Matilda ~ Lost in Adaptation

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How closely did Danny DeVito stick to Roald Dahl's book in his 1996 adaptation of Matilda starring Mara Wilson?
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[@Dominic-Noble]

I was not kidding about Pig. I'm genuinely trying to save you guys from getting really disturbed and feeling sick for the rest of the day. Please don't look it up.

[@MinimalistTheatre333]

I always wondered when you were going to make this review. I have waited years and I am finally happy. As a distant relation of the late Roald Dahl, I am overjoyed that you were respectful and polite throughout the review. Don't worry about Pig. I read that years ago.

[@brunobaerlepups6269]

I read Pig in 11th grade... kinda liked it actually, but the imagery never leaves you...

[@george3660]

You cant stop me!

[@tayloredwards4968]

Are you going to review the musical and the other movie

[@eldysparrownest9164]

There's also the option to stop excusing the horrendous reality of the meat industry. As long as there is demand for animal corpses and secretions (meat, milk, eggs...), all the horrible, traumatising things will keep being done to the animals. Going vegan is now easier than ever before. What's preventing you from minimising suffering and no longer funding the abuse, torture and killing of innocent beings?

[@Eloraurora]

One of the things I love about movie Matilda is that all the steps she takes to escape her neglectful family are entirely mundane. She has superpowers to combat her particular supervillain, but she found the custody forms at the library. It's a special little piece of practical empowerment mixed in with the power fantasy.

[@heavenlyarianator6335]

What a good point

[@coyoteartist]

That's one thing I love about it too. She knows that ordinary things can be just as powerful as magic.

[@PS-dm1dq]

It's also very realistic to the mentality of an abused kid that while she may want to punish her parents herself, she still doesn't want them to get caught by the cops, and tries to warn her mother, even though she knows she wont be listened to. She actively takes steps to protect her father, even though he treats her like a dog turd he stepped in. Kids in that kind of situation often still actually love their parents, even as they hate them.

[@Anman999]

Guess it's like they say, "The simplest solution is the best solution."

[@AnnekeOosterink]

I mean, one of her superpowers is her intelligence and resourcefulness.

[@mollywantshugs5944]

Just read a synopsis of “Pig” out of curiosity, and had 2 reactions: 1. The first half depictsing a group of police officers being trigger happy psychos who are given a slap on the wrist for shooting an innocent couple in cold blood is shockingly close to something that could actually happen in the US 2. The later part went from 0 to 100 really suddenly

[@trinaq]

Mara's mother died from cancer during the making of this movie, and Danny and Rhea, who played Matilda's nasty parents, were very supportive of Mara throughout the shoot. Danny later told Mara that her mother had been able to see a cut of the final film before she passed.

[@Dominic-Noble]

Yeah I read about that in her autobiography. Sounds like he's a really solid dude.

[@insertcheesypunhere]

from all accounts, danny was a darling during the filming. during the dance scene, mara was nervous to dance on camera. so danny got everyone to dance. including the cameraman. i have the dvd with behind the scenes on all the stunts and tricks. it seemed to have been a great place to work. during the explanation for the pigtail throwing scene, he was bragging about the young actress being an avid reader. also, the actor who played bruce and the actress playing the trunchbull would practice the cake scene outside of filming, and the boy got to gorge himself on cake.

[@gameb9oy]

@@insertcheesypunhere Danny just seems like a nice guy in general, despite the vibe he gives off in the roles he gets cast for most often. He has true talent, but it’s nice to think Danny in part has kept his career as long as he has because he’s very easy to work with

[@dandelion_16]

@@insertcheesypunhere apparently he didn't like chocolate cake though, or so I heard.

[@TeruteruBozusama]

The industry needs more people like him..!

[@Charliebeth]

I know it's fiction but the thing that always stuck with me is how Miss Trunchball was able to get away with all the abuse she dolled out on the students... This is the aspect of the story that I attributed to be the most terrifying. Not a single parent listened to their child and investigated and not a single teacher reported her, ultimately failing the children.

[@BlueTressym]

Based on my own experiences, that was true to life.

[@PS-dm1dq]

I had already internalized at a young age that authority figures can totally get away with that shit, and that as a kid you cant really expect to be listened to or taken seriously by those in charge. It never would have occurred to me to be horrified by this particular aspect, because the idea that you could complain to one authority figure when another authority figure was unfair was never on the table to begin with.

[@Piccolosaur]

This is part of why Miss Trunchbull is SO over the top - she explains in the book that if she 'just' smacked a child or something, she'd never get away with it, but picking a child up by the hair and yeeting her into the next county? If the kids say anything at home the parents will just be like 'yeah, sure she did'. It's deliberate.

[@BlueTressym]

@@PS-dm1dq Same here.

[@Charliebeth]

@@PS-dm1dq That is precisely what makes it so horrifying...

[@bluebower8237]

"Why are all these women MARRIED??" This line has always gotten a genuine laugh out of me

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

And I think it says an awful lot about Trunchbull that she automatically assumes they must be married to men.

[@ConniJo]

@@imveryangryitsnotbutter I am pretty sure that, at that time, they couldn't have been legally/officially married to women, so I don't think it says much at all

[@juniperrodley9843]

@@ConniJo marry an enby and get around the law, massive brain

[@mischr13]

@@imveryangryitsnotbutter oh, sweetie 😭 it's VERY important to learn LGBT history. whether it's to understand your oppression or simply to be a good ally...

[@mischr13]

@@juniperrodley9843 enbies weren't legally recognized either 😭 what is going ON?! what do you think was happening back then?? like, gay marriage was still 16 years away and it's not like people were cool with that when it happened. I realize you're trying to make a joke but it just shows your ignorance on the matter which is very frustrating, I'm sorry

[@tinejans6826]

I would like to add a small remark: the illustrations in the book aren't Dahl's. They were made by Sir Quentin Blake. He illustrated many of Dahl's books and I do think he deserves to be mentioned here.

[@morningrose1512]

Yes! I was looking for a comment to mention this. Quentin Blake illustrated all but 'The Minpins' of Dahl's children's books as far as I'm aware

[@kaledmasterme]

@@morningrose1512 The Minnie's was re released the other year as "Billy and the Minpins" with illustrations by QB

[@kimberlyterasaki4843]

I do find it massively ironic that Matilda and Carrie have almost the same main character but the target demographics lead to very different stories.

[@Xehanort10]

If Miss Trunchbull had crossed Carrie she'd be dead.

[@MistyWarden]

Matilda at least had an escape in her schoolmates and one kind teacher in childhood. Carrie is what she could have become if things had gone differently.

[@TheatreJosh24601]

I once performed a song from the musical adaptation of _Carrie_ (yes, both of these books have stage musicals). I introduced it with "I'm sure many of you are familiar with the heartwarming story of Matilda, a deeply abused schoolgirl who develops telekinetic powers, and uses them to fight against her abusers. This next song is from _Carrie_."

[@Seal0626]

@@TheatreJosh24601 "Why Not Me"?

[@otaking3582]

And both had Broadway adaptations that couldn't have been more different from each other.

[@pandapendragon3335]

Matilda was my favorite movie as a neglected, bookworm child. I still remember hearing the words "These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone" for the first time at age six and being struck by how much they fit me.

