Roald Dahl Signing Books, 1988
Rob Bogaerts/Anefo. Used under CC 1.0 Universal Public Domain license
In the last two days I have watched four shorts produced by Wes Anderson. The films are each derived from stories written by Roald Dahl.
At 41 minutes, the longest of the shorts is The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. The other three films--The Rat Catcher, The Swan, and Poison--each had run times of 17 minutes. All four films have elements of the grotesque in them, but The Rat Catcher stands out in this regard. There are some viewers who might think Anderson offends in his portrayal of the eponymous rat catcher.
Common Krait
Image Credit: Raju Kidoor. Used under CC 4.0 license. The snake in this picture is a lead character in the story Poison, although the snake never actually appears on the screen.
Fans of Anderson can expect his typically quirky characters. These are predictably flawed. In another, classic Wes Anderson movie, The Royal Tenenbaums for example, virtually every character stumbles at some point in life. This holds true especially for the lead character, Royal Tenenbaum, played by Gene Hackman. However, somehow the characters are likable. And the film, though it does not have what might be called a happy ending, still has a satisfying conclusion that leaves us at peace with the story's resolution.
However, only one of the four films reviewed today (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) has that benign happy ending quality. For the other three, there is darkness, and it is unredeemed. In a sense, plot lines for the three dark films are 'realistic'. Viewers won't be gifted a satisfying resolution. The flawed characters are unlikable and lack self-awareness to the very end of the films.
A Rifle, Essential to the Plot in the Swan
Image credit: Szuyuan huang on Wimimedia Commons. Used under CC 3.0 license
As I concluded my four-film mega-dose of Wes Anderson, I came away with an enhanced appreciation for the acting profession, or at least with an appreciation of the actors who lent themselves to these projects.
Anderson tends to use the same actors over and over again in his films. The reward for the actors is apparently not financial. It is reported that he pays 'scale', and headline actors work for paltry sums. This does not seem to be a disincentive. As a matter of fact, this may be one of the reasons the actors are committed to their roles and seem to enjoy being part of an ensemble cast. They do it for love of the craft.
Ralph Fiennes appears in all four of the shorts reviewed today. Fiennes has been nominated for, and has won, so many awards that they are too numerous to list. Yet, in The Rat Catcher, he throws himself into a role that requires him to embody the persona of a rat. I have never seen him give a finer performance.
Here's a YouTube clip that gives an idea of what Fiennes does in that film.
Other award-winning actors appear in at least two of the shorts: Ben Kingsley and Benedict Cumberbatch. Kingsley appears in Poison and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. In the first he appears as a physician. In the second he appears as a man who can see with his eyes closed. The second role demands that he wear an absurd costume.
Cumberbatch is also in Poison and The Wonderful Mr. Sugar. In the first film, he doesn't really move until the last scene. In the second film, he is the eponymous Henry Sugar.
Here is a YouTube clip that shows Cumberbatch in the pose he adopts through most of the film.
A no less esteemed, though probably less well-known actor, Rupert Friend, appears in The Swan and The Rat Catcher. He is unforgettable in both roles.
Dev Patel (whom many may remember for his role in Slumdog Millionaire) appears in two of the films. He can be seen in the Poison clip, above. You see in the clip that Mr. Patel throws himself into character with enthusiasm.
Here are very brief synopses of the shorts:
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Cumberbatch is a wealthy man, Henry Sugar, and has an insatiable appetite for money. He can never have enough. One day he learns of a man who sees without using his eyes. Henry Sugar decides he can make millions in casinos with this talent, if only he can teach himself to read cards that are turned down. He goes through absurd lengths to achieve this skill.
A Netflix Trailer for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Poison
Benedict Cumberbatch, as Harry Pope, realizes that a highly venomous snake has crawled up under his pajamas and is sleeping on his stomach. Kingsley is the physician called to save Pope's life. Pope must remain motionless until the snake is somehow removed.
The Swan
A boy receives a rifle for his birthday. He and his friend go on a killing spree--they end up with a string of dead birds. When they come upon Peter Watson, who is Rupert Friend as a child, they proceed to bully him. The rest of the movie traces the events to ensue from their bullying. Rupert Friend acts as narrator for the film.
Here is the 'official' trailer for The Swan
The Rat Catcher
A lot has already been said about the film in this blog. Fiennes is the rat catcher who has been summoned by the health department to rid a hay hillock of rats. The rest of the film is more a character study of the rat catcher than it is a narrative about catching rats. If you're not eating dinner, and you don't mind the grisly, watch this one.
Wes Anderson
He is one of my favorite film makers. You can keep Steven Spielberg and David Cameron. I'll take Wes Anderson and the Coen Brothers. I like quirky stuff. That doesn't mean I enjoyed all Anderson's movies. I could barely finish The Darjeeling Limited. Actually, I don't think I did finish it. But, still, Anderson is an original--sui generis, one might say.
He has explained his technique. Some aspects of this that can be objectively described are related to the visuals, the camera work. The scenes have a symmetry of form. And then there's something called planimetric composition. This has been described as keeping the background flat so the foreground can stand out.
Here is a video that demonstrates and explains Anderson's utilization of symmetry.
Also, forget about the so-called fourth wall. We, as an audience, are part of the action. The characters address us directly. Scenery is often blatantly artificial so the traditional suspension of disbelief is not a remote goal.
However, I think what sets Anderson's movies apart, what makes them genius, is Anderson. He explains that he does something in his movie because it feels right. That sensibility cannot be manufactured or copied. It is beyond explanation. This is the unique, irreplaceable element that draws top-string actors into his films.
Credits
The lead actors in each of the films have already been mentioned. All four shorts were produced in 2023. All are available on Netflix (which is where I saw them). Writing credits go to Anderson and Roald Dahl (who died in 1990). Anderson was the director on each project. He was also a producer (among other producers).
Will you enjoy these films? If you enjoyed The Menu, probably. If you like to get lost in a story, probably not. If you enjoy quirky, idiosyncratic pieces, probably. I loved all of them. My husband only watched The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, and he didn't enjoy the film. Certainly, that is the most mainstream of the four shorts. If you are inclined these shorts, start with Henry Sugar. Then move onto The Swan, Poison, and, if you are really in the mood for something eccentric, The Rat Catcher.
Thank you for reading my blog. Health and happy viewing to everyone.