This evening, we sat down to watch a 40 minute short on Netflix, based on a short story by Roald Dahl.

And it was wonderful, truly!

“From Wes Anderson comes an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved story about a rich man who sets out to master an extraordinary skill to cheat at gambling.” [netflix]

There are three other short stories from the original book that have been adapted as part of this stylistic set and I can’t wait to give them a go.

• The Swan
• The Rat Catcher
• Poison

With a cast so magnificent, it’s almost unbelievable; my attention was held throughout. Wes Anderson has created something unique – visually it’s a stunning world within his often revisited palate; creatively he makes brave and bold choices ( & massive kudos to BC and DP particularly for rattling through that dialogue at a rate of knots!) and in its every moment, it feels as though the wonderful worlds of Roald Dahl are being brought to life!

• Benedict Cumberbatch as Henry Sugar / Max Engelman
• Ralph Fiennes as Roald Dahl / The Policeman
• Dev Patel as Dr. Chatterjee / John Winston
• Ben Kingsley as Imdad Khan / The Dealer
• Richard Ayoade as Dr. Marshall / The Great Yogi
• David Gant as Casino Croupier
• Jarvis Cocker cameos as a casino receptionist and several friends of Henry Sugar

Wikipedia suggests that Rupert Friend is included in the cast – perhaps in one of the other episodes. I’ll report back!