Willy Wonka Double Feature
Willy Wonka Double Feature
In 1964 author Roald Dahl wrote his novel Charlie and the Chocolate factory, which became a popular novel among children everywhere (sadly this was a book that I never got around to reading myself). Several years later the book found its way into the hands of film director Mel Stuart's daughter's hands, and she gave the book to her dad and said that he needed to make a movie of the novel, and that would lead to the 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which would go on to be a film that is still loved by viewers of all ages even today, and even lead to a remake in 2005 by acclaimed film director Tim Burton, and would star Johnny Depp.
The story of 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is interesting, the film was co-produced by Quaker Oats, the popular breakfast cereal company. Quaker Oats had a candy company in Chicago, called Breaker Confections (later renamed to the Willy Wonka Candy Company), and they were looking for a marketing tool for a new candy bar, and producer David Wolper convinced them to buy the rights to the Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The candy bar would be renamed the "Wonka Bar".
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was directed by Mel Stuart, with a screenplay by Roald Dahl, however David Seltzer was brought in to do a rewrite of the script. Seltzer would go uncredited for his role as a writer, however to the chagrin of Roald Dahl, Seltzer would make major changes to Dahl's script. The changes that were made would ultimately lead Dahl to disowning the film, although to be fair the reason Seltzer was brought in was because Dahl was failing to meet deadlines, and it became necessary to bring in a second writer that could get things done on time so that the film could be made on budget. Another interesting thing I wanted to point out about the script is that the ending originally was simply "Grandpa said yippee", which the director realized wasn't an ending, and that there needed to be a real conclusion to the film, so he tried to track down Seltzer to write an ending to the film. Seltzer was on vacation at his cabin on a remote lake in Maine, he was out fishing, and the only phone in the area was a pay phone on a tree, and he just happened to hear it ringing, and came up with the ending on the spot, on a pay phone attached to a tree in rural Maine. I like that there is a Maine connection in the film.
Willy Wonka was distributed by Paramount in 1971, and later re-released on DVD by Warner Brothers. On a budget of $3 million the film had a disappointing box office gross of only $4.5 million, however though it wasn't a box office success, it was however a critical success upon its release. The film would later go on to be a beloved cult classic. The film received unanimously positive reviews from the critics, and even today holds over a 90% rating on film review sites like Rotten Tomatoes.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory stars Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket, Jack Albertson as Charlie's Grandpa Joe, Julie Dawn Cole as Veruca Salt, Roy Kinnear as her father Mr Salt, Denise Nickerson as Violet Beauregarde, Leonard Stone as her father Mr. Beauregard, Paris Themmen as Mike Teavee, Nora Denney as Mrs. Teavee, Michael Boellner as Augustus Gloop, and Ursula Reit as Mrs. Gloop. Charlie's family are Diana Sowle as Mrs. Bucket, Dora Altmann as Grandma Georgina, Franziska Liebing as Grandma Josephine, and Ernst Ziegler as Grandpa George. The film had a great casting, especially with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, though that is another reason that Roald Dahl hated this film, he was very adamant about getting Spike Milligan for the role. Wilder brought this amazing and interesting depth to the character, the character feels like he is struggling emotionally, and even though he seems whimsical there is this depth and sadness to him as well, and i think that is part of why the film works so well. The children are all absolutely amazing and played their roles very well and convincingly. I also loved Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe. Overall the film had a great cast, that helped to create a memorable film. Also according to Wilder and the crew all of the kids were delightful to work with, other than Paris Themmen who was "a handful" according to Wilder.
What this movie also does very well are the beautiful sets that were created for the film. The tone of the film however is as complex as the character of Wonka himself, because though this is a "family" film, it is definitely not a typical "kids" movie. There is no fake Disney family film crap going on in this film, this is an adult film that is accessible to kids, rather than the other way around. In speaking of the tone of the film, there are elements of family film, there elements of comedy, there are also horror movie elements in places. The boat ride scene (which was cut from some versions of the film) is honestly a terrifying scene, I remember it scared the crap out of me as a kid, and to this day it still creeps me out, the deadpan and then maniacal delivery of Wonka's lines in that scene are very effective, and creates a truly terrifying scene. There are also drama elements in the film as well, especially in its conclusion. What this film especially does well is a warning and reminder to kids, that there are consequences to shitty behavior, as each of the kids goes through a trial, that they lose because of their characters bad characteristics (greed, gluttony, boastful pride, and selfishness), each child's punishment teaching a morality lesson.
