Eyeing up Anderson’s adaptations: Roald Dahl’s short stories get the Wes Anderson treatment

When the word “auteur” is thrown around these days in the filmic sense, the first name which comes to mind for many people is Wes Anderson. Over the past 30 years, Anderson has honed his craft and style to the point where you can almost look at a single frame from any of his films of the past decade and instantly recognise it as his work, thanks to his combination of pastel hues, vintage tones, and symmetrical composition. However, this instantly recognisable style does not mean Anderson’s work is loved by all. There are many who feel his most recent releases have focused on style to the detriment of substance. But I feel his latest offering may help fans to see his best work is not necessarily behind him.

Netflix recently produced four short films written and directed by Anderson based on short stories by Roald Dahl. Across all four shorts, the role of Dahl himself (as he pops in from time-to-time conveying sections of his stories to the audience) is performed by Ralph Fiennes. Fiennes is joined across these stories by an impressive troupe of actors, including: Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade and Rupert Friend. Given Anderson’s penchant for reusing actors across projects, I’m curious to see which newcomers among the cast will go on to work with the director in future projects.

The largest of these four productions is The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, in which rich bachelor Henry Sugar (Cumberbatch) learns of a guru who could see without the use of his eyes, and endeavours to learn this skill so he can cheat at gambling, but makes a surprising discovery on his success. The story is a simple one, but the unique use of set and diegesis that Anderson employs makes for an enchanting experience.

Poison is a tension-filled story about trying to save the life of a man with a deadly snake in his bed, The Rat Catcher sees the titular tradesman share the mechanics of his work with some inquisitive villagers, and The Swan follows two teenage boys emboldened by the gift of a rifle to torment another child. While these three short films depict the same stylistic choices, their stories are cut from a slightly different cloth. They are dotted with dark undertones of reality that Dahl kept far away from his whimsical children’s books. The Swan in particular was a harrowing tale to watch unfold, and the final shot of The Rat Catcher won’t be leaving me any time soon.

There is a constant sense each movement is building towards an incredible climax

So, what is this latest development in Anderson’s stylistic repertoire? His most recent feature film Asteroid City (not available to stream in New Zealand) depicted the central events of the story as a play within a film, with the illusion of stagecraft being shattered every now and then, as the small desert town would become replaced with painted scenery on the edge of stage as the “actors” discussed the events within their own story.

These latest shorts take this idea a step further. Throughout their stories the characters frequently, almost constantly, recite directly to the audience the prose of their thoughts and actions as written by Dahl. Sets are moved in and out of shot as a means of transition, and stagehands walk openly into the frame to hand props to the actors, and again to take them back.

The result of this is a type of energy you don’t often feel in Anderson’s work. While the performances he gets from his actors are often towards the eccentric end of the scale, the stillness of his sets usually balances this. Given that the setting is now imbued with this same eccentricity, there is a constant sense each movement is building towards an incredible climax, and with most of the shorts it probably won’t be one you’re expecting (unless you’ve already read the stories).

It’s not surprising that Anderson does such a marvellous job of adapting these short stories. The 2009 film Fantastic Mr Fox (Disney+), written and directed by Anderson, was also based on a Dahl novel of the same name. This stop-motion adaptation following a bipedal fox voiced by George Clooney going through a mid-life crisis, is one of the director’s best. Anderson’s particular charm seems to equate comfortably with Dahl’s. After all this time it’s fascinating to see him work on adaptations of the writer’s other storybooks.

If interested, you can head over to TVNZ+ to watch Bottle Rocket and see the emergence of Anderson’s unique style in his first feature film, where three friends (Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson and Robert Musgrave) may have aimed slightly higher than they’re capable of when they embark on a quest to pull off a robbery and go on the run.

Following on from this, the majority of Anderson’s filmography is available on Disney+, where you can watch his storytelling style evolve through films about rich families, aquatic adventures, and intrepid hotel “lobby boys”.

Other viewing options are given in the panel.

Nat Dolan is an Auckland actor and movie enthusiast