[@dizzydaydreamwishes]

I never thought that Matilda's Powers were created by boredom. I thought that they were created by trauma. And once she began to heal from that trauma they went away. It made sense to me. I always viewed it like it was the magical out for her getting away from her bad situation. Once she was in a better happier place she had no need for them. Kind of a Nanny McPhee thing

[@dandelion_16]

Through a theory of Miss Honey at the end of the book it's implied that it was out of boredom due to her great intelligence. Tbh I also wish it was due to a sense of justice and trauma

[@Fairygoblet]

It was less that she was bored and more that her intelligence wasn't being utilized to its full potential, so all of that built up brain power was manifesting as . When she started being challenged at school, she used her brain power for thinking instead of telepathy. Edit telekinesis not telepathy

[@TSDTalks22]

Those are the same rules Shining operates off of in the Stephen King universe

[@maddiedoesntkno]

@@TSDTalks22 or fairies in fairly odd parents

[@MWhaleK]

I'm pretty sure it was close to outright said in the book that Matilda's powers were the result of her frustration or rather her mental/brain power not having a better/more normal outlet.

[@leafruns7672]

I loved the way they handled the adoption of Matilda in the movie. There was something sincere and heartwrenching in the way the mom especially acknowledged they weren't a good match for her. I don't know, I liked it.

[@imageez]

There's gotta be a fanfic in which Matilda as an adult wanting to reconnect with her old family just to keep in touch but because his father's criminal ways he and his wife becomes difficult to find, and then she met her brother who outgrown his parents way and then have a chat on some diner to catch up.

[@KenjuKizawa]

It was a very kind and soft farewell that overall made me like the mom just a little bit.

[@rebeccamiller9558]

I always respected the mom for signing the paper. Most evil moms won't. That redeemed her for me in the end

[@ChrissaTodd]

@@imageez i did read a fanfic where her and michael catch up

[@ChrissaTodd]

@@rebeccamiller9558 i think it was hinted she was more concerned about matilda because women are supposed to choose looks in her mind and not books also at the start of the movie, they are ranting about how much money everything cost to have her i think the reason or part of the reason in this movie she was seen as a mistake is cause it cost more money to have 2 kids and they never wanted 2 kids for that reason.

[@tamarbeker1701]

"Oh no! That's the consequences of my actions!" killed me

[@leshyaedawnfire]

I have a lot of respect for Mara. She had the courage to leave acting behind to focus on her schooling, and her advice to fellow child actors was "Get out when it stops being fun!" Words of wisdom that I will happily pass on to any and all children I can. Also, this book was part of the Accelerated Reading Program in schools. I read it the Summer before entering 3rd grade, and discovered it ranked as a 6th grade level book! I was so proud of myself!

[@Owain9797]

I think a big part of her courage to do that probably comes from the fact (if I’m remembering what I’ve read of her writing correctly) her parents never pushed her to act and indeed actively discouraged it until it was clear how badly she wanted to do it, and even then were always putting her best interests first So it was always something she only did because she liked it not because she could support her family or let them live vicariously through her

[@trequor]

Good advice for everyone honestly

[@Chibi_Mercury]

​@@Owain9797yeah. i think it wasn't just the courage to leave, she had the chance and choice to. not a lot of child actors get to do that

[@limelantern5637]

"I'm smart you're dumb, I'm big you're little, I'm right you're wrong, and theres nothing you can do about it!" That line from the movie stuck with me so much as a kid but I din't really understand why until I grew up and interacted with authority figures from my childhood as an adult and started interacting with children as an authority figure myself. You realize that "because I said so" usually means that often adults don't really have the answers for why you're wrong, or if they do they're not willing to explain it to you because of how difficult it is to talk to children. It doesn't always make them bad, like Matilda's parents, sometimes it really is just to keep you safe, but it is something you have to come to terms with as you start to see your parents as people.

[@Great_Olaf5]

Excellently put.

[@DrZaius3141]

There are so many facettes to it, though. Sometimes, a subject might be too complex to cover at a certain age ("Don't use slurs because I say so" vs. "Don't use slurs, because even as words, they enforce world views and remind people of how some others - regardless of whether that includes you, the user of said slur - will hate them for who they are, potentially even resorting to violence against them.") or take too much time (Everytime a student asks "why do I need this in life?", there actually is an answer to that, but some of those require a bit of a backstory. Therefore, if you get into the habit of explaining why something is important, your students will catch on and ask it all the freaking time, leaving you with much less time to actually teach something). It is annoying, but the truth is that logical, reason-based thinking only develops around puberty (with some people not at all, amirite?), so explaining yourself is often an effort without reward. It can go even further (harkening back to my first example) when you spend time and effort on "perpetrators" instead of on "victims". Trying to convince hatemongers to not be such horrible people instead of actively helping those that are harmed by their hatemongering can sometimes yield positive long-term consequences, but it may also reduce minorities to being props.

[@Great_Olaf5]

@@DrZaius3141 Thanks for the sermon reverend, I love being preached at.

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

Best example of "because I said so" at work is things like "don't stick that fork in that outlet" or "don't run into the street" or "don't crank the volume dial up as far as you can on the radio"-they really need you to comply first, and ask questions like "why" later, only afterward once you have already refrained from doing it. It's just unfortunate that, often times, grown-ups never do actually get around to explaining the 'why not' even after the child is safe or even after the child is old enough to better comprehend the answer(so then it just ends up seeming like arbitrary denial of curiosity or exploration or such); and others, genuinely don't even have legitimately best intentions either, because some really do just want children to simply do as they're told just because the grown-up says so just because it's what the grown-up personally wants or likes even if it's not for the child's benefit(because some grown-ups legitimately are unnecessarily self-serving &/or controlling). But in the less un-ideal situations, yep - I absolutely agree - it's 100% accurate that "because I said so" isn't always a bad thing, even if children don't always understand why or personally feel like it is until they get older.

[@RosheenQuynh]

I feel this

[@omniscient.nescience]

One interesting thing that wasn't mentioned actually, was the change in Michael (Matilda's brother) In the film he's the stereotypical bullying older brother, throwing food at her etc, whereas in the book he's just a very normal kid. He still gets exited at learning his Dad's trade because he's 10 and crime is cool, but he seems mostly nice overall and waves to Matilda after they leave her behind.

[@intergalactic-loser]

"Because he's 10 and crime is cool" cracked me up ngl

[@elsie8757]

And in the musical he's practically braindead

[@KireiC]

I read the book with my 10 year old within the last couple years, and when Matilda's family was finally leaving and he was the only one who waved goodbye to her, I was suddenly holding back tears. This poor kid, as far as the book depicts, never wished ill on Matilda but just didn't understand her. To calm down I headcanoned that in his teens he started clashing with his parents more, finally saw how crap they'd been as parents and how awful his dad's crooked business was, and left home as soon as he could. I imagined him eventually becoming a actual legit auto mechanic and later getting in touch with his little sister when they were both adults, and reconnecting amicably.