I love this film, it is an amazing classic, that I loved as a kid, and has aged very well. I understand that it differs quite a bit from the novel, to the point that the author hated the film, however to look at it as its own work, this is a wonderful film, great acting, great sets, memorable dialogue and imagery, beautiful music and musical scenes, just an overall great film. This is definitely a must see film, and if somehow you have lived you life and not seen this film, then I highly recommend tracking down a copy and checking it out, this is a film that everyone should see in their lives.
2005 would see Dahl's classic novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory again reimagined into a film directed by Tim Burton. The plans to release a new film adaption of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory started in 1991, and with the Dahl family estate having more control, which caused the process to take until the mid 2000's. Many directors, and actors were attached to the film throughout the years, and it wasn't until 2003 that Tim Burton was brought on. Tim Burton brought on Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and he also brought John August on to write the script for the film. Burton had the support of the Dahl family estate, and he aimed to make a film adaptation that was closer to the spirit of the novel, and according to the family he did just that (again I have not read the book myself).
The film was produced distributed by Warner Brothers, and was a box office success, grossing $475 million in the box office, with a budget of $150 million. The film also received mostly positive reviews, and holds a high score on film review sites. Though the film was met with a few negative reviews, and honestly the review you are reading right now is going to be a negative review of this film. I agree with many of the statements in the review by Ann Hornaday in the Washington Post. Normally I am a fan of Tim Burton's films, and also of Johnny Depp's acting, however this film does not work for me in many ways.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory stars Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka (Blair Dunlop as Young Willy Wonka), Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket, and David Kelly as his Grandpa Joe. The other kids were Julia Winter as Veruca Salt, AnnaSophia Robb as Violet Beauregarde, Jordan Fry as Mike Teavee, and Philip Wiegratz as Augustus Gloop. Their parents were Missi Pyle as Mrs. Beuregarde, James Fox as Mr. Salt, Adam Godley as Mr. Teavee, and Franziska Troegner as Mrs. Gloop. Charlie's family are Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs Bucket, Noah Taylor as Mr. Bucket, Liz Smith as Grandma Georgina, Eileen Essell as grandma Josephine, and David Morris as Grandpa George. The film also featured Deep Roy as ALL of the Oompa-Loompas (though Danny Elfman added some vocal work), Geoffrey Holder as the Narrator, and horror film legend Christopher Lee played Willy Wonka's father Dr. Wilbur Wonka. I think the best of the casting are the children, especially with Freddie Highmore as Charlie, I think my least favourite of the casting for the kids was that of Philip Wiegratz as Augustus Gloop (something about him just didn't work for me), the rest of the kids were excellent. I also love all of the actors that played Charlie's family, I feel like they are all really well cast, and fit their roles perfectly. Some of the parents just seemed mediocre at best. What ruined this film for me as far as acting goes was Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, and it isn't because he isn't right for the role, it is just the way that he played the character doesn't work for me, I feel like Gene Wilder played the role in a more realistic way, than Johnny Depp's portrayal.
This film is hard for me because I really did want to like it, I figured if anyone could do Charlie and the Chocolate Factory perfectly it would be Tim Burton, and Johnny Depp should have been perfect, and then if you add to that the fact that Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman was doing the music I had high hopes for this film...but maybe my expectations were set too high. I appreciate that whenever possible they opted for practical effects, and used the CGI sparingly, but some of the CGI effects were terrible, especially the scene with Violet Beauregarde turning into a blueberry. I however hated the way that they did the Umpa-Lumpas, I thought they looked terrible, and I thought the decision to have Deep Roy play all of them was terrible, which isn't anything against Deep Roy as an actor, because he is a great actor. I also hated the music in this film, I appreciate that Elfman made the decision to predominantly use lyrics written by Roald Dahl, however the music and the styles that he used for the songs to me were just terrible and hard to watch/listen to. Then there is Johnny Depp's performance, which is an actor that I usually love his performances, but this one to me was very uncomfortable to watch, and sure maybe it is because to me Gene Wilder is Willy Wonka, and because of how amazing his performance was, it is hard for me to divorce that from my image of Willy Wonka so that I can look at this film as it's own work. I get that this isn't a remake, but rather a reimagining, but it doesn't work for me. I don't know what Depp was trying to channel in this performance, I get that he is trying to play into the backstory of his character that was added to the film, but even for someone with an absolutely fucked up childhood, his portrayal of Willy Wonka is just a little too out there. The normal off-beat, dark, and campy style that Burton and Depp create together, just wears a bit too thin in this film, and it becomes more of a chore than a pleasure for me to watch. Even though the film was a huge success financially and critically, I just feel like it was terrible.
