Matilda the Musical
Director: Matthew Warchus
Year: 2022
Rating: 8.0
I don't know if age has softened me up like an
overused pillow, but I thought that this musical based on a children's book
was marvelous. Of course, it is not just any children's book, but one from
Roald Dahl. Dahl's books for children were unlike any others at the time
- dark, funny, anti-authoritarian and subversive. All of that in this film.
It was a musical on the stage at first and adapted from that for film. It
is inventive and visually a joy to watch with some fairly catchy songs and
likable performances from children and as I have mentioned in other reviews,
children in films almost always annoy me. But not here. I am not sure where
they found these kids - in a wishing well perhaps - but they will charm the
blackness within that comes with living in these times.
Apparently, Dahl had a terrible time at
boarding school, and he unleashes that anger and resentment in this story
of Matilda leading a rebellion against the fascist (Dahl also fought in the
RAF against the Nazis) head mistress of Crunchem Hall. The cruel, psychotic
and formidable Miss Trunchbull whose school motto is "Children are Maggots"
and has a torture chamber. But she meets her match in the small but resolute
Matilda who will take no shit to her or her classmates. In the film she is
played by Alisha Weir and is very good. But even more amazing is Miss Trunchbull
in her Gestapo fashions, wizened soul and crude Ork features. Played to my
surprise as I learned after watching this by Emma Thompson. A wonderfully
exaggerated comic performance. It is directed by Matthew Warchus who has
done very little in film, but a great deal in theater, including this. Interesting,
that someone who staged this in a small space could take it to film and make
it feel so big, so visual.
