WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

US, 1971, 100 minutes, Colour.
Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum, Roy Kinnear.
Directed by Mel Stuart.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is based on the children’s novel by Roald Dahl. Dahl himself adapted his story for the screen and wrote the screenplay. Audiences can now make comparison’s with Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – and estimate how faithful it is to Dahl’s story as well as comparing it with Dahl’s own version.

The film is a modest production but done with great verve. Gene Wilder is a cheerful Willy Wonka – although a touch authoritarian in his treatment of the bad children. He is not ambiguously eccentric as the performance of Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. Jack Albertson, who had won an Oscar for best supporting actor for The Subject Was Roses in 1968, is a genial Grandpa Joe. Peter Ostrum is Charlie. This was the only film he made (and after retiring from the screen and studying he became a vet). Roy Kinnear leads a cast from both the United Kingdom and the United States. Tim Brooke-Taylor? as an uncredited cameo appearance as a computer expert.

The film is set in the United States. However, voices are mixed with accents from both sides of the Atlantic interchangeable. The film also creates an eccentric town, especially where the Bucket family live in poverty with the two sets of grandparents perpetually in bed, the family hungry and depending on Charlie’s paper round. By contrast, the Wonka factory is lavish, with bright and colourful sets, inventive technology. The Oompah Loompahs also appear – and sing their song.

The film traces the story of children trying to find the five golden tickets for the tour of the Wonka factory. The children who find the tickets are obnoxious – but, with their obnoxious parents, get their comeuppance during the tour. They contrast with Charlie and Grandpa Joe – which means that Charlie is given the ownership of the factory at the end.

The film has a musical score by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse (Dr Doolittle, Stop the World, I Want to Get Off, The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd). There are some favourites, especially ‘The Candy Man’.

Direction is by Mel Stuart. Stuart had begun to direct films in the early 1960s and worked especially in television. Around this time he made a number of small-budget films including If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, I Love My Wife and One is a Lonely Number. He continued working in television into the early years of the 21st century.

Other films from Roald Dahl books include The Witches and Matilda.

1. An entertaining film for children? For the family? The blend of realism – and the exuberance of fantasy?

2. Roald Dahl, his books, his reputation, delight in fantasy, the dark side implied in the stories? His being on the side of the children – good children – and critical of adults?

3. The town, the blend of the British and the American? Its appearance, the small town? The Bucket family house and its poverty? The dinginess of the town? The contrast with the international search for the golden tickets and the glimpses of Germany and other parts of the United States?

4. The contrast with the Willy Wonka factory, the big iron gate, the outside appearances? Inside, the various corridors, large and small, narrowing? The various locations for the making of the sweets – and the elaborate technology, colourful? The special effects? The world of the Oompah Loompah’s? The stunt work, especially for the children, disappearing, changing colour, floating in the air?

5. The musical score, the range of songs, ‘The Candy Man’, ‘Cheer Up, Charlie’, the songs of the various children? And the popular song of ‘Possibilities’ sung by Willy Wonka? Its being the background theme of the film?

6. Charlie, a nice boy, with his friends, at school, the eccentric teachers and percentages? The sweets, the Wonka factory? The mystery about the factory?

7. The announcement of the competition, the golden tickets? The worldwide frenzy? The media and the commentary? The fat boy in Germany and his parents? The demanding English girl? The selfish American girl and her pushing around her parents? The boy with the gun and the attitude of the west? The fraud in Paraguay? The contrast with Charlie? The visualising of the search, people auctioning the chocolate bars? The worry about Mr Salt and his employing staff so that Veruca would be pleased?

8. Charlie, the comfort of his mother and her song? His bond with his grandparents? His resignation? His paper round? The finish of the competition – and his listening to the family talking about his disappointment? His finding the money, buying the bars, the second bar after devouring the first? For Grandpa Joe? Getting the ticket?

9. The sinister presence of Mr Slugworth, talking to all the children? His bribe to Charlie to give information so that he would not go out of business? The pleasant irony that it was revealed that he was actually working for Willy Wonka and that Charlie passed the test?

10. The build-up the tour, Willy Wonka emerging and somersaulting from the factory? The press and the crowds? The children going in? The glimpse of the children: Veruca and her wanting everything immediately, Violet and her pushing everybody around, Mike Teevee and his evocative name, watching his programs, with his gun?

11. The presentation of the parents, Veruca’s father and his being dominated by his daughter, wanting to get her everything, for peace and quiet? Mr Beauregard and his selling of cars and the American car salesman style? Mrs Teevee and her protectiveness of her son? Mrs Gloop and her urging her boy not to eat too much? The contrast between Mrs Bucket, Grandpa Joe and the other grandparents with Charlie?

12. The corridor, the signing of the contracts? Augustus and his disobeying the rules, falling into the chocolate? His disappearance after being stuck in the pipe? His mother going after him? Violet and her continued demands, eating what she was told not to, tasting all the meal, going blue like the blueberries and inflating, her father concerned about her? Veruca and her falling into the garbage pit, her father trying to save her? Mike, the camera, being transferred by camera – the demonstration with the chocolates, his demands, his going into the television set and his mother’s concern? Charlie and Grandpa Joe and their drinking the drink, their floating in the air, burping to get down – and Willy Wonka holding this against them at the end?

13. The Oompah Loompahs, Willy Wonka’s story about rescuing them, their working in the factory, rolling out all the children? Their song? “

14. The finale, Willy Wonka assuring Charlie and Grandpa Joe that the children would not be harmed but had to learn their lesson? His severity in comments about them? His quoting Shakespeare and other classics? His being stern with Charlie – and Grandpa Joe urging Charlie to go back, his being happy, the revelation of Mr Slugworth? Giving the whole factory to Charlie?

15. The musical score, the songs, their insertion into the film?

16. A cheerful fantasy – with some moralising about parents’ attitudes, about adults, and about badly-behaved children?