161. Poison

In this mini-episode of Adapt or Perish, we’re going back to Roald Dahl for a look at his short story Poison, screen adaptations from Alfred Hitchcock and Wes Anderson, and more!

In this episode, we discuss:

• Roald Dahl’s original 1950 short story
• The 1958 episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Casey Robinson, and starring James Donald, Wendell Corey, and Arnold Moss
• The 1980 episode of Tales of the Unexpected directed by Graham Evans, written by Robin Chapman, and starring Andrew Ray, Anthony Steel, Saeed Jaffrey, Judy Geeson, and Roald Dahl
• The 2023 short film written and directed by Wes Anderson, and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes

Footnotes:

• The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Ep. 135)

135. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

In Episode 135, our very first installment of a new format we’re calling Adapt or Perish Minis, we’re going back to Roald Dahl to look at the Oscar-winning short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar!

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, Roald Dahl’s 1977 short story collection
• The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, the 2023 short film written and directed by Wes Anderson, and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, and Ben Kingsley
• The Swan, the 2023 short film also written and directed by Wes Anderson, and starring Rupert Friend and Ralph Fiennes

Footnotes:

• Does the Dog Die?: Crowdsourced trigger warnings for movies, tv, books and more

91. The Witches

Episode 91 of Adapt or Perish has just checked in, and OH MY GOD I THINK IT’S A WITCH. We’re taking a look at The Witches, Roald Dahl’s horror story for kids!

In this episode we discuss:

• Roald Dahl's original 1983 novel
• The 1990 movie, directed by Nicholas Roeg, produced by Jim Henson, written by Allan Scott, and starring Anjelica Huston, Jasen Fisher, and Mai Zetterling
• The 2020 movie, directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis, Guillermo del Toro, and Kenya Barris, and starring Anne Hathaway, Jahzir Kadeem Bruno, and Octavia Spencer

Footnotes:

• Episode 22: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Episode 31: Where the Wild Things Are & Fantastic Mr. Fox
• Episode 55: The BFG
• Episode 77: Matilda
• The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
• "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden
• ‘The Witches’ Review: There’s No Magic to Robert Zemeckis’ Dreadful Roald Dahl Adaptation by David Ehrlich