And after Pedro Almodóvar in Cannes Wes Anderson in Venice. The fashion of the short film has haunted great filmmakers, an exciting format (40 minutes for Anderson) in which to condense a story, and that may become a trend in the coming years. A return to the basics, cinema in two reels as was done in the age of silent movies, and that made nickelodeons fill.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is based on a short novel by Roald Dahl (the author of Willy Wonka) and is the story of a very wealthy man who learns of a guru who can see without using his eyes. Naturally, the greedy figure wants to master this ability for a purpose that is anything but noble: cheating in gambling. How it ends, we do not reveal, but certainly, the events of Henry Sugar are a fine gift that Wes Anderson gives to Venice 80 to celebrate his Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar has a first-rate cast, as usual for Mr. Anderson, with Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley and Richard Ayoade. Anderson had been missing from Venice for many years, ever since he brought The Darjeeling Limited to competition in 2007 (since that day, everyone runs in slow motion to catch a train), moreover accompanied by a short film, Hotel Chevalier, starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman. Wes Anderson, 54, from Texas, will be in Italian theatres starting Sept. 14 with his latest film, Asteroid City.
