Directed by: Mel Stuart
Starring: Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum, Roy Kinnear, Julie Dawn Cole, Denise Nickerson, Paris Themmen, Michael Bollner
Gene Wilder's recent passing shone a spotlight on how much his deft comic acting touched the hearts of many. From the skittish accountant in The Producers to Dr. Frankenstein (that's Fronk-en-steen) to Willy Wonka, Wilder made us laugh. Who else could play a guy in a love affair with a sheep (Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex) and actually earn a modicum of sympathy? He even took on villains in Silver Streak as an unlikely action hero.
Willy Wonka is a mysterious character whom we can't make quick assumptions about. Quirky, yes. Odd, yes. Colorful, yes. With a bit of malice underneath his pleasant demeanor, yes. Willy Wonka is all of those things and none of those things. His candy factory is a visual feast with hidden delights and horrors. The orange-tinted Oompa Loompas not only are his employees, but a chorus which sings songs after each bratty child which won a golden ticket to tour the factory meets his or her demise. The songs are catchy little tunes outlining each child's major flaw, such as one who chews gum incessantly, one obsessed with TV, one obsessed with eating, and one spoiled brat with a milquetoast father. The only seemingly normal child is Charlie (Ostrum), who supports his very poor family with his paper route and tours the factory alongside his beloved Grandpa Joe (Albertson).
It is tough to nail down exactly what Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is at heart, which makes all the more delightful. It is part musical, part children's book (written by Roald Dahl) brought to life, part freak show, and of course a tour de force by Wilder who keeps us spellbound because we are not sure even he knows what he will do or say next. Through it all, there is a plan and a reason for everything, which isn't revealed until the end, but it is very moving and sums up Charlie's character in one action in a way 1,000 words can't.
Willy Wonka is a mysterious character whom we can't make quick assumptions about. Quirky, yes. Odd, yes. Colorful, yes. With a bit of malice underneath his pleasant demeanor, yes. Willy Wonka is all of those things and none of those things. His candy factory is a visual feast with hidden delights and horrors. The orange-tinted Oompa Loompas not only are his employees, but a chorus which sings songs after each bratty child which won a golden ticket to tour the factory meets his or her demise. The songs are catchy little tunes outlining each child's major flaw, such as one who chews gum incessantly, one obsessed with TV, one obsessed with eating, and one spoiled brat with a milquetoast father. The only seemingly normal child is Charlie (Ostrum), who supports his very poor family with his paper route and tours the factory alongside his beloved Grandpa Joe (Albertson).
It is tough to nail down exactly what Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is at heart, which makes all the more delightful. It is part musical, part children's book (written by Roald Dahl) brought to life, part freak show, and of course a tour de force by Wilder who keeps us spellbound because we are not sure even he knows what he will do or say next. Through it all, there is a plan and a reason for everything, which isn't revealed until the end, but it is very moving and sums up Charlie's character in one action in a way 1,000 words can't.
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