Film Review #88: THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR

Film Review #88: THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR

Wes Anderson’s second outing, after Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), in adapting a Roald Dahl work is indelibly impressive. 

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is one of 4 shorts, available for streaming on Netflix. The fact that these shorts, with their eye-catching colours, quirky set designs and costumes, and fourth-wall-breaking-staring-into-the-camera protagonists pop up when so many households switch on their TV sets marks the possible renaissance and beginning of a new generation of Roald Dahl fans. 

Credit: IMDB

For those of us who grew up reading Roald Dahl books and watching the glorious adaptations, we know that no one tells such strange children stories as Dahl. ‘The Witches’, ‘James and the Giant Peach’, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, ‘Matilda’ - all these titles and more shaped the way some of us learnt storytelling when we were younger. Not knowing how much was fiction, despite the spectacular things that were happening, not knowing if a protagonist will live to survive the end of the story, not knowing who the real bad guys are… these are themes that are essential to Dahl’s storytelling. And they follow through in this series of short stories as well.

Credit: IMDB

According to Netflix, Wes Anderson delayed making this series as he was unsure about how to tell these stories without using Dahl’s exact words, before he realised he did not need to. Part of why this series is so important to today’s audience is precisely that - when we watch the 4 shorts, it feels exactly like we are reading Dahl’s books. The way in which The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’s narrative structure unspools itself highlights Roald Dahl’s efficacy in capturing the minds of his readers, and Wes Anderson’s magical ability to build captivating visual elements that both serve and disrupt the narrative to wonderful effect.

Credit: IMDB

With a star-studded cast including Ralph Fiennes, famed to the younger generations as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series — playing the role of Roald Dahl himself at points in the story — Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel, Benedict Cumberbatch and Richard Ayoade, the film is a visual delight. None of the characters outshines their roles despite the accomplished actors’ massive screen presences. This further highlights Wes Anderson’s masterful direction of the entourage of A-listers and his signature manner of allowing all his quirky characters to complement each other seamlessly.

Credit: IMDB

The effect of breaking the fourth wall enables the audience to treat the film in similar fashion as the source material, akin to being present in a book reading session, but with the terrific set designs and Wes Anderson’s visual trademark characteristics, precision framing and attention to the visually pleasing color palette, viewers are almost in a state of sensory transplant to Wes Anderson’s world. But the mannerisms in which the characters present themselves is an indication how much Wes Anderson imbues his own individualistic take on Roald Dahl’s original story; they would be perfectly at home in any other Wes Anderson worlds, such as Moonrise Kingdom or The Grand Budapest Hotel.