Matilda – Questionnaire
(movie by Danny De Vito 1996 based on a novel by Roald Dahl)
1 Answer these questions on the film!
(a) Which people appear in the story?
Harry and Zinnia Wormwood
Michael and Matilda Wormwood
Miss Trunchbull and Miss Honey
Bruce Bogtrotter (chocolate cake)
Lavender (newt)
Amanda Tripp (girl with pigtails)
Mrs Phelps (librarian)
(b) In how far is Matilda exceptional?
knows how to read and write at a premature age (baby – spills spinach on table and
writes her name with her fingers in it – parents don’t notice; adds large numbers
without any help (when Harry lists prices of cars bought and sold); can move things
just by concentration (telekinetic powers; makes the TV set explode; topples over
the glass with the newt; moves Miss Honey’s father’s portrait; Lizzy doll and
chocolate, makes chalk write a warning on the blackboard
(d) Matilda’s father doesn’t want her to read books. Why not? Do you think he is a good
father? Why/why not?
He thinks that reading books is a waste of time. “Why would you want to read.
There is nothing you can get from a book that you can’t get from TV faster.” He is
not a good father because he doesn’t care for/ about her. He neither knows her age
(You are only 4 years old) nor her name (Melinda at the end); He doesn’t appreciate
her as he should; He ignores her abilities and qualities (When Miss Honey comes to
her home to tell her parents about the exceptional qualities of their daughter).
(e) What is her father’s job and which type of person is he?
He is a used car (second-hand ) car salesman; he buys old bangers at a low price,
repairs them using stolen car parts and sells them for unfair prices (he also uses
super super glue to repair broken bumpers; sawdust to make the transmission run
smoothly and rewinds the mileage recorder with a two-direction drill.
(f) What is her mother like?
She a bimbo/tart that is only interested in Bingo, her looks and watching TV; she
looks like a prostitute, very vulgar and cheap; She is very superficial.
(g) What is her brother like?
Michael plays tricks on her; he is like his parents; only interested in watching TV
and fast food.
(i) Who is Miss Trunchbull and what is she like?
principal of Crunchem Hall Elementary School; she is the classic villain ; she looks,
dresses, walks and behaves like a Nazi commander; she is huge, Miss Honey’s
aunt; she took part in the 1972 Olympics as a hammer and javelin thrower.
(j) How does she treat her pupils? Find examples!
her actions are nothing short of (nichts weniger als; geradezu) child abuse; she
throws children out of the window; takes Amanda’s pigtails and throws her off the
school yard like a hammer; she shouts at children, punishes them, locks them in the
chokey, a small room with now windows and nails on the door; her idea of a school
is a school where there are no pupils at all; interested in discipline only; use the rod,
beat the child – that’s her motto, makes Bruce eat a huge chocolate cake because
she blames him for having eaten her chocolate cake.
(j) Who is Miss Honey and what is she like?
Miss Honey is Marcus’s daughter and the Trunchbull’s niece; she lives in a cottage
near her father’s villa where her cruel and detestable aunt resides; she is caring,
kind, patient, understanding, she is a model teacher who tries to teach her pupils to
love, appreciate and understand human beings; she teaches them poetry: “Misses
d, Misses I, Misses f f i , Missis c, Misses u, Misses l l y”; she is under aunt’s thumb.
(k) What is the relationship between the protagonists like?
Honey – Trunchbull: very distant; fears her aunt,
Wormwoods – Trunchbull, relationship is business, In a way they share their
attitude towards Matilda; Harry calls his daughter a mistake, Trunchbull calls all
children mistakes; she wants a tight car because she runs a tight ship; soon she
discovers that her car is an old banger and that she has been cheated
Matilda – Trunchbull: Matilda cheers on Bruce in his efforts to finish off his cake;
she is considered to be fresh meat by the Trunchbull; she wonders what Miss
Trunchbull is afraid of; she is angry at the Trunchbull, makes a glass topple over;
plays tricks on her at home in order to scare her and bring Miss Honey some of her
precious items; takes it out on Matilda, who she locks in the chokey – the apple
never rots far from the tree
Matilda – Honey: love, understanding, appreciates Matilda’s exceptional qualities
(l) Impossible things happen in Matilda. What are they? Write them down. Do you think
they are funny? Do you think they make the story better or not?
Matilda is a genius and has supernatural powers; these powers enable her to cope
with a hostile adult world; and ultimately defeat it; she can move glasses, make her
fellow pupils fly, makes a piece of chalk write threats on the blackboard; it is part of
the story; the bad adults are outrageously, comically bad, so bad that you can
actually only laugh at them because they are a satire of real life; Dahl paints in black
and white; His children are cleverer and better than the adults.
2 Answer these questions beyond the film!
(a) Which do you prefer, watching television or reading? Why?
cinema in your mind; you can create your own world inspired by books; it trains your
mind as you are active; it is more fun than watching TV
(b) In your opinion, is there anything wrong with watching TV? Give reasons for your
answer.
It depends on which programmes you watch; indiscriminate watching is dangerous;
kills your imagination; makes you become a couch potato; passive; can be more
easily manipulated
(c) What is unusual about Matilda’s parents and her life at home? Is your home like this?
Parents usually don’t make their children watch TV and tell them to behave like normal
children.
(d) Mr and Mrs Wormwood are bad parents. Write down five things that bad parents do.
Then write down five things that good parents do.
(e) Why do you think Roald Dahl chose these names? The names he chose give a short
glimpse at the nameholders’ characters e l