A recently released Netflix adaptation of a short story by Roald Dahl that teaches the power accumulated through meditation has received high ratings from fans.
“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” is 39 minutes long and has been available to watch on the streaming giant since September 27th.
The film is a fragment of four short stories by Roald Dahl, adapted by famous American filmmaker Wes Anderson, who brought Dahl’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox to life on the big screen 14 years ago in 2009.
The film collection was released one day at a time in September – with the 17-minute “The Swan” on September 28th, the 17-minute “The Rat Catcher” on the 29th and the 17-minute “Poison” on September 30th .
An all-star cast rotates roles across the collective including: Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Rupert Friend, Ben Kingsley and Richard Ayoade.
Netflix Hit: A recently released Netflix adaptation of a short story by Roald Dahl that teaches the power accumulated through meditation has received high ratings from fans
For those who haven’t yet encountered Dahl’s classic, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” tells the story of a spoiled child, Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch), who comes from a wealthy family.
Henry, now a man, begins to realize the true value of his money after learning of a guru named Imdad Khan (Ben Kingsley) who can see without using his eyes.
This leads Henry to spend several years acquiring the ability to cheat at gambling – harnessing the power of meditation.
Henry takes his newfound talents to a casino where, after winning a large sum of money, his eyes are opened to the greed of those around him.
However, he soon realizes that he has lost the fun that comes with the chance to win and decides to do something good with his fortune – but will it come at a price?
According to Netflix fan site Tudum, director Wes Anderson has been fascinated by Roald Dahl’s stories since he was a child – and had been thinking about adapting “Henry Sugar” for two decades.
The filmmaker admitted that he initially found it difficult to tell the story without using Dahl’s charming words.
He told Netflix: “When I finally had the moment of inspiration, the idea was, ‘I’m as interested in the way Dahl tells the story as I am in the story itself.'” If I put it in his words and If I follow his descriptions, then maybe I’ll know how to do it.”
Short but wonderful: The wonderful story of Henry Sugar is 39 minutes long and has been available on the streaming giant since September 27th
Collective: The Film is a fragment of four short stories by Roald Dahl adapted by famous American filmmaker Wes Anderson, including: “The Swan”, “The Pied Piper” and “Poison”.
With that, Anderson set out to reimagine four of Dahl’s short stories in bold and unpredictable ways.
The actors recite Dahl’s words directly to the audience as they act them out, and set pieces alternate like a stage play, offering a new perspective on Anderson’s signature aesthetic.
Fans of the late author rushed to X, formerly Twitter, to express their surprise and leave rave reviews of the adaptation, with many only discovering Dahl’s shorter stories after watching the Netflix hit.
One person wrote: “I’m always trying to understand how to meditate and then I recently saw this movie “A Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” which is amazing what meditation can do!”
Another said: “The wonderful story of Henry Sugar is incredible so far. “I recommend watching the film with subtitles because the way they tell the story with words is beautifully done.”
Highly Recommended: Fans of late author Roald Dahl rushed to X, formerly Twitter, to express their surprise and leave rave reviews about the Netflix adaptation
One fan gave the adaptation “five out of five” stars and wrote: “VERDICT – It’s Amazing 5/5.” “I’m pretty sure you can watch this with just sound and no video and have a pretty good time .”
Another fan also said: “A truly captivating story about training the mind, even if it’s fictional. “Highly recommended.”
A recent solid. Damn, Netflix. 8/10.’
Earlier this year, in April, fans of Wes Anderson turned the filmmaker into an unlikely viral star on social media after expressing his unique filmmaking style in a series of abstract short videos that attracted millions of people.