson. The whimsical and unsettling attributes that he normally brings to a story are there, and Roald Dahl’s stories are portrayed well. Even though it is brought to life in Anderson’s vision, Dahl still shines through. I wouldn’t normally watch something like this, but I really enjoyed it, and would like to explore more of Wes Anderson's work.
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