Matilda
Year: 1996
Running Time: 102 minutes
The story of Matilda is Roald Dahl at his best - another tale of a child who has been neglected and mistreated by adults but who rises above her tragic circumstances to find happiness (while teaching those horrid adults a lesson in the process). Matilda is a lovable character who has delighted readers (and audiences) for decades. Though the film adaptation is set in the United States, it retains its magical essence that made the book so wonderful, and stays true to some of Roald Dahl's best - and worst - characters.
Matilda (Mara Wilson)
Matilda is a highly intelligent girl who can read by the age of three (self-taught since her parents do not stimulate her mind and creativity at all - in fact, they try to stifle her intelligence and love for reading). Neglected by her family, Matilda learns to be self-sufficient and, left to her own devices during the day, she wanders to the local library where she discovers new worlds in the form of books, which provide a "hopeful and comforting message: you are not alone". She also has a special power - telekinesis, which enables her to punish adults who have "misbehaved".
Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz)
She is a sweet woman (like her surname suggests) and Matilda's teacher, whose classroom provides a colourful and beautiful reprieve from the dreariness of the rest of the school and a safe space for all children. Her students adore her, as does Matilda. Like any good teacher, she sees something special in Matilda and takes an active interest in her development and well-being. However, Miss Honey also has a dark secret - the terrifying Miss Trunchbull is her aunt with whom she had to live after her father supposedly committed suicide.
Miss Trunchbull (Pam Ferris)
The headmistress whose surname is also very appropriate since she does in fact resemble an angry bull. Children tremble at the mention of her name, and, with her motto being "use the rod, beat the child" and her torture chamber called "the choke" it's no wonder. She is a former Olympian and she often uses her athletic skills to throw a child around for her own amusement. There are two scenes where I couldn't help but laugh out loud at her sheer awfulness: when she swings a little girl around by the pigtails (simply because she hates pigtails) and tosses her over the fence and when she forces a greedy little boy to devour a massive chocolate cake as punishment for stealing some of her chocolate cake.
Miss Trunchbull wears rugby socks, fingerless gloves and carries a riding crop which, together with her penchant for shot put, javelin and the hammer throw, suggests there might be some questions surrounding her sexuality. She loves chocolate but hates snakes, newts, black cats and ghosts. Matilda uses this information to get revenge on her for terrorizing children and for murdering Miss Honey's father and taking his money.
Harry Wormwood (Danny DeVito)
Harry is Matilda's father, a crooked car salesman who loves gaudy suits. He doesn't appreciate his daughter's uniqueness and intelligence, forcing her to watch television instead of reading. Matilda does get back at him by filling his hair oil bottle with bleach and super-gluing his hat to his head.
Zinnia Wormwood (Rhea Perlman)
Zinnia is Matilda's mother with badly dyed hair and over-the-top make-up. She loves bingo and TV and believes a girl should find herself a good husband (like she did!) instead of getting an education. She also loves spending money. She too does not understand her daughter and happily signs away her parental rights to Miss Honey at the end of the film.
The story has many wonderful timeless lessons:
⦁ We all have an inner strength that we are often not aware of.
⦁ Sometimes it takes adversity us to understand our strength and resilience.
⦁ We can rise above our circumstances even when things seem hopeless.
⦁ In between all the Miss Trunchbulls, there are kind people who make the cruel world that much
more bearable.
⦁ Some people should not be allowed to have children.
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