[@lifewithlee6298]

Yeah , I think 🤔 he’s only in the book 📕 to show her dad only likes him because he’s a boy

[@ShizuruNakatsu]

I always find it interesting that in American stories, older brothers are usually assholes. Bullying their younger siblings and just generally being immature evil shits. I've never really known any big brothers like this in real life, and I have three of them. I don't know if that's just an American thing? I've heard that American depictions of schools are pretty accurate, with all the jocks, the nerds, the cheerleaders, the bullies and their idiotic henchman, the fights... Schools here are more peaceful, and people aren't put into categories, they're just people. I've never known anyone who had their lunch money stolen or anything like that.

[@a.arizpe3536]

I'm just out here waiting to see if Dom mentions the fact that Dahl's last words were "You know, I'm not frightened. It's just that I will miss you all so much"... or, at least they would have been, because he then seemed to fall unconscious and then it was decided to give him a dose of morphine to ease his passing and he briefly woke back up as he was receiving the injection. His last words were actually "Ow, fuck!" (Yes, I realize this is not relevant to book to movie adaptations, but it's hilarious.)

[@MissCaraMint]

But very funny. It seems to sum up who he was very nicely.

[@cockycookie1]

This man was a legend

[@jmurray1110]

A controversial legend Still better than savage

[@CroobieLetter]

I particularly liked Dahls opening. It's referenced by DeVito's voice over at the start. He mulls about all the horrid things he'd put in report cards if he were a teacher. He basically criticises parents who think the world of their kids. Then he flips the script and says that it's still leagus better than when parents don't care at all.

[@greythecolour3681]

Ronald Dahl has killed five people and became James Bond has to be the strangest thing I’ve heard in years

[@lyndonwesthaven6623]

Having read Casino Royale, I'm inclined to judge him harder for being friends with Fleming than his body count

[@CRSB00]

rather he *was* the inspiration for James Bond

[@degeneratemilkhater5696]

I thought it was Roald Dahl??

[@cilliancronin6327]

@@CRSB00 Wasn't Christopher Lee the main inspiration for James Bond?

[@lindlekindle]

@@cilliancronin6327 I think it was a mixture of Roald Dahl and Christopher Lee along with others that Fleming fought alongside.

[@ayvamason3448]

This is my favourite childhood book of all time! One thing I find interesting that Dom didn’t mention is how poor Miss Honey was in the book compared to the film. In the movie she still lives quite frugally and in a small home, but in the book they go into a lot of detail about how little she has. She has supplies for tea and biscuits, but that is just about the only food in her home. She has to eat lunch from the school every day and doesn’t even have dinner, she just has tea and coffee to tide her over until lunch the next day. She also has barely any furniture, with 3 flipped over crates being the table and chairs for when Matilda comes to visit. I think this was a really important detail because it shows how immense the Trunchbulls abuse was. I can’t remember if she was severely cutting down Miss Honey’s wages specifically or if that’s a detail I am misremembering, but it still adds another element to how terrible her staff are treated. It also goes to show how much Miss Honeys life changed due to Trunchbulls take over of her families estate and wealth, she literally had to run away and escape her and convince the land owner to let her rent the tiny cottage for very cheap. The fact that she happily chose this life over living in her family home with Agatha just really adds an element to the horror of her abuse to the people around her.

[@DuelaDent52]

Yeah, there’s a good bit Dom didn’t cover here, but it might be because end result is still the same regardless.

[@SarahElisabethJoyal]

She told Matilda that her wages are the same as the other teachers, but Miss Trunchbull has always forced her to sign over her paychecks, supposedly to cover the expense of 'feeding and clothing you all these years' 🙄 She still gets her pound a week allowance and that's literally what she's been living on for years (the rent on her cottage I think is like 50p and the rest goes for food and fuel for her little camp stove). A home life so bad that you would instead willingly choose to live without heat or running water and at constant risk of malnourishment or even starvation is a hell of a thing to put into a children's book.

[@ayvamason3448]

@@SarahElisabethJoyal ah yes thank you! I knew there was an explanation, but I couldn’t remember it exactly so thank you for the details. Honestly it’s Roalds specialty to just put the most psychologically messed up things in a background of his children’s books. It always gave me a deeper appreciation for what Miss Honey went through and her connection with Matilda was so much stronger with those shared experiences of control and neglect.

[@solentsquared6719]

something i love about the musical is how much detail they show her living situation in- the set, if i remember right, is this tiny square with the absolute minimal amount of set pieces in. the song during this scene gets me every time, it’s incredible

[@ayvamason3448]

@@solentsquared6719 was super intrigued about the musical after your comment, finally got to watch the adaptation today after it dropped on Netflix. Thoroughly enjoyed and I have to agree about Miss Honey’s song. Made me cry like a baby.

[@shinyagumon7015]

It's so ironic that Danny Devito plays an absolute nasty bastard in that film while also comforting Mara Wilson and her dying mother in real life.

[@googamp32]

Yeah. It's funny how actors who play absolute slimeballs are more often then not complete saints.

[@BLZ231]

@@googamp32 and, unfortunately, vice versa.

[@googamp32]

@@BLZ231 Yeah... I try not to think about that.

[@alanhilder1883]

Danny Devito often plays villains, but they are almost too Evil ( stretch that word out over 30 seconds or more ), almost cartoonish that you can laugh at him ( knowing he is laughing along with you )

[@osmanyousif7849]

Heroes will be heroes, but who doesn't love a great villain.

[@jliller]

Dom: Dahl was a bit unhinged. Also Dom: Dahl was beaten as a child and suffered brain damage from an airplane crash. Those things seem connected.

[@c.o7993]

Nah They're obviously unrelated

[@strawberrysoulforever8336]

To be fair, Dahl got terrible marks in English at school. A lot of authors do. Jacqueline Wilson constantly got marked down at her school because she used colloquial language, a trademark that made her books so relatable. Some reprints show comments from Dahl's reports about how terrible his work is. School often doesn't appreciate future authors who are as different as RD and JW are from children's authors of their youth. I doubt you can find any pre-Dahl children's book that gets as dark as his stuff does with such terrifying detail. And while JW is not the first agony aunt (Judy Blume definitely came earlier), her language and unafraid-to-be-real books were rather unusual in the 1990s, when she first hit the big time. Not many authors can tackle domestic violence, terminal illness, mental illness, body image, teenage pregnancy, bullying, bereavement, same-sex attraction and still keep it child-friendly. She's even dipping into adult novels now, albeit with an older version of a character written for teenagers over twenty years ago (basically catching up with the age she'd be now).

[@angeldutchess2996]

Its quite the shame that Dominic didn't mention the book's absolutely scathing wit (especially about regular children and their parents- which is so bloody true its sad) in the book's opening chapters- it was absolutely my favorite part because I worked at a school and Roald Dahl captured my feelings on that matter perfectly. "Child C has the same icy beauty as a glacier- but unlike the glacier, she has absolutely nothing below the surface." Cracked me up🤣

[@Justice237]

It’s actually “Fiona has the same glacial beauty as an iceberg, but unlike the iceberg she has absolutely nothing beneath the surface.” But that was a great part of the book too and I adored the way it was adapted into the musical, definitely watch it if you can.

