Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Amazon.co.uk Review
Having proven itself as a favourite film of children around the world, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is every bit as entertaining now as it was when originally released in 1971. There’s a timeless appeal to Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel, which was playfully preserved in this charming musical, from the colourful carnival-like splendour of its production design to the infectious melody of the “Oompah-Loompah” songs that punctuate the story. Who can forget those diminutive Oompah-loompah workers who recite rhyming parental warnings (“Oompah-loompah, doopity do…”) whenever some mischievous child has disobeyed Willy Wonka’s orders to remain orderly?
Oh, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves … it’s really the story of the impoverished Charlie Bucket, who, along with four other kids and their parental guests, wins a coveted golden ticket to enter the fantastic realm of Wonka’s mysterious confectionery. After the other kids have proven themselves to be irresponsible brats, it’s Charlie who impresses Wonka and wins a reward beyond his wildest dreams. But before that, the tour of Wonka’s factory provides a dazzling parade of delights, and with Gene Wilder giving a brilliant performance as the eccentric candyman, Wonka gains an edge of menace and madness that nicely counterbalances the movie’s sentimental sweetness. It’s that willingness to risk a darker tone–to show that even a wonderland like Wonka’s can be a weird and dangerous place if you’re a bad kid–that makes this an enduring family classic. –Jeff Shannon Amazon.co.uk Review
Starring Gene Wilder in the title role, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory may not be the most faithful Roald Dahl adaptation to hit the big screen, but there’s a strong argument that it’s the best. Even Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, with their 2005 release Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, couldn’t come close to this 1971 musical version.
Even nearly four decades later, it’s a surprisingly dark yet ultimately utterly joyful film, as Charlie Bucket finds his golden ticket and gets to join four gruesome children on a tour of the factory of the film’s title. What’s more, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is packed with toe-tapping, memorable musical numbers, a terrific cast of young performers, and a memorable lead performance from Wilder. His Willy Wonka is a complex creation, veering unpredictably between likeable and quite sinister. And it’s a performance that sticks in the mind long, long after the credits have rolled.
The Blu-ray release sadly doesn’t present the copious extra material in high definition, but the main feature has benefited from a solid improvement. It’s a bright, colourful and imaginative film for long periods, and the transfer work is up to the job. There are moments where the material shows its age a little, but this is a good upgrade from the DVD edition, and the picture and audio both show genuine improvements. It’s also the finest way to own what’s undoubtedly the best version of the book to make it to the big screen to date. As fine an actor as Johnny Depp is, his Willy Wonka simply doesn’t hold a candle to Mr Wilder’s…. –Jon Foster
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of the all time classic children’s’ films ever made and even after some 30 years since its original release, this version remains as fresh, as bright, as delightful and as exciting as ever.
It’s the classic tale of the poor little boy who makes good when deprived Charlie Bucket finds one of only 5 golden tickets hidden inside bars of famous Wonka chocolate. The tickets give the winner entry for the day into the fabulous and top secret Wonka chocolate factory and to meet the even more famous inventor Willy Wonka. Charlie joins the other 4 finders of the golden tickets, a motley crew of horrible children of varying bad habits, for his wonderful day out in WonkaLand.
What I really like about the film is the trip around the factory is just a real visual delight around every corner with its madcap inventions, chocolate river, crazy machinery and absurd take on everyday life.
The other thing I really think the film does well is that it has an almost sinister side to it. Willy Wonka himself is not the friendly old uncle he seems at times, at moments he turns on the children and positively scares them to death. The Oompa Lumpas are also not the cuddly cute little men they first seem and I’m sure they have induced many a childhood nightmare. I think this element is good as it stops the film becomes to sickly sweet and keeps the action on edge.
I think the final word can be that I remember this film delighting me as a child and when my own children watched it recently they too were totally taken into the story and watched entraced for the duration.
Rating: 4 / 5
This was one of my favourite films as a child and now, many years later, is a favourite of my own small children. The colour, imagery, songs and wicked humour stay in the mind long after watching. The moral content (if you are very rude/greedy/selfish etc.., you get your comeuppence in the end) is as relevant today as it’s ever been. Even though the ending differs slightly from Roald Dahl’s book – Charlie is not as faultless in the film, but redeems himself with his honesty – the story is as enjoyable and heartwarming as they get.
Rating: 5 / 5
Both the book and the movie are fantastic but there are differences naturally, even so, i think that the film stays close to the book fairly well making this movie simply fantastic.
No matter how many times it appears on T.V i’ll always watch it. The songs are great (both from normal people and ompalumpas!), the scenery from Munich is beautiful and the actual chocolate factory brings to life the fantastic places and adventures that the book contains.
The actual character of Willie Wonka, is a great one anyway but to get Gene Wilder to play the part was a stroke of genius. Some argue that Wilder overdoes it and is a bit too crazy but Wilder has simply brought his own personal style to the role.
The children are as horrible as Dahl intended, ranging from Mike Teevee, the tele addict to spoilt brat Veruka Salt. To balance this we have the great Charlie who is still wholesome even in the face of extreme poverty.
All the family will love this DVD, the very fact that it is still a hit today, shows that it is a true classic!
Rating: 5 / 5
First of all, I would consider importing the US version of this movie as it come in a special book type case complete with stories and colour photos.
The slight downside of this release is that all the extras are taken directly from the last DVD special edition. While this in itself is no bad thing, the resolution is still SD, so the quality does deteriorate especially when playing the sing-a-long feature.
The movie itself transfers to Blu-Ray very well, especially with it’s 70’s style psychedelic boat segment and the eye popping colours really jump out of the screen. The presentation is 16:9 widescreen so makes use of the whole screen (HDTV). The Dolby TruHD audio is nothing to write home about.
Rating: 4 / 5
My daughter asked me to rent this after seeing the 2005 version of the same story at the cinema. I must admit I remember watching this one as a child, and cringed thinking that it would be cheesy and dated and incomparable. I was wrong, there is a lot of depth and clever writing in this version of the screenplay, and it captures the spirit of the original book by Roald Dahl very well. My daughter loves this version too, and I think there is room in the cinema world for both versions. Who is the best wonka? Wilder or Depp? Everyone has their favourite but the point Im trying to make is that just by being able to compare the two means that this original film still stands up well in todays hi-tech film world.
Rating: 5 / 5