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MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

British writer Roald Dahl is best known as the author of many well-known children’s books including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Witches, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. He also wrote dozens of strange short stories for adults and a few movie screenplays. His stories are still extremely popular but have been recently criticized for misogyny, racial stereotypes and mean spiritedness including child and animal cruelty. They are also very funny and filled with wonderful wordplay.

Writer-director Wes Anderson (who made The Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2004) wanted to do more Roald Dahl adaptations but wanted to keep the author’s distinctive voice as a part of the stories. In these four short films – The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Swan. The Rat Catcher, and Poison – the use of first-person narration is omnipresent, including Ralph Fiennes portraying Dahl himself, beginning in his writer’s shed, sharpening his pencils as he begins to tell the story of Henry Sugar.

Here are thumbnail descriptions of the four films in this collection:

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (37 minutes). A story about Henry Sugar, a rich and selfish man (Cumberbatch) who follows a path of discovery that leads him to an obscure book and then to an Indian Yogi (Ben Kingsley) who teaches him the art of meditation which Henry first uses for personal gain until redemption finally comes.

The Swan (17 minutes). Young Peter Watson (Rupert Friend and Asa Jennings) simply wants to observe birds but is bullied and tormented by Ernie and Raymond, two bigger boys who are killing birds with a new rifle. The upsetting qualities of this story are offset by the fanciful way they are depicted, with Peter choosing to suffer in order to do the right thing. While not specifically spiritual, there are some clear Christological connections.

The Rat Catcher (17 minutes). A garage owner (Rupert Friend) with a rat problem encounters the professional rat catcher (Fiennes) who promises to dispatch the vermin in a variety of increasingly bizarre ways. This is the funniest of the films with a twisted ending that evokes Willy Wonka in a most upsetting way.

Poison (17 minutes). In this final story, set in colonial India, Henry Pope (Cumberbatch) calls for help when he experiences a deadly snake asleep on his stomach. He is assisted by his friend (Dev Patel) and a local doctor (Ben Kingsley). This is a horror story that ends with an unexpected emotional gut punch.

All four tales feature fast-talking storytellers looking straight at you, demanding that attention be paid. I would suggest watching the films in the order listed, but I would also encourage you to pace yourself and take time to think about each one before viewing another. Henry Sugar is the only story with a positive ending, but all of the films provide much to think about.

Other things worth noting:

Netflix is becoming a very expensive streaming service, but they currently own the rights to the entire Roald Dahl catalog. You can expect all future adaptations to come through their portal.

If you want to read the original stories the first two tales can be found in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More (1977). The Ratcatcher and Poison are in the collection Someone Like You (1953). Both books are still in print.

The story Poison was previously filmed twice on television:

Tales of the Unexpected in 1980 (Season 2 Episode 5) on DVD and streaming on Freevee.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1958 (Season 4 Episode 1) is only available on DVD (Hitchcock directed this episode himself.)

Halo and Pitchfork Rating:

Four halos: The art of storytelling is on full display in this quartet of Roald Dahl tales.
Two pitchforks: Extreme bullying; racism; gambling; smoking.

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