[@angeldutchess2996]

@@Justice237 Thank you- I couldn't remember it perfectly. (I will be picking up the musical when I have the chance)

[@ABeeBearLin]

He also didn’t mention the Parrot Incident…if I remember correctly, she borrowed a parrot from her friend and put it up the chimney to scare her parents…I could be remembering wrong though!

[@Justice237]

@@ABeeBearLin She did, that seems to be left out of most adaptations though.

[@victoria_m13]

when i watched Mathilda for the first time, i related to her character and story so so SO much. growing up being an autistic girl in neurotypical family is quite a challenge that leave a scar of neglecting and isolating trauma. i learned how to read in 3 yo, and have been reading for all my free time (a child has a lot of free time). parents laughed at me when i asked logical questions, calling me “too smart for a girl” (i suffered so much because of this line. cursed myself for being a girl). so - when i first watched Mathilda, i thought “girls can be smart, they can read many books, they can be kind and live happily”. this movie kind of keeps me off the dark side of the power

[@TheoRae8289]

Oh hey someone else who learned to read that young! People tend to not believe me, but it doesn't help that I learned from reading our medical encylopedias at home. 😬

[@michaeliv284]

Shit... if I had an unusually smart child, I'd be showing the little bugger off and trying to encourage said smartness

[@TheoRae8289]

@@michaeliv284 my mother had a hell of an inferiority complex, unfortunately. Which is sad because she was a hell of a lot smarter than she gave herself credit for.

[@victoria_m13]

@@TheoRae8289 hello, young reader fella! 👋☺️ i went on a classical humanitarian road: a lot of myths from different countries, fairly tails from different cultures (in my culture they are not “fairy”, but creepy and dangerous), detective stories (i loved them, especially Agatha Christie), etc. medical encyclopaedia happened to me when i was eight. i didn’t like that experience much, to be honest)

[@kepo364]

Yawn this is another person with victim mentality

[@SanktaLo]

devito’s version hits that perfect sweet spot for adaptations. he really understood the assignment. as a very underchallenged and kind of neglected kid, matilda was one of my favorite films/books.

[@LeBasfondMusic]

I actually think the film is way better than the book because DeVito really GETS it.

[@MissCaraMint]

It’s what happens when the director understands the heart and soul of a book. It happend with Matilda, and it happened with Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings. I would say it happened with Disney’s The Black Cauldron too, though studio sabotage diminished what could have been. Still the heart of it is there. Oh and Howel’s Moving Castle too. Even though the book and movie are so different, the underlying feel is still there. It’s amazing. I understand why both Lloyd Alexander and Diane Wynne Jones liked them. They entirely different, but capture the right feelings, and it’s fascentaing.

[@SanktaLo]

@@MissCaraMint i've always heard howl's moving castle (book) is sophie's perspective and the film is howl's perspective! it's on my reading list so i can see how it compares. that would make an excellent LIA video, if dom hasn't already done it

[@MissCaraMint]

@@SanktaLo Yeah kinda. There is certainly a bit of Howl's self image on display there. He sees himself as way more suave than he really is.

[@TheoRae8289]

@@SanktaLo He did a LIA video on it, but I think it might be on patreon now because of copyright strikes it got hit with here.

[@Fork1]

This movie is so unapolagetically 90s view of the 50s it feels like. It also has that same vibe and colour-palette as Casper and any other Disney originals made in this time!

[@GriffinPilgrim]

It says a lot of about the British school system in the late 19th/early 20th century that so many different noteworthy writers of the time focused on how awful it all was so much.

[@wildste]

You have to remember that school as we know it today only started in the late 19th Century. Until then, pretty much as soon as kids could walk, they were expected to get a job/help out their parents with their job. Even the Factory Act (going off UK law) only prevented it till something like 10 years old. So they were still working out how mass education worked. You could in fact say they are still working it out because everyone learns differently and tests only test how you remember things, not how you apply knowledge

[@mischr13]

The Wall

[@searchingfororion]

And musicians. I could list, but there's just so *many* that were "disciplined" for existing really. Lots talked about it and when reflecting on why they were punished so frequently the only answer they could come up with was "I guess they just didn't like my face."

[@GriffinPilgrim]

@@searchingfororion The way my dad tells it at school he and his friends had a habit of winding up their head teacher without doing anything they could be officially punished for. Interesting sidebar; among my dad's school friends a couple of years ahead of him was Alan Moore.

[@mischr13]

@@wildste I agree we're definitely still working it out. tbh I'd argue that education isn't really the goal anyways, it's to break you into the structure and mold society wants. what other reason is there to tell children they aren't allowed to eat or pee or change their pads because they are "learning". all of those things put a pretty big barrier for learning. (not to mention the beatings that used to happen and still happened at my school in the 90s)

[@kaspianepps7946]

Minor correction: the illustrations were by Sir Quentin Blake, not Roald Dahl himself. It's an easy mistake to make because (as far as I'm aware) Blake did the illustrations for all of Dahl's children's books, so Blake's style is very strongly associated with Dahl's work.

[@MDobri-sy1ce]

I did not realize some of the dark undertones in Matilda until years later. For example, the one part. Matilda: "I don't think Magnus killed himself." Miss Honey: "Neither do I!" Their tone in voice and the way they looked at each other!

[@heavenlyarianator6335]

That was the dark thing you didnt notice? That was obvious. Think about the chokey!!

[@strawberrysoulforever8336]

Both book and movie had Matilda's chalk prank make the assumption that Miss Trunchbull murdered her brother, as the chalk, claiming to be him, threatens to do to her what she did to him.

[@TheSuzberry]

I met Matilda as an adult.

[@fernandaparraguirre5237]

i realized it back then, but in a... very different way somehow. as a kid i saw that scene and thought "OH, she killed him! villain that she is, but Matilda gonna get her"- i saw it as an adult and i remembered it somewhat but my thought was "oh shit, she killed him, she killed her brother in a childrens movie, she killed him and framed it as a suicide, in a childrens movie, and my only reaction to it before was to think 'well, makes sense, shes the bad guy, bad guys kill people', the fuck was wrong with me" 🤦‍♀ oh the simplicities of childhood

[@MDobri-sy1ce]

@@fernandaparraguirre5237 I think my brain just omitted the dark factors because I grew up in a Christian family and was told of the taboo of suicide so I guess kind of selective perception just focusing on the positives of the movie.

[@caraskelton1525]

I actually really appreciated the darker tones of Dahl’s books, and other kids books with more serious or dark topics. A good number of books published when I was in that demographic were far to saccharine, and eventually came off as condescending baby talk in published form. That kind of contents almost ‘censorship,’ of real life experiences made my own struggles alien and wrong.

[@chisomololo8406]

Well, that's what children's books are meant for: telling fun, and simple and innocent stories and conveying simple messages to kids because they are innocent and they want to see fun things in life and the books keep the children entertained and happy so that they don't feel too uncomfortable; they don't have any dark humor like Dahl's books do.

[@paulgibbon5991]

For me, Dahl's books embody the saying "Fiction doesn't teach children that monsters exist, they already know that. They show them the monsters can be beaten."

