Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory vs Charlie

[hyphenate]

and the Chocolate Factory.

I've been thinking more and more about the original since the "remake" came out, and I can't get many of the original images out of my head, nor can I stop humming some of the songs from the original, either.

Yet, to the contrary, I can't seem to keep any specific scene or image from the new film in my mind.

Overall, I think the second film, while benefitting from superb special effects, a more speeded up plot and "tour" and a lot more glib script, fails in the more important aspects of the original. Regardless of whether Roald Dahl or his family enjoyed the original or the second film should not matter. Each film needs to stand on its own, and in that comparison alone, the original is far superior.

Since 1971 when the original came out, visual effects have gone far beyond what was available then. So its difficult to look at the original with that in mind. We need to look at the original with some awe instead--the effects used were astounding in their day. Those who worked on it were pioneers in a wide variety of techniques which were brand new at the time.

The remake was not a musical, but it did succumb to a "rap" version of the Oompa Loompas doing the numbers after each child was eliminated. Personally, I found that part horrible. It was, for me, highly embarrassing, taking the film out of the context it was done in. At least in the original, it made no pretense about music being an integral component of the film, and went with it. Some of the numbers were actually quite well done--one of my favorite is his mom's number, "Cheer up, Charlie" which was very sweet and melancholy at the time. I barely could understand the lyrics of the modernized version, and what good is that? The point was to give kids a pause, to keep them from the rapacious faults of the "bad" children, and embrace the good qualities of Charlie and his family.

While I often think Tim Burton is brilliant, I think his visual imagstyle is getting a little boring. He uses similar images in such a way that it gets repetitive. I think of Edward Gorey's art in some ways when I envision a Tim Burton film--all the same with only a few things different. The images of Charlie's house and the landscape of the town are nearly indistinguishable from many of his other films, in particular, Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice and the Batman films.

Anyhow, I think that time and critics will look at the original with a lot more kindness, and will rule that the second film, while well done, will pale in comparison.

A note: I think, IMHO, the fact that several of the original film's songs are currently being usurped in commercials (I've Got a Golden Ticket and Pure Imagination) is completely wrong and somehow cheapens the original in this respect. Perhaps