Kuda Bux, who shares real physical similarities with actor Ben Kingsley, was the inspiration for children’s literature author Roald Dahl to write his short story “The Amazing Story of Henry Sugar,” which became the book that contains six other fables. In particular, the film that gives the publication its name was recently adapted for the screen by the hands and eccentric and insightful mind of Wes Anderson.
The fortyminute short, which received five minutes of acclaim from Venice Film Festival audiences, features Dahl in the role of Ralph Fiennes, retreating to his cabin on the property where his home, the famous Gipsy House, was built. There he devised all the lines of the fictional story (although he claims it to be true) of Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch), the idle son of a traditional and wealthy family who, like any other millionaire, is interested in further expanding his family fortune.
One day he comes across a strange thin book with a blue cover containing a medical report from Doctor Chatterjee (Dev Patel). The document contains the incredible account of a patient named Imdad Khan (Kingsley), who calls himself “The Man Who Sees Without Using His Eyes.” After learning yoga methods from Indian master Yogi Hardawar, he proves to the doctor his magical ability to see even with systematically closed eyes. Imdad Khan, using his ability to make money as a magician, dies suddenly, not giving the doctor an opportunity to conduct a scientific study on the case, which brings him international fame.
The bluecovered book details how Imdad Khan developed the ability to see without having to use his eyes. Then Henry Sugar decides to put the method into practice and studies it devotedly for five years. He decides to use the ability to see through playing cards and win money at blackjack tables. Sugar systematically puts his plan into action so as not to exaggerate his profits so as not to attract too much attention.
Following Anderson’s signature aesthetic, although he denies it, the short is meticulous in its tailored costumes, in their colorful and pastel tones, and in the sets, which are assembled and dismantled as if the actors were acting on a stage with tailored costumes Sentences. made of cardboard. He mixes theatrical language with literature and lets the characters say when one or the other is going to say something and look at the camera, breaking the fourth wall and interacting with the viewer.
The film is not the first that the director has adapted from a work by Dahl, “The Fantastic Mr. Raposo” was the predecessor. Anderson told Variety that he met the writer’s widow while he was still recording “The Eccentric Tennenbaums” and expressed his interest in Henry Sugar to her. For years, the family left the story up to the director, who took a while to find the right approach to the story. Eventually the rights to Dahl’s books ended up in the hands of his grandson Luke. After that, Netflix eventually bought the author’s entire work. This is where the partnership between the streaming service and the filmmaker came into play, who, in addition to Henry Sugar, filmed three other short stories by Dahl, which will be published annually in accordance with Netflix’s own strategies.
Movie: The Amazing Story of Henry Sugar
Direction: Wes Anderson
Year: 2023
Gender: Comedy/Adventure/Fantasy
Note: 9/10