[@barrie5224]

Surprised you didn't use the Terry Pratchett anecdote about going to interview Roald Dahl and Dahl being awkward until he asked Terry if his family came from Wale's. After saying his wasn't from Wale's, Dahl settled down and they had a lovely chat. Only years later did Pratchett realise that he had been worried he might be related to the sweet shop owner. It's in the new biography which if anyone hasn't read, I can tell you it's a lovely read. Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes

[@mirjanbouma]

*Wales, not Wale's 🙂

[@barrie5224]

@@mirjanbouma lol it auto corrected and my dyslexic brain went "OK"

[@ruthbennett7563]

GNU Sir Terry ❤

[@MtnNerd]

That's hilarious

[@mirjanbouma]

@@barrie5224 it's all good, just wanted to let you know!

[@channelsoup]

I remember in my 6th grade class, all us kids were so excited to see what Dahl book we were gonna be assigned for the term. When we found out we were assigned his autobiography ‘Boy’ we were devastated! Cut to a few weeks later and the entire class was buzzing with how insane this book was and how interesting Dahl’s life was.

[@MissCaraMint]

Oh yeah And it’s not just him. Apparently a lot of sucsessful authors of that age did espionage stuff. It’s fascentaing.

[@jmurray1110]

Yeah I read both of those autobiographical books Not really my cup of tea biographies in general bore me to tears

[@Katie-mb8zj]

As a kid, Devito narrating the movie never really bothered me. As an adult, I now head cannon that the movie is him telling his daughter (played by Mara Wilson) the story of Matilda and her putting her friends and family in to substitute the characters. Can you tell my brain is a little weird sometimes?

[@riverAmazonNZ]

I find it makes the story a little more detached from reality, which is good, it gives it an almost fairytale-like quality

[@sarahr8311]

I love this idea!

[@mischr13]

it's not really that weird. like the fan theory the grandpa in princess bride was Westley

[@becauseimafan]

Reading this, I immediately thought of Wizard of Oz and Dorothy being back home and being all "and you were there! And you were there! And Toto was there!" and whatever. So I gotta disagree with you: I don't think your brain is weird making that connection at all 😊

[@allycat5609]

I actually really like this take! It's sweet!

[@KR-ue1gd]

"Whimsical + macabre" is a winning formula for children's literature because it vibes with a certain stage of child development. When I was a child (and I was a sweet, sensitive child, I swear!), I was fascinated by dark topics like slavery, torture, and medieval executions/punishments. Like many children, I had suffered some pain and injustice, but had no autonomy or responsibility. So I was fascinated by power dynamics and oppression, but I didn't/COULDN'T understand the whole picture, and I generally cast myself as the victim who overcomes through some kind of magic powers, and then squashes everyone. The power fantasy of the powerless rarely has room for mercy or nuance. As an adult, I took charge of my own life, developed empathy to a greater degree (enough empathy to feel for the "bad guys" since I could see them as humans, and could imagine becoming one if pressed), and lost my fascination with dark subjects. Now I can't bring myself to those topics without cringing. I used to enjoy the Home Alone movies, but now I flinch every time the burglars get hurt. So I think Dahl's children's books are brilliant... for kids... but I do have to wonder at the adult mind which is still at that level. For him to be a grown man, and still have both that whimsy and that darkness is disturbing.

[@WhaleManMan]

A quick summary of "Pig" ...... Lexington, an orphan whose parents were killed by the police who mistook them for robbers, was raised by his vegetarian great-aunt until her death. After accidentally trying pork in a diner he goes to a packing house to learn more about meat. There, the small boy is tricked by the workers into being killed, gutted, and turned into meat himself. :)

[@emmanuelboakye1124]

Thank you👍

[@becauseimafan]

... I have _regerts_ ... but I did this to myself, you formatted your comment in a perfect way I had to decide to expand it myself, so thank you! 😊

[@PS-dm1dq]

@@becauseimafan "regrets" 😉 Also, same. I had to be a damn idiot and click Read more. I did not need to know what I just learned.

[@becauseimafan]

@@PS-dm1dq Oh, no, the misspelling was on purpose, lol, #forthememe or #becausetumblr. I usually see it on tumblr or twitter, or in fanfic author comments, to play with the emphasis of the word, but that it's not like a serious life regret. "I stayed up all night researching 16th century pirate ship sail making terminology for this one joke, I have no regerts" for example. And I've seen it a few times in posts about the amazing Scorsese mobster fake movie going around tumblr #Goncharov (like tumblr is a trash website but it's an amazing trash website 😂) I think regerts even made it into a video game title? Yeah, something called "Postal 4: No Regerts" whatever that is (I'm not a gamer, I know nothing about it).

[@mijanhoque1740]

Sweet Jesus that is horrifying

[@markmontgomery3374]

“Oh no, the consequences of my own actions!!” might be the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time

[@redjenny8652]

Worth noting that the original illustrations you mentioned were in fact by Quentin Blake, not Dahl himself! Was a big fan of the childish style as a kid for how much it looked like my own drawings

[@lyndonwesthaven6623]

I love Quentin Blake's illustrations! We had three Dahl books that were covered or illustrated by other people, and it's not remotely the same... He was an amazing style match

[@codao9308]

So glad someone else brought this up! He mentions Dalh's style, but that's entirely being not well done, but it's an entirely intentional choice. Quentin Blake is a cartoon illustrator, and as redjenny noted they end up being an easy style for children to replicate

[@calic.4175]

Thank you so much for mentioning this, Quentin Blake's illustrations added so much to Dahl's books. Without them they just wouldn't be the same to me

[@kirkmt]

I was coming here to say this! Quentin Blake illustrated all of Ronald Dahl’s Childrens books, and also a few of his own. I love his style.

[@rhythmandblues_alibi]

Yes! Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake are such an iconic and perfect pairing. I can't separate Dahl's characters from Blake's renderings of them in my mind, they're just bang on.

[@abdullahiali4885]

Dominic noble: DON'T READ pig by roald Dahl Everyone: read pig by roald Dahl Dominic noble: this is not reverse psychology Everyone: this is reverse psychology

[@LunaWitcherArt]

Things I didn't expect from this video: Dom as *Grown* Matilda Extended ending cutscene Subpar Submissives Representation rant The overall "the movie is actually more out there than the book" conclusion

[@Inlelendri]

If Pam Ferris looks familiar, you have probably seen her in HP as Aunt Marge (the one that blows up) or possibly as Sister Evangelina in Call the Midwife. Now go and find her in The Darling Buds of May (incidentally, Catherine Zeta-Jones' first real role, I believe).

[@SkwithOv]

as a kid i had no idea the dad and narrator were the same actor, i think it works pretty well - he does both roles perfectly - but i guess i can see how that could be confusing too lol

[@izzistockton790]

I have a therory that he repented for what he did

[@MissCaraMint]

@@izzistockton790 I read another one where the idea is thay Danny is reading this story to his daughter, and her and her friends appear as the characters in it. Wizerd of Oz style.

[@pastel-sunrise]

Same. I never noticed until rewatching it as an adult.

