The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: the long-awaited project by Wes Anderson finally comes to life thanks to Netflix’s acquisition of The Roald Dahl Story Company.
Taken from the collection of short stories “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More” by Roald Dahl, published in 1977 and containing 7 stories written at different times in his life, the story that gives the book its title has inspired the film of the same name. This work is part of a series of short films based on the same author, which was released in 2023, including The Swan, The Rat Catcher, and Poison. The project finally comes to fruition after being cherished by the director for twenty years and is made possible by Netflix’s acquisition of the Roald Dahl Story Company, with the rights to all of the British author’s works and the goal of recreating the complex and fantastical universe of the famous writer in film form.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar was presented out of competition at the Venice International Film Festival last September, directed by Wes Anderson, who in this 40-minute medium-length film follows the themes of his filmography. Sketches, humorous moments, paranormal or simply absurd situations construct this (screwball) metanarrative comedy, which is bittersweet and orchestrated with Anderson’s trademark flawless direction, vibrant colors, symmetrical shots, and perfect interlocking of a spectacularly theatrical setting that unfolds like a matryoshka doll, with one scene fitting into another. The result is a truly fantastic and captivating film, as not all of Anderson’s films manage to be, as sometimes the author risks falling into stylistic self-indulgence.
Contributing to the success are certainly the extraordinary performances of Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade, but above all Ralph Fiennes and Benedict Cumberbatch, respectively portraying Roald Dahl himself and Henry Sugar.
The story by the British author – mainly known for his children’s masterpieces such as “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda” – was inspired by the true story of Kuda Bux. Coming from Kashmir, the man was known as a mystic, magician, and firewalker, who, in one of his most famous performances, demonstrated the ability to see while blindfolded. Bux – whose real name was Khudah Bukhsh – was studied by doctors and mentalists throughout his life to ascertain the truthfulness of his extraordinary abilities and ultimately died in his sleep in 1981, after having been truly blind for several years.
The story told by Dahl and Anderson is that of Henry Sugar, a British gambler who, upon discovering Kuda Bux’s abilities from a book, trained himself to be able to read all the cards and cheat at gambling. A tale of greed quickly transforms into a story of generosity when the already wealthy Henry Sugar, after his many successes at the casino, becomes deeply dissatisfied with the futility of his earnings and decides to carry out the most altruistic scam in history. Traveling the world under various identities to avoid detection, the now mystical gambler amasses astonishing sums of money, which he donates to charity, hospitals and orphanages in order to change the world.
It certainly cannot be said that Wes Anderson is not in a prolific period. It is worth noting that at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the feature film Asteroid City was presented, boasting a stellar cast and competing for the Palme d’Or. Set in 1955 in an imaginary town in the Nevada desert after the impact of a giant asteroid, the story suddenly involves an extraterrestrial falling from the sky.
We eagerly await to see what Anderson will bring to life in 2024.
© 2020-2023. UniversalCinema Mag.