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The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (film)

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Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Promotional release poster
Directed byWes Anderson
Screenplay byWes Anderson
Based on"The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar"
by Roald Dahl
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRobert Yeoman
Edited by
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • September 1, 2023 (2023-09-01) (Venice)
  • September 20, 2023 (2023-09-20) (United States)
  • September 27, 2023 (2023-09-27) (Netflix)
Running time
41 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, or simply The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, is a 2023 American fantasy short film[2] written, co-produced, and directed by Wes Anderson, based on the 1977 short story "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" by Roald Dahl. It is the second film adaptation of a Dahl work directed by Anderson, following Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009).[3] It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character alongside Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade. The story sees a rich man learning about a guru who could see without using his eyes, then setting out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.

The film is the first of a four-part series of shorts adapted from Dahl's short stories, including "The Swan", "The Ratcatcher" and "Poison".[4] Development on the project began in January 2022, with most of the cast signed on. Principal photography took place in London that month. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar was originally reported to be a feature film until Anderson clarified in June 2023 that it would be one of a collection of short films.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2023, and received a limited theatrical release on September 20, 2023, followed by being released on Netflix on September 27, 2023.[5] The other three Anderson shorts based on Dahl stories premiered on Netflix on succeeding days: The Swan on September 28, The Rat Catcher on September 29, and Poison on September 30.[6]

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar received critical acclaim for its craftsmanship, direction, performances and faithfulness to its source material.

Plot

Henry Sugar is the pseudonym of a miserly bachelor who uses his inherited fortune to fund his gambling habits. One day, he comes across a book of a doctor's report of Imdad Khan, a man who claimed he could see and interact without using his eyes. After watching Imdad perform even greater feats in his own circus act, the doctor interviewed Imdad, and he tells him his life history. As a young runaway in a traveling circus, he sought out a guru known as The Great Yogi, who could meditate while levitating his own body. Reluctantly, he taught him his meditation method, which gained Imdad his abilities, though he died overnight before the doctors could further study him.

By practising Imdad's meditations for three years Henry manages to see through playing cards. Henry uses these abilities at a casino and makes £30,000 at blackjack. Unsatisfied with his ease in earning money, he throws them off his balcony into the streets of London. Since he nearly caused a riot, the police suggest that he find a more legal form of charity. He decides to travel worldwide, winning money with his abilities under varying disguises and to establishing a network of successful hospitals and orphanages. Two decades later, Henry dies from a pulmonary embolism which he knew would cause his death. His accountant commissions Roald Dahl to write on his story under the pseudonym Henry Sugar.

Cast

Jarvis Cocker cameos as a casino receptionist and several friends of Henry Sugar.

Production

In September 2021, Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company for $686 million.[7] The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar project was confirmed on January 7, 2022, the day after it was reported that Wes Anderson was set to write and direct the film adaptation, with Netflix distributing.[8] It was announced that Benedict Cumberbatch would star as Sugar, with Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley in supporting roles.[9] Rupert Friend and Richard Ayoade later joined the cast.[10]

Principal photography began in London in January 2022.[9]

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar was originally reported to be a feature film, but Anderson clarified in June 2023 that it would be one of a collection of short films.[11]

Release

The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar premiered out-of-competition at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2023.[12] It had a limited theatrical release on September 20, only in New York and California. It was initially set for a streaming release on October 13, 2023,[13] but was released on Netflix on September 27.[14]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 58 reviews with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "With The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Wes Anderson returns to the world of Roald Dahl—and proves his distinctive style is a comfortable fit for one of the author's sweetest stories."[15] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]

In Variety, Peter Debruge called the film "delightfully tight" and added that Dahl's short story "proves a good match for Anderson's intricate approach".[17] Similarly, Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a perfectly well-balanced reduction. It’s got most of Anderson's signature flavor notes but in healthy, clarified stock".[18] David Ehrlich of IndieWire called it "the most visually inventive film that Anderson has made thus far" and added: "Its presentation is something we’ve never really seen before, either from Anderson or anyone else, but its ethos couldn’t be more familiar to anyone who’s followed his work".[19]

Glenn Kenny from RogerEbert.com gave the film a 4 out of 4 stars and wrote that, "It’s disarming and lovely to see a spiritual growth parable rendered in Anderson’s jewel-box style. His delivery here is not willfully eccentric but gorgeously centered. Form underscores content in Henry Sugar in a most delightful way."

References

  1. ^ "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar". Netflix. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (August 24, 2023). "Wes Anderson's 'Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' Sets Netflix Release Date and Shares New Art". IndieWire. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. ^ Shafer, Ellise (September 1, 2023). "Wes Anderson Confirms 'Henry Sugar' Short Film Collection Will Include 'The Swan,' 'Poison' and 'The Ratcatcher'". Variety. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  4. ^ "Wes Anderson Revisits Roald Dahl in 'Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter. September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (August 24, 2023). "Wes Anderson's 'Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' Sets Netflix Release Date and Shares New Art". IndieWire. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  6. ^ "You're Invited to a Week of New Wes Anderson Shorts This September". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  7. ^ Gray, Alistair (September 22, 2021). "Netflix snaps up entire works of Roald Dahl for over £500m". Financial Times. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  8. ^ Leishman, Rachel (January 6, 2022). "Wes Anderson to Direct Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Starring Benedict Cumberbatch". Collider. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (January 7, 2022). "Wes Anderson To Direct Adaptation Of Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel And Ben Kingsley". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  10. ^ Kroll, Justin (January 12, 2022). "Rupert Friend And Richard Ayoade Join Wes Anderson's Adaptation Of Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar At Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  11. ^ "'The Wonderful Life Of Henry Sugar': Wes Anderson Says His Upcoming Netflix Project Is Only 37 Minutes Long". theplaylist.net. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "Biennale Cinema 2023 | The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar". La Biennale di Venezia. July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  13. ^ Russell, Calum (August 1, 2023). "Wes Anderson's new Roald Dahl movie gets release date". Far Out. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (August 24, 2023). "Wes Anderson's 'Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' Sets Netflix Release Date and Shares New Art". IndieWire. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  15. ^ "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  16. ^ "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  17. ^ Debruge, Peter (September 1, 2023). "'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' Review: Wes Anderson Squeezes Roald Dahl Into a Delightfully Tight Short". Variety. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  18. ^ Felperin, Leslie (September 1, 2023). "'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' Review: Benedict Cumberbatch in Wes Anderson's Mini-Marvel of a Roald Dahl Adaptation". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  19. ^ Ehrlich, David (September 1, 2023). "'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' Review: Wes Anderson's Hyper-Faithful Roald Dahl Adaptation Is 37 Minutes of Absolute Bliss". IndieWire. Retrieved September 1, 2023.

External links

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