[@osmanyousif7849]

One thing I'm surprised was not in the movie was Hortensia's (the character Matilda and Lavender run into) backstory from the book. Seriously, this girl has no filter and while I loved it, you begin to realize that she's a survivor. She was sent six times to The Chokey, in her first term. Twice for a whole day and the other times for two hours each. The first time was because she decided to play a prank on the Trunchbull (I mean, who wouldn't. I would want to put some dirt on that headmistress). She poured syrup on to the seat of the chair the Trunchbull was going to sit on at prayers. As said in the book -- Hortensia: When she lowered herself into the chair, there was a loud squelching noise, and it was beautiful. And when she jumped up again, the chair sort of stuck to the seat of those awful green breeches she wears and came up with her for a few seconds until the thick syrup slowly came unstuck. Then she clasped her hands to the seat of her breeches and both hands got covered in the muck. You should have heard her bellow. But some kid snuck on Hortensia, saw what she did, and ratted her out (She knocked his teeth out later on.), and the Trunchbull sent her to the Chokey for a whole day. The second time she played another prank where she snuck into the Trunchbull's room, while she was out teaching a class. Hortensia searched through her drawers where she kept all her gym underwear, and poured a load of inching-powder, called The Skin Scorcher ("made from the powdered teeth of deadly snakes, and it was guaranteed to raise welts the size of walnuts on your skin..."), on every pair the Trunchbull had. And so when the Trunchbull wore them for gym at school, she started scratching like crazy, only for the scratching to get even worse -- Hortensia: She must have thought she had a wasp nest down there. And then, right in the middle of the Lord's Prayer, she leapt up and grabbed her bottom and rushed out of the room. Hortensia felt she wouldn't be caught, but even then, the Trunchbull gave her a day in the Chokey anyway. Mainly because of the Trunchbull's "nasty habit of guessing". Hortensia was mainly accused because of the syrup prank, despite no proof. And her trip to the Chokey was even worst than before since she suffered so many cuts from the broken glass and nails. Being at that school is basically war, when you think about it. Would love to see one for The BFG. Comparing both the 1989 animated movie and the 2016 live action one.

[@lisafernley3810]

I was annoyed at it being set in America instead of 'a little English village'

[@JadeDolphin22]

I also would love to see a lost in adaptation for both BFGs! Love the animated one so much! The live action…not so much.

[@MissCaraMint]

​@@lisafernley3810 Oh no. We got Pee wee Herman as an incompetent FBI agent because of this. Totally worth it. Besides. It’s better for someone who is adapting a work to do it in a way they know rather than accidentally putting in lots of offensive steriotypes by doing it in a way they don’t.

[@lisafernley3810]

@@JadeDolphin22 me too. I love the cartoon BFG. I watched Christmas 1989/90

[@ChrissaTodd]

@@lisafernley3810 i'm not because idk if i wanna see danny devito try to be british whoch is the way they'd have to do that cause he was playing harry no matter what and his wife was playing zinnia no matter what. I am glad he read the concept and made it american so he didn't do something people would be offended by.

[@trinaq]

Pam Ferris as the Trunchball scared me as a child, she's reportedly very friendly in real life.

[@EmoBearRights]

Most people who play villains are. Emma Thompson who will be playing Trunchball in the film of the musical was according to a nice and nasty celebs thread I used to hang out on in which people talked about celebrity encounters both good and bad - Thompson was the nicest.

[@Megminime]

Well she's also Aunt Marge in Harry Potter. She's good at playing nasty

[@iwakeupandboomimarat]

ive heard that she was worried ab playing trunchbull bc she didnt know if her performance would scare the kids on set but apparently they loved her and werent scared at all lol

[@jacksparrowismydaddy]

most scary people in movies are nice people in rl.

[@gilliandrysdale5306]

didn’t know a lot of that stuff about Ronald Dahl ❤🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@Howlflame]

Pam Ferris was one of the leads in a delightful murder mystery show called Rosemary & Thyme, and it was so good to see her play an actual human being after seeing her as cartoonishly evil characters :D

[@jbcatz5]

She was in a Doctor Who with Mark Williams, playing a character leading a group called the Psychic Investigation Group. Yes, the fact it spells out PIG is brought up. She’s also the love interest for Mark’s character.

[@neonradius]

Can I just say that I kind of love the book detail that Matilda’s powers faded after she was in a better environment? I don’t dislike the movie ending, but as a survivor of childhood abuse, I’ve always had a complicated relationship with the whole “abuse gives you superpowers” trope. What “skills” I got from my abuse often harm me nowadays, and the idea that trauma makes you stronger is a lot more complicated than a lot of fictional narratives make it seem (which I understand, most stories don’t want to be complex commentaries on recovery from abuse). But having Matilda lose her powers, and have that being portrayed as a good or at least neutral thing? It’s something you very rarely see in stories about abuse, and something I really relate to. When I was a teen in an abusive household, I was a lot more productive when it came to chores, school, work, and extracurriculars because of the constant pressure on me and the escapism these rewarded me with. But when I left home, that was no longer the case. I could breathe, I could relax, and I no longer had the drive/pressure to overachieve 24/7. I felt a lot of shame for that for awhile, but a story where the powers associated with abuse go away, and that’s not a bad thing? It really brings me a lot of comfort and the book will always be dear to my heart for that reason.

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

The skit of Adult Matilda using her powers to scare off a creep was 10/10 best gag.

[@rneumeye]

I can't explain why... But I want to see more of "old Ronnie in the pub" in future videos. 🤷🏻‍♂️🏆

[@MsDefectiveToaster]

One of the best movie experiences I have ever had was substituting a third grade class while they watched Matilda for the first time. They were so enthralled. They laughed at every joke. They audibly gasped when Matilda was in danger. It made me enjoy the movie like it was the first time for me too! 10/10 would recommend

[@dowsingelf77]

So glad to see this, I love Mathilda. Fun fact: Ian Fleming was the step-cousin of Sir Christopher Lee, who also went to join MI6 as well.

[@lauracoutinho5478]

It's a precious thing, to have an adult who can truly understand kids. Whatever flaws he had, at least Dhal gave kids the understanding that they crave and need to survive in a world run by adults whose actions seem totally unfair and unprovoked.

[@NextToToddliness]

That scene where the kids spell "Difficulty", with the "Mrs's" always cracked me up as a kid. The Trunchbull's response is beyond hilarious.

[@gracecarpinter8623]

That bit lives rent-free in my head, for some reason.

[@Cheetahgirl_Studios]

“Why are all these women MARRIED?!”

[@RandomGirl.RandamuOn-nanoko]

Mrs D, Mrs I, you're supposed to be teaching them spelling, not poetry. VL

[@MissCaraMint]

And it’s entierly because Mrs has two syllables vs Miss which has only one. It just flows better. Very funny that Trunchbull would pick up on the most meaningless bit of it all.

[@CaptainPeregrin]

I agree - this is definitely my favorite of Dahl's books, probably because the protagonist is an actual character instead of a blank slate. And the happy ending doesn't hurt.

[@guillermopena8412]

Huh. You know, comparing Trunchbull's strength to the Hulk made me realize two things. 1) This story does have an element of the fight between brain and brawn that I never noticed. And 2)...What IF Trunchbull was also a superhuman like Matilda? Where Matilda had telekinesis, Trunchbull had super strength, and neither of them actually realized that they were one of the same?

[@aceofspades9503]

and it turns out their whole world is filled with low level supers, lol- I could kinda dig that as a TV series.

