Wes Anderson arrived on the Lido this morning with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, his second film of the year and his latest Roald Dahl adaptation following 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.
The 40-minute feature debuts this evening at Venice out of competition, and at the official press conference this morning, Anderson was asked about his opinion on recent efforts from Roald Dahl’s publishers to edit now-offensive material out of his work.
“I’m probably the worst person to ask about this because if you ask me if Renoir should be allowed to touch up one of his pictures, I would say no. It’s done,” Anderson said.
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“I don’t even want the artist to modify their work. I understand the motivation for it, but I’m in the school where when the piece of work is done we participate in it. We know it. So I think when it’s done, it’s done.”
Anderson added: “And certainly no one who is not an author should be modifying somebody’s book. He’s dead.”
In February, Publisher Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Books, announced that it had edited Roald Dahl’s books in an effort to reflect more inclusive language. Titles like James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have been altered by modifying words that are now deemed offensive.
In a statement at the time, Puffin said the changes were made so that the books “can continue to be enjoyed by all today.”
Anderson’s Henry Sugar is based on a short story contained in a 1977 Dahl short story collection. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character alongside Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend, and Richard Ayoade.
Despite the A-list ensemble, Anderson appeared alone at this morning’s presser. Produced with Netflix, the pic does not meet the requirements for a SAG interim agreement, which would have allowed striking cast members to appear at the festival and promote the project.
When asked about his opinion on the strike, Anderson said: “I can’t say I have answers or real suggestions. An equitable deal has got to be reached for anybody to go forward. People are suffering.”
Later during the presser, Anderson revealed that he has completed several other short adaptations of Dahl’s work, including an adaptation of The Swan also from the Henry Sugar collection, starring Rupert Friend. Anderson said he has also adapted a Dahl short titled Poison and what he described as the “very strange” short story The Ratcatcher.
Anderson described The Ratcatcher story as “really rural” and “peculiar.”
“I don’t really have any other ones in mind,” Anderson said. “That might be it for Dahl for the moment.”
This year on the Lido, Anderson is also set to receive the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award. Previous recipients of the award, dedicated to a personality who has made a particularly original contribution to the contemporary film industry, include Ridley Scott and Walter Hill.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is set to debut on Netflix on September 27 following a limited theatrical run.
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