From Page to Screen / Vom Buch zum Film

Consequently, as opposed to what happened to the treatment of violence against children, punishment on adult characters becomes even more obvious in the film. This factor may make the result less politically incorrect, but it definitely helps perpetuate the debate about whether the protagonist should be considered a knight in shining armor or a little bully with an angelical face. The purpose of this paper is not to side with either one or the other standpoint, but to underscore a decision that, in our view and to a certain extent, clashes with the traditional parameters of the family film. As stated in previous sections, this genre tends to convey a very clear distinction between good and evil, and Matilda , the motion picture, blurs this line by featuring a protagonist that, at some points, mirrors the behavior of the villains she is allegedly trying to fight.

Since section 2 illustrated the struggle between the film industry and the will of the author and his family regarding the approach that Matilda, the motion picture, should follow, it may be interesting to conclude this paper by listing the points each party scored in this competition. At one end, Hollywood’s hand can be seen in decisions regarding the setting of the story, the abridged, less Dickensian past of Miss Honey, a brighter and less wistful ending, or in the fact that physical violence against children is somewhat backgrounded as the film foregrounds punishment on adult characters like Miss Trunchbull. As for the protagonist, the different use and relevance of her magic powers together with the addition of a short list of funny episodes triggered by her actions stand out as the main concessions to the film industry standards.

Nevertheless, team Dahl also got numerous victories in the movie-making process and the final product. At some points, the film is so close to the book that dialogues and narration practically overlap, and the characterization of main and peripheral characters has been profoundly respected. Besides, the core topics Dahl’s novel addresses are still there to be seen and analyzed by insightful spectators, and so is, even to a greater extent, the questionable behavior of the protagonist in certain scenes.

All things considered, our initial assumption has been only partly confirmed. The context of production and the multifarious contexts of reception have probably been decisive for choosing the setting and the introduction of American cultural references instead of British ones. In like vein, certain decisions (the increased relevance of magic or the modifications in the ending of the story being perfect cases in point) have helped tailor the motion picture to a more familial audience and to the age rating label which the producers were probably pursuing. However, other traits present in the movie somehow flout the parameters the audience may expect a family film to follow. Hard scenes (at least for a PG-rated motion picture) are maintained and most of the protagonist’s controversial actions are there for viewers to judge. All in all, Matilda may have moved to the United States, but she took heavy luggage with her and left few things behind.

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