[@gothnerd887]

It would be interesting if Matilda took place in the My Hero Academia universe

[@redroC171]

As much as I love Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (particularly Gene Wilder's performance), this is without a doubt my favorite adaptation of Dahl's works. also that bit at the end with Sir Terry was too adorable for words

[@pinkbutterfly8710]

I wasn’t challenged by my kindergarten curriculum at all and used my telekinetic powers to rearrange the furniture whenever my parents left the room. My mom practically begged the school to bump me up to the first grade halfway through the year so by the time I hit 3rd grade, I was a completely normal kid. Roald’s depiction of this was spot on.

[@ZordaanTelevisioN]

I never found DeVito's narration confusing. The movie flowed beautifully.

[@fikanera838]

The illustrations are by Quentin Blake; love his work.

[@Goatcha_M]

I remember being pissed about the changes/left out altogether from the book when I first saw the movie, but as I got older I quickly realised just how perfectly charming this movie is and the inherent flaws in the book. I love this film, its definitely one of my favourites. And Pam Ferris deserved an Oscar for her role in this.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

Dahl is one of those people who follows a scenario I call.... "The Writer's Revenge." Which basically means when someone is mean to you, you get revenge by writing about them getting karma or brainstorming something that serves as a middle finger to them. 😈😈😈

[@imageez]

Works on writing incompetent adults, not as much when who you are complaining about is a kid chewing gum.

[@MissCaraMint]

​@@imageez I mean Violet Beauregarde?

[@MadameTamma]

Ol' Ronny really turned his life around starting that day. He went on to meet his partner at a BDSM convention and became the kind of sub that Dominic could have used in his joke earlier in the review. They are super happy with each other and support one another in their dreams and endeavors. Also they bake cherry squares on Sundays which they share with their friends.

[@mmgringoire2]

I loved this movie as a kid. Sad to hear about Dahl's unfortunate views on other races and ethnicities. I hope you will consider doing The Secret of NIMH/Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH some time in the future.

[@MissCaraMint]

I’ve always kinda put that down to that brain injury he sustained, oh and possibly PTSD from both childhood and the war. I seems to have otherwise been fairly plesant. My dad was a waiter at a place he regularly visited, and always has an anecdote about him. Not a lot of sucsessful authors would take the time to give their waiter’s writing advice for example. Maybe if he had gotten therapy he would have figured out how wrong he was.

[@callynorris1904]

On the positive side, despite Dahl's antisemitism, matilda has a largely Jewish cast!

[@KireiC]

Seconding Secret of NIMH; it's one of my favorite movies from my childhood. :)

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

Dominic as an adult Matilda in a pub is comedic pure gold! This video made me laugh all of the way through. 😂🤣 Keep up the excellent work, Dominic! 👏🏾

[@anerindreams92]

I read Pig by Roald Dahl. I'd forgotten it was written by Roald Dahl. I'd like to second Dom's advice. Do not read Pig by Roald Dahl.

[@leaffinite2001]

Reading matilda as a kid i thought matildas powers were a metaphor for wasted potential, not boredom. Or at least an expression of her unused brainpower

[@austinhaltiner1489]

I'm so happy Ronnie was able to learn a lesson and start becoming a better person.

[@becauseimafan]

I was about to comment the same! 😁👍

[@PS-dm1dq]

I really do hope he took that lesson to heart like he said. It's never too late to change, Ronnie 🙃

[@helenl3193]

Better late than never, good for him!

[@Grim_Sister]

Fun fact: Dahl is very loved in Israel and considered great teaching tool to children who are starting to learn their letters. The Hebrew translations run smooth and simple without making the kids annoyed or frustrated and the stories are fun enough to encourage them to keep reading. Knowing that he’d hate that just makes it all the sweeter. (Jewish folk love the concept of Davka (דווקא-spite). We do a lot of things because of it

[@KaminoKatie]

That's what I call karma

[@MrKlausbaudelaire]

I don't know how, but the name "Trunchbull" perfectly gets me to imagine violence. Like, the way it sounds and is written, makes me picture "trunchbull" as some sort object to hit soomeone in the head real hard, like a bat. Just thinking "He was hit in the head with a Trunchbull" makes perfect sense to me.

[@habersmashery]

You’re actually dead right. In Dahl’s day, police officers would carry a small club for whacking criminals with (no tasers back then!). It looked, like a short baseball bat, about the length of a forearm, and was called a ‘truncheon’.

[@MrKlausbaudelaire]

@@habersmashery and "Trunchbull" basicaly sounds to me like a truncheon on steroids xD

[@hjt091]

A "knatchbull" was someone who slaughtered cattle in an abbatoir

[@somethingfunny5571]

The new musical movie is my favorite adaption of this story, I don’t even know why

[@bi_cycle]

I googled the plot of Pig. I should've listened. It wasn't reverse psychology.

[@ladyorapma]

"Not even look up Pig by Roald Dahl" Look, when you say it like that I have no other option that google Pig by Roald Dahl. (With that warning and that title the story is basically what I was expecting it to be)

[@doovstoover9703]

It's been many years since I read the book but I'm sure I remember Matilda pulling more pranks on her parents than she did in the film. Wasn't there something about a parrot up a chimney? Maybe I dreamt that

[@dandelion_16]

Nope, you're absolutely right! The musical cut it too.

[@coffeewolfproductions9113]

No I remember the parrot as well, I'm pretty sure it was so that way she could have the parrot repeat the terrible shit her father was saying back at him for shenanigans.

[@insertcheesypunhere]

@@dandelion_16 that was real! she stuffed a neighbor's parrot up the chimney and pretended it was a ghost to terrify her family. when she returned it, it was covered in soot and very angry at her.

[@dandelion_16]

@@insertcheesypunhere yeah I know, I said the person commenting didn't dream it. 😄

[@lyndonwesthaven6623]

Kind of a consequence of the book adding her telekinesis so much later.... It spent *much* more time establishing her as extremely capable of dealing out retribution with regular human abilities. I wonder if part of the reason they toned that down was because they didn't want flack for her role modeling being an agent of chaos in a such a concrete, attainable way?

[@MorriganReads]

I loved this book when I was a kid. I fucking wish being a bored gifted kid gave you superpowers. I also love that the Wormwoods are Matilda’s biological parents. In other stories it’d be like “oh evil stepparents/adoptive parents. Let’s reunite her with her kindly real parents.” No, she has shitty biological parents. They failed her, and she’s perfectly justified in finding people that do appreciate and love her. Too many things are like “your biological family is all you have, you can’t dislike them.”

[@Megminime]

Honestly surprised you didn't include the fact Devito took care of Mara while her mom got cancer treatment and got a rough cut of the movie to her before she died

[@emperordraygon]

Another notable cast member would be one of the cops, portrayed in the film by Paul Reubens, likely better known for his role as Pee-wee Herman in the series of media by the same name.

[@Yardnoc3103]

I read "Boy" in middle school english class (Dahl's autobiography) and yeah he had such a bizarre life

[@SuperSongbird21]

He admitted in later life that he made some of it up, but I don't know which bits (which kind of makes it weirder)

[@richewilson6394]

In an interview Danny DeVito said that he would read the story to his children so I'm guessing that's why he insisted on being the narrator because he wanted to have a legacy for his children to show that he actually did read in the story. Also it seems really hilarious to think that he's countering intuiting his Parenting by having a positive and a negative personality in the same movie.