That, of course, is not to say that there weren't things done well in the film, the sets, most of the cast, and even the overall look of the film work really well. I for example love the German Expressionist style Burton used in creating the Charlie's family house, it looks like it would fit in well on the set of the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, or in one of Burton's films like The Nightmare Before Christmas. I'm sure that for many this is an overall great film, but to me it doesn't work, and it isn't a fun film to watch. I do want to stress that I am not criticizing Depp or Burton, I just feel like this is their weakest link in a long history of collaborations. If you haven't seen this film, I guess check it out and make your own judgement, I just feel like there are much better films that I would rather watch than this.
The story of 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is interesting, the film was co-produced by Quaker Oats, the popular breakfast cereal company. Quaker Oats had a candy company in Chicago, called Breaker Confections (later renamed to the Willy Wonka Candy Company), and they were looking for a marketing tool for a new candy bar, and producer David Wolper convinced them to buy the rights to the Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The candy bar would be renamed the "Wonka Bar".
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was directed by Mel Stuart, with a screenplay by Roald Dahl, however David Seltzer was brought in to do a rewrite of the script. Seltzer would go uncredited for his role as a writer, however to the chagrin of Roald Dahl, Seltzer would make major changes to Dahl's script. The changes that were made would ultimately lead Dahl to disowning the film, although to be fair the reason Seltzer was brought in was because Dahl was failing to meet deadlines, and it became necessary to bring in a second writer that could get things done on time so that the film could be made on budget. Another interesting thing I wanted to point out about the script is that the ending originally was simply "Grandpa said yippee", which the director realized wasn't an ending, and that there needed to be a real conclusion to the film, so he tried to track down Seltzer to write an ending to the film. Seltzer was on vacation at his cabin on a remote lake in Maine, he was out fishing, and the only phone in the area was a pay phone on a tree, and he just happened to hear it ringing, and came up with the ending on the spot, on a pay phone attached to a tree in rural Maine. I like that there is a Maine connection in the film.
Willy Wonka was distributed by Paramount in 1971, and later re-released on DVD by Warner Brothers. On a budget of $3 million the film had a disappointing box office gross of only $4.5 million, however though it wasn't a box office success, it was however a critical success upon its release. The film would later go on to be a beloved cult classic. The film received unanimously positive reviews from the critics, and even today holds over a 90% rating on film review sites like Rotten Tomatoes.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory stars Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket, Jack Albertson as Charlie's Grandpa Joe, Julie Dawn Cole as Veruca Salt, Roy Kinnear as her father Mr Salt, Denise Nickerson as Violet Beauregarde, Leonard Stone as her father Mr. Beauregard, Paris Themmen as Mike Teavee, Nora Denney as Mrs. Teavee, Michael Boellner as Augustus Gloop, and Ursula Reit as Mrs. Gloop. Charlie's family are Diana Sowle as Mrs. Bucket, Dora Altmann as Grandma Georgina, Franziska Liebing as Grandma Josephine, and Ernst Ziegler as Grandpa George. The film had a great casting, especially with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, though that is another reason that Roald Dahl hated this film, he was very adamant about getting Spike Milligan for the role. Wilder brought this amazing and interesting depth to the character, the character feels like he is struggling emotionally, and even though he seems whimsical there is this depth and sadness to him as well, and i think that is part of why the film works so well. The children are all absolutely amazing and played their roles very well and convincingly. I also loved Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe. Overall the film had a great cast, that helped to create a memorable film. Also according to Wilder and the crew all of the kids were delightful to work with, other than Paris Themmen who was "a handful" according to Wilder.
