Besides Crazy, Stupid, Love, I didn't get the chance to watch any movies over spring break (probably because I was too busy marathoning Buffy the Vampire Slayer...). However, on one long car trip, I explained to my mother the plot of just about every Roald Dahl book I've ever read. Though my captive audience didn't really appreciate my detailed descriptions of Mr. Dahl's wicked genius--in fact, she bemoaned the fact that she'd bought me such twisted stories in my youth--it got me thinking about some of the film adaptations of his books.
Matilda is probably my favorite movie ever and certainly the one I've seen the most times. Based on the book by the same name, it's about a preternaturally clever girl who develops superpowers. Since I was just four years old when I first watched Matilda, it's the only Roald Dahl adaptation that I saw before reading the book; this might be why it's one of my few exceptions to the the-book-is-always-better rule.
I've yet to watch either of the Charlie and Chocolate Factory adaptations, if only because I just find them too creepy. The 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder, seems to do this unintentionally, but the 2005 Tim Burton version strives to create an unsettling film. Although Roald Dahl's books do often contain elements of the macabre, this particular book was rather upbeat and sweet (pun-intended) compared to the others, so I'm not sure why the film-makers chose to take their adaptations in the directions they did.
I've yet to see the 1990 movie version of The Witches (which is extremely terrifying and would be well-suited for a Tim Burton take) or the animated The BFG. On the whole, though, I've a feeling that (with the exception of my beloved Matilda), Roald Dahl's genius isn't well-translated to the big screen.
What about you: are you a Roald Dahl fan? Do you like the film adaptations of his books?
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