Although it’s only 39 minutes in length, do not be fooled. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar has immense attention to detail on the highest level. Based on the Roald Dahl short story of the same name, we see Benedict Cumberbatch at the forefront. Cumberbatch plays a rich man who tries to copy the ability of a guru who can somehow see without using his eyes. Henry tries to learn this idea so that he can win bets. This is certainly a quirky concept indeed, and maybe one that only someone like Wes Anderson can pull off. Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Richard Ayoade and Sir Ben Kingsley round out another delightful Wes Anderson cast.
When you think about the best directors, a lot of them have a similar theme in common. That commonality is that all of their films have a distinct feel and style. It sounds simple, but it’s actually quite an impressive achievement. When you look at the work of say Guillermo del Toro or even Quentin Tarantino you can recognise their style almost instantly. These directors always bring their classic trademarks to each of their many projects. Another “fantastic” director, who does this with some of the most fascinating sets you ever is of course Wes Anderson. From The Darjeeling Limited through to The Grand Budapest Hotel, his colourful and delicate cinematography has become legendary. Some of his other trademarks include a huge cast (Where some will just feature as cameos) combined with a dry sense of humour. His movies feel like stepping into an art exhibition, and each release is an event. All of this brings us to his latest release, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
I really can’t wait to see this, because like I mentioned earlier every Anderson movie is an event, you can pause each frame and find an immense amount of depth, and within the first 20 seconds of the trailer you get exactly that. Also, let’s not forget that Wes Anderson has worked with Roald Dahl material before with his adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox, and that was an absolute joy to watch. Even though it’s a claymation film, you can still tell that Wes directed it. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar will be released on Netflix this September 27th. So, how excited are you for this short movie, and what’s your favourite Wes Anderson project thus far?