What this movie also does very well are the beautiful sets that were created for the film. The tone of the film however is as complex as the character of Wonka himself, because though this is a "family" film, it is definitely not a typical "kids" movie. There is no fake Disney family film crap going on in this film, this is an adult film that is accessible to kids, rather than the other way around. In speaking of the tone of the film, there are elements of family film, there elements of comedy, there are also horror movie elements in places. The boat ride scene (which was cut from some versions of the film) is honestly a terrifying scene, I remember it scared the crap out of me as a kid, and to this day it still creeps me out, the deadpan and then maniacal delivery of Wonka's lines in that scene are very effective, and creates a truly terrifying scene. There are also drama elements in the film as well, especially in its conclusion. What this film especially does well is a warning and reminder to kids, that there are consequences to shitty behavior, as each of the kids goes through a trial, that they lose because of their characters bad characteristics (greed, gluttony, boastful pride, and selfishness), each child's punishment teaching a morality lesson.
I love this film, it is an amazing classic, that I loved as a kid, and has aged very well. I understand that it differs quite a bit from the novel, to the point that the author hated the film, however to look at it as its own work, this is a wonderful film, great acting, great sets, memorable dialogue and imagery, beautiful music and musical scenes, just an overall great film. This is definitely a must see film, and if somehow you have lived you life and not seen this film, then I highly recommend tracking down a copy and checking it out, this is a film that everyone should see in their lives.
The film was produced distributed by Warner Brothers, and was a box office success, grossing $475 million in the box office, with a budget of $150 million. The film also received mostly positive reviews, and holds a high score on film review sites. Though the film was met with a few negative reviews, and honestly the review you are reading right now is going to be a negative review of this film. I agree with many of the statements in the review by Ann Hornaday in the Washington Post. Normally I am a fan of Tim Burton's films, and also of Johnny Depp's acting, however this film does not work for me in many ways.
This film is hard for me because I really did want to like it, I figured if anyone could do Charlie and the Chocolate Factory perfectly it would be Tim Burton, and Johnny Depp should have been perfect, and then if you add to that the fact that Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman was doing the music I had high hopes for this film...but maybe my expectations were set too high. I appreciate that whenever possible they opted for practical effects, and used the CGI sparingly, but some of the CGI effects were terrible, especially the scene with Violet Beauregarde turning into a blueberry. I however hated the way that they did the Umpa-Lumpas, I thought they looked terrible, and I thought the decision to have Deep Roy play all of them was terrible, which isn't anything against Deep Roy as an actor, because he is a great actor. I also hated the music in this film, I appreciate that Elfman made the decision to predominantly use lyrics written by Roald Dahl, however the music and the styles that he used for the songs to me were just terrible and hard to watch/listen to. Then there is Johnny Depp's performance, which is an actor that I usually love his performances, but this one to me was very uncomfortable to watch, and sure maybe it is because to me Gene Wilder is Willy Wonka, and because of how amazing his performance was, it is hard for me to divorce that from my image of Willy Wonka so that I can look at this film as it's own work. I get that this isn't a remake, but rather a reimagining, but it doesn't work for me. I don't know what Depp was trying to channel in this performance, I get that he is trying to play into the backstory of his character that was added to the film, but even for someone with an absolutely fucked up childhood, his portrayal of Willy Wonka is just a little too out there. The normal off-beat, dark, and campy style that Burton and Depp create together, just wears a bit too thin in this film, and it becomes more of a chore than a pleasure for me to watch. Even though the film was a huge success financially and critically, I just feel like it was terrible.
That, of course, is not to say that there weren't things done well in the film, the sets, most of the cast, and even the overall look of the film work really well. I for example love the German Expressionist style Burton used in creating the Charlie's family house, it looks like it would fit in well on the set of the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, or in one of Burton's films like The Nightmare Before Christmas. I'm sure that for many this is an overall great film, but to me it doesn't work, and it isn't a fun film to watch. I do want to stress that I am not criticizing Depp or Burton, I just feel like this is their weakest link in a long history of collaborations. If you haven't seen this film, I guess check it out and make your own judgement, I just feel like there are much better films that I would rather watch than this.
Both of these films, are classics in their own way, and they both (from what I have read) stray significantly from the original novel. They are definitely interesting films, and are both significantly different takes on the classic Roald Dahl novel, and both versions are valid and beautiful works of art. Do you have a favourite of these two films, or did one of them not work for you? Please let me know in the comments.
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