[@lobski9186]

It's really fucking hilarious how Dahl is the real life James Bond. I love it.

[@shinyagumon7015]

Someone should write a book about James Bond becoming a children's book author.

[@dawnguard6472]

If you’ve not read his kids aimed biography “Going Solo”, give it a go. His exploits in WW2 just add to this image.

[@qwertyTRiG]

He also wrote the screen play for Ian Fleming's _Chitty Chitty Bang Bang_

[@mattrobson3603]

And a fighter pilot, author, inventor. Roald Dahl was the real person that Steven Seagal thinks of himself as. Don't know what Seagal's opinions on Jews are though.

[@MadMikeRyan.]

Roald Dahl and Christopher Lee are both the real life inspirations for James Bond. Ian Flemming worked with them both during the war and they were good friends. Lee was also Flemming's brother in law and he told him some of his stories, though Lee was still very tight lipped about what he did during and after the war. I'm personally looking forward to most of the documents being declassified in 2045.

[@reloadpsi]

That was something that took me a while to notice as a kid: the Chokey being a playground rumour but never actually "appearing" in the book. I saw the movie first, so when I then read the book I was like "yeah the Chokey, that sure is a thing" when Hortensia talked about it, then failed to notice for years that was the last of it :P

[@hazey_dazey]

Omg my family literally just watched Matilda last night. It was one our favorite movies when we were kids 😆 I never realized Danny Devitio was the narrator because his voice was so kind and calm and Mr. Wormwood was...never that lol

[@spiceupyourafterlife]

I can’t be the only one to have had nightmares about Pam Ferris as Miss Trunchbull as a kid, only to grow to love her as an adult. She’s such a fun villain!

[@MinimalistTheatre333]

I always wondered when you were going to make this review. I have waited years and I am finally happy. As a distant relation of the late Roald Dahl, I am overjoyed that you were respectful and polite throughout the review.

[@ninawth]

I used to read Matilda over and over again as a child, because it was so incredibly relatable to me (minus the magical powers). It was a place I could escape into where the abusive authority figures got their just desserts. The last time I reread the book was when I was somewhere in my early twenties, and it made me feel sick. I think I still have my Dutch and English copies, but I can't even look at them anymore. The same with the film, as fun as it was.

[@EnbyGaemer2005]

I remember having my mind blown that my favourite childhood author also wrote the story about a woman murdering her husband with a leg of lamb and then covering it up by cooking and serving it. My English teacher showed us the story in 8th grade.

[@singingsamanthamonique5859]

I also remember reading that in seventh or eighth grade

[@CharlotteMacrickens]

​@@singingsamanthamonique5859 I remember reading it in my English 2 class in my sophomore year in high school

[@IsaacWale2004]

The first 5 minutes of this video was awesome.

[@AriOrSomething]

A new Lost In Adaptation on my birthday? Hell yeah

[@Dominic-Noble]

Happy Birthday!

[@JDM-is-my-name]

Happy Birthday Ari! (if that's your real name 🤔)

[@RachaelTheFirboldDruid]

🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂

[@malaksafa4074]

Happy bday!

[@IsaacWale2004]

One of my favourite book to films adaptations ever.

[@KristopherBel]

That lamb murder story was an incredibly popular episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" thus explaining its cultural cachet. It used to play on TV in black and white glory still rather regularly along side old twilight zone marathons.

[@OlessanYT]

Dom: [generously warning us about Pig by Roald Dahl] me: [immediately opening the Wikipedia page for Pig by Roald Dahl]

[@MDobri-sy1ce]

For me my 'Ms. Trunchbull' was my third grade teacher. She picked on me for being quiet and once I started answering questions always picked on me to answer. The only difference was she thought I was some powerless kid that could not do anything but I had enough and brought it up to the principal more than once. The second time more authority figures stood up for me. I feigned an apology but what I did was right she was abusing her power. Maybe next time she would think twice before picking on a child!

[@hagelslag9312]

The film was so good lol. Looking back at it again, it's impressive. How it was filmed, the compositions, the lighting, the characters, all of it.

[@malcfoy]

This is my favorite movie adaptation of all time!!! It perfectly captures the spirit of the book

[@gamepopper101]

Just a point to make: Roald Dahl didn't do the illustrations, they were done by Quentin Blake. It's great that the film took the effort to replicate his character designs into live action, illustrators don't get enough credit for their part of the book.

[@LyricAiLove]

In terms of children's books, I'd love to see a video on Eloise. I've loved both films since I was a child and Julie Andrews as Nanny is a true bright spot in both movies.

[@caiomaida3630]

I've read a lot of Dahl's books by now (Matilda specifically in three different languages), and... yes, there's some weird as hell stuff in there, especially in the endings (examples down below), but for some reason I still like them a lot. In special, I had (still working on it) a genius complex when I was young, so Matilda was great to read even if my life wasn't nearly as bad as hers. (SPOILERS AHEAD) James just lives in a peach seed in the middle of Central Park for the rest of his life, a young boy resigns himself to only living for a decade because his grandmother also has basically that left, the Twits just fucking wasting away and DISAPPEARING. Wtf Dahl.

[@BankruptMonkey]

I have to say the 90's Witches movie is the only adaptation I've seen where I liked that they changed the ending to them both ending up healthy and human

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

@@BankruptMonkey I actually didn't like that they changed the ending. One because of the "good witch" thing, but also the immensely depressing nature of the mouse boy only living about as long as his grandma had left just resonated with me for some reason. It was so sad, but he found happiness in it... I'm in my 20s now with parents in their 60s, and I have cancer so it's looking increasingly unlikely that I'll outlive them. I can't find any happiness in it the way the mouse boy did though.

[@crem-crem4070]

Hi Dominic Love your videos forever and always! Even when you trick me into telling my entire family that the horrible movie “the room” was based on a book as an April fools day prank Also have you ever heard about Dahl’s dad? He had one arm because he fell off a roof and the doctor his mother called over was drunk as shit and mistook a broken arm for a dislocated arm. Roald Dahl also almost lost his nose in a terrible car crash early in his life

[@symphonyspeed3226]

Matilda has always been my comfort movie as someone who personally not very into movie, something about the child delight of Matilda just really connected with me so I appreciate it even more knowing the behind the scenes of the movie 😊😊

[@vadalia3860]

Can't believe Ronnie got a better character arc in one during-credits scene than some characters in major movie franchises get these days.

[@charlyhavering4960]

I can't put my finger on a specific moment but this Lost in Adaptation is extremly well written and executed it was a blast watching!

[@darthchalupa2485]

I saw this movie when I was kid with my cousins. My older cousins had grown up watching it and my younger cousins and I were watching it for the first time. It's a very happy memory for me.

[@LeRodz]

I loved this movie as a kid, never knew it was an adaptation. Specially one with such an...interesting author.

[@MorganePoney]

"Oh nice, I love Matilda! This is the perfect light-hearted video to unwind after work" 4min into the video: "What the actual f*ck"

[@oathkeeper65]

Good to see Ronnie from the Pub hopefully turning his life around. We love character development.