Matthew Turner | On 27, Sep 2023

Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend
Certificate: PG

Hot on the heels of Wes Anderson’s recent Asteroid City comes the director’s sweet and charming short based on Roald Dahl’s 1977 story, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. It’s the first of a planned series of Anderson-helmed Dahl shorts for Netflix that’s set to include The Swan, Poison and The Ratcatcher.

In a framing structure that’s similar to that of Asteroid City, Henry Sugar is presented as a theatrical production (or perhaps a TV play) of Dahl’s short story, since the actors all play different roles. After the story is introduced by Dahl himself (Ralph Fiennes) in his writing shed (essentially recreating a famous Pebble Mill clip of the real Dahl), the narration is picked up by a succession of different characters, beginning with Benedict Cumberbatch as Henry Sugar.

The actors then proceed to read aloud the actual story (or at least, Anderson’s adapted version of it, which has minor changes), Jackanory-style, while the hand-painted scenery and props change around them, often to amusing effect. The tale revolves around bored socialite Sugar finding a mysterious manuscript in a country house library, written by Dr Chatterjee (Dev Patel), entitled “A Report on Imdad Kahn: The Man Who Sees Without Using His Eyes”. Chatterjee then picks up the narration and relates his own story, until Ben Kingsley (as Imdad Kahn) takes over, before the narrative switches back to Sugar.

Anderson clearly feels a strong affinity with Dahl, following his delightful stop-motion adaptation of The Fantastic Mr Fox in 2009, so it’s a treat to see him return to the author’s work. The collaboration (albeit one half-posthumous) proves equally fruitful, with Anderson’s signature style proving pleasingly conducive to Dahl’s storytelling, as the actors deliver their lines at a rapid clip, to camera, usually in medium shot.

That rat-a-tat pacing allows for a number of enjoyable little touches, such as the actors doing tiny asides to camera – most notably the way Dev Patel keeps chipping in with “he said”, whenever his screen partners (Richard Ayoade and Ben Kingsley) say their lines. The gag has a cumulative impact, so it gets funnier and funnier the more it happens.

Patel, Cumberbatch, Kingsley and Ayoade are all new additions to Anderson’s repertory company. Of the four, Patel is the stand-out and probably the performer most likely to appear in a future Anderson project – Cumberbatch and Kingsley are a little bland by contrast, though the former compensates for the lack of characterisation (you don’t really get a sense of what makes Sugar tick) with some very amusing physical comedy, both overt (a number of costume changes) and understated (the way he leaves a room).

As is to be expected with Anderson, a large part of the magic resides in the wealth of detail on screen, with every frame promising to reward repeated pausing-and-scouring once the film hits Netflix. It goes without saying that it looks gorgeous throughout, from Adam Stockhausen’s wonderfully colourful production design to Robert Yeoman’s framing and cinematography. The sound design is charming too, particularly the way you can hear the scenery backdrops being wheeled on and off camera.

In short, this might not be as flat-out unmissable as Asteroid City, but it’s a charming addition to Anderson’s filmography that serves as a promising appetiser for the Dahl adaptations to come. Casting suggestions, anyone?

 

This review was originally published during the 2023 Venice Film Festival.

Add to Watchlist