“In the late ‘40s, Dahl lived at Wisteria Cottage Amersham, where his principal occupation was the writing of Claude’s Dog, a cycle of short stories inspired by the area and its local. The Ratcatcher comes from this collection.”
One day at the filling station, the narrator – a journalist – and Claud – the gas pump employee – encounter a man who introduces himself as the “Rodent officer”. The man resembles a rat in every possible way: “His feet made no noise at all on the gravel…he was lean and leathery, with a sharp face and two long sulfur-yellow teeth, protruding from the upper haw over the lower lip. His ears were round and thin, set near the back of his head. The eyes were almost black, but when they looked at you, there was a flesh of yellow in them”. The astounding interpretation of an unrecognizable Ralph Fiennes – who also plays the role of Roald Dahl in this movie – immediately conquers the audience, since the moment the character claims to have been sent by the Health Officer to deal with the rat problem.
With the professional expertise of a University Professor and the smug of a tough cowboy but almost dressed in rags (rat-looking colour) – and definitely with a certain pride to it – the ratcatcher discusses various strategies for killing the small animals, and the different approaches one should take: “Rats is clever. You wanna catch them, you gotta know ‘em. You gotta know rats on this job”.
The use of a blend of utmost seriousness and impeccable professionalism in discussing the intricate and seemingly intelligent realm of rodents is a narrative device that stands as the pinnacle of irony in the film. An undeniably paradoxical one indeed, that harmoniously aligns with the collection of stories from which Anderson draws inspiration: “Someone Like You” (1954), in which in fact “Claude’s Dog” converges.
In this compilation of his globally renowned macabre and ominous tales for a more adult audiences, which spans from acts of vengeance to perilous journeys, from haunting remembrances to lurid daydreams, the British writer depicts the peculiar and unforeseen, evoking an eerie sensation that can still shake the audience nowadays.
A final plot twist is to be expected, since that’s the strength of Dahl adults’ tale as we know them. Therefore, after the failure of the meticulous plan devised by the man – who wants to trick the animals to death by feeding them with poisoned oats – the character must make amends to his two newly companions. That is when he starts performing awful rat tricks, including releasing a rat and a ferret from his pockets, resulting in a chaotic struggle which takes place underneath his shirt. But this won’t be enough, and the proud man claims he can kill a rat without using his hands or limbs, and convinces Claud to bet him a shilling. Tying the live awful-looking grey animal, the ratcatcher stares at it, gradually moving closer until he strikes with his mouth open, biting the rat, and to his disgusted small audience, replies that we always eat rat blood without knowing it (apparently liquorice would be a great source of it!).
Netflix’s acquisition of the Roald Dahl Story Company has paved the way for a series of short films that aim to recreate the fantastical universe of the renowned writer. Wes Anderson, a longtime admirer of Dahl’s work, brings his adaptation project to life with a series of short films, released on the streaming platform. Following the premiere of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival, we can now watch on Netflix: The Rat Catcher, Poison, and The Swan. Little gems which blend the unmistakable Roald Dahl-esque tones to Anderson’s signature obsessions, including meticulous symmetry, direct audience engagement, eccentric characters, theatrical settings, and a subtle ironic detachment. If the other three works seem to be more alike in terms of direction choices, it is evident how in this short film the director possesses a greater stylistic liberty, employing visual solutions that were not previously employed in the first three films and which – to some extent – subtly reflect influences from German expressionism.
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