Tuesday, August 30, 2016

My Experience With... Willy Wonka (and Charlie) and the Chocolate Factory



This is gonna be a rough one, guys.

I know I'm posting earlier than usual (Tuesday rather than the usual #Fridayly), but given the circumstances...

Well, America lost Gene Wilder yesterday, due to Alzheimer's complications I know many people may remember many of his other movies (especially those with Richard Pryor), but... I, and I'm sure many my age, rather affectionately know him as the legendary Willy Wonka.

Sorry, Johnny Depp, you're not gonna win this round.
Hey, you still have Capt. Jack Sparrow!


I believe I was twelve when I first saw this film, so I was definitely late on the bandwagon, but I'm kinda glad I was past the "freak-out" age, so I could enjoy all the scenes, even the freaky ones. I've always had a thing for old films and musicals, so this was nothing short of AAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWEEEEEESSSSSOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMEEEEEE!!!!!!!!


The story centers on a young poor boy named Charlie (played by newcomer Peter Ostrum), who lives with his mother (a launderer) and his four grandparents, all bedridden. He goes to school, then works a newspaper route to help increase the family income. Because of his destitution, he cannot buy such delights like candy, like the other kids, much less the latest Wonka confections. On his way home one day, a mysterious tinker tells him just a little bit about the factory... in verse. Whatever. It kinda spooked me a bit, albeit appropriately so. Charlie runs home, and presents a loaf of bread he purchased with a raise he received, giving the remainder of the money to his favorite grandparent, Grandpa Joe (played by Jack Albertson),  and later that night, Grandpa Joe tells Charlie about how Wonka shut down at one point at the cause of the evil Mr. Slugworth, then mysteriously restarted, better than ever.

A worldwide contest is then presented for five lucky people to find a golden ticket inside 5 different Wonka bars, delivered around the world. The prize is a lifetime supply of chocolate. Pretty neat prize, really. The first four are found by a German glutton child named Augustus Gloop, a spoiled British daughter of a peanut shelling factory owner named Veruca Salt, and two American children; a girl named Violet Beauregrde, who is the daughter of a used car salesman, and a boy named Mike Teevee, who is the son of... wait, what do his parents do? Ah, well. Needless to say, Mike's obsession is with TV and TV Westerns. A "fifth ticket" was found by some South American casino owner, but it turns out it was a counterfeit. Charlie finds some money in a gutter, picks it up, and decides to at least treat himself. He gets a Wonka Scrumdiddlyumptious bar for himself, then purchases a Wonka bar for his Grandpa Joe. When he hears about the counterfeit, he decides to check the bar for himself. Wouldn't you know it, he found the Golden Ticket! And it was real!

The day arrives for the grand opening of the Factory (first time it was opened to anyone in YEARS), and each child arrives with one parent -- except Charlie. He arrives with Grandpa Joe. Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) himself comes out in the BEST ENTRANCE EVER!!!!!


Again, J.D., not gonna win this time.
Yours was terrifying. I was well into adulthood
when I saw your rendition. Lord Farquaad's thing
was better than that!


They all go into the factory and... you know what? If you don't know it by now, watch the movie. Just, watch it, please! And don't watch it just because the star died, watch it because it is a CLASSIC. This was made back when movies were charming, where musical numbers were more than welcome in cinema! When instantaneous was novel and exciting, and UNEXPECTED! Watch it for the whimsy! Watch it for the romance! Watch it for the comedy! Watch it for the... yes, the FREAKINESS! Kids used to be used to getting freaked out at even the tamest of movies! I don't necessarily mean Watership Down, either, but I'm gonna guess it's a pretty close second!

*Sigh....* Well, that saved about 2 hours of writing. I need to find that tape... and watch it again... Maybe I'll learn that "Pure Imagination" song.

Here, listen to the soundtrack!



I didn't read the book until years later. I somehow never encountered it in my studies, plus between James and the Giant Peach (book) and The Witches (book & movie), Raold Dahl left a bitter taste in my mouth. What I appreciated was the fact that he was personally involved in this adaptation, which was really a full-length film advertisement for the actual Wonka candy bar, which did not sell well, due to how quickly it melted. The film lived on, though, and that's what matters. The book was pretty cool, too. I haven't read its sequel, but I might put that on my "To-Do" list. And please, nobody make the sequel! Sequels themselves are rarely good (save the Toy Story series), and film adaptations are rarely good (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a MAJOR exception), so the combination would be horrendous and if you decide to make it, may you and your movie suffer a fate worse than the film JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS!!!!

That is a harsh curse, but it has to be said.

The film that came out years later was... strangely somewhat palatable. I don't necessarily like it or hate it, but... it was somewhat watchable. It was still mysterious and, in my opinion, truer to canon than the original film. It just.... didn't work. Sorry. The Oompa Loompas' songs were pretty cool, though.

There you have it. An amazing film, a great book, and a barely mediocre film review. Obviously, I like the original film best. And you should watch it if you haven't already. If you have, watch it again!

While I'm not particularly a fan of or attached to Gene Wilder, the Willy Wonka memory lives on... *sniff* I have a... food... in the oven.... I gotta go!



*Runs away, then back*

Who's your fave celeb, now... deceased? Do you wish you could've... met... him/her?

*Runs off in tears.*

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