As with all of Wes Anderson’s movies, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar leaves some loose ends for the audience to fill in for themselves – and it has deeper meanings to be extrapolated and analyzed. Adapted from the Roald Dahl tale of the same name, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar revolves around a wealthy, self-obsessed man who discovers the ability to see without his eyes and uses it to cheat at card games and swindle casinos out of money. This is the first of a series of short-form Dahl adaptations that Anderson has helmed for Netflix (who paid a pretty penny for the rights to Dahl’s back catalog).
The general rule of thumb with writing is “show, don’t tell,” but The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar takes a “show AND tell” approach as the characters narrate the story directly to the camera while the scenes are still playing out. Anderson is known for mixing other mediums into his films; The Royal Tenenbaums is presented as a book in movie form and Asteroid City is presented as a stage play in movie form. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is presented as both a book and a stage play in movie form. Due to Anderson’s unique approach to this story, some aspects of the ending are left ambiguous.
How Did Imdad Khan See Without His Eyes?
The central plot device in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is the mystical ability to see without the use of one’s eyes. This ability is first discovered by Imdad Khan before being copied by Henry Sugar. Imdad explains the process of how he acquired this power in great detail to Dr. Z.Z. Chatterjee, who records the story word-for-word to publish in a medical journal, but the movie itself brushes over exactly how Imdad learned to see without his eyes. There’s an element of magical realism in the story, as it explains that Imdad studied with Yogi Hardawar and simply practiced every day until he could do it.
Why Was Henry Sugar Dissatisfied After His First Casino Swindle?
After a couple of years of intense practice based on Dr. Chatterjee’s account of Imdad’s journey, Henry Sugar finally manages to achieve the ability to see without using his eyes. His goal through the entire endeavor was to eventually go to a casino and come home with a huge amount of winnings by reading the cards around the table. The plan is a resounding success as Henry leaves the casino with a pile of cash so big that he can hardly carry it all. However, despite this success, he feels dissatisfied, because he found that seeing the cards and predicting the outcome of each game removed the thrill of gambling.
Is The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar A True Story?
All throughout the movie, Henry and his author Roald Dahl insist that The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is based on a true story. The film explores a few different ways that the story could end if it was fictional, but claims it’s a fact-based account of a real man’s life. However, despite these claims, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a fictional story. Henry and Imdad Khan and all the other characters are fictional creations. However, there are some real-world parallels with the story. Pakistani mystic Kuda Bux, known as “The Man Who Can See Without His Eyes,” was a real-life figure with a similar ability to Imdad.
How Did Henry Sugar Get Dr. Z.Z. Chatterjee’s Notes?
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar kicks off with the titular Henry Sugar coming across the blue exercise book of a doctor named Dr. Z.Z. Chatterjee. This book contains the doctor’s handwritten account of how Imdad Khan figured out how to see things without the use of his eyes. Thanks to the film’s nonlinear editing, constantly switching its perspective between different characters, it’s not exactly clear how Henry came into possession of the book. The answer is simple: he stole it. Before his casino odyssey inspired a change of heart, Henry was described as “not a good man,” and he demonstrated that by stealing the doctor’s notebook from a library.
How Did Imdad Khan Die?
When Dr. Chatterjee returns to the circus to see Imdad Khan again, he’s shocked to learn that Imdad has died. The movie doesn’t provide a solid cause of death; it just explains that his heart stopped sometime after Dr. Chatterjee’s visit following the previous night’s show. It’s unclear exactly how Imdad died, but his death has a more symbolic meaning. As a circus performer, Imdad used his ability to see without his eyes for monetary gain. His death foreshadows the assertion that, “in a work of fiction,” Henry would die for using his magical ability for selfish purposes. Imdad is an example of someone who did meet that dark ending.
Why Did Henry Sugar Give Away His Winnings?
After returning home from his first casino swindle, feeling dissatisfied by the lack of challenge he faced to earn those winnings, Henry decides to throw the money out into the street. He tosses the notes from his balcony and watches with delight as the people below discover the raining money and pocket as much as they can. Henry decided to give away his money because he’d always had money, and it was now being handed to him in giant piles, so money lost all meaning to him. He amassed so much wealth that he no longer felt fulfilled by money alone.
Even before he figures out how to trick every casino in London into emptying their vault into his pockets, Henry is absurdly wealthy, as explained by the narrator. He inherited the money, so he never had to work a day in his life to get it, so he has no appreciation for its value and takes it for granted. The ironic thing is that mastering the ability to see without his eyes required years of hard work and dedication, so the spoils of Henry’s gambling career are the only money he actually had to work for – and that’s the money he decides to give away.
The Real Meaning Of The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’s Ending
Although the magical ability to see without the use of eyes is the central plot point in the movie, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is really about greed and the emptiness of wealth. It carries the message that no amount of money can substitute for a life well-lived surrounded by loving friends. At the beginning of the movie, Henry has a lot of money and no friends, because he’s too vain and self-centered to be emotionally available to others. At the end of it, he dies without a penny to his name, having lived a rich life full of adventure with a beloved group of loved ones and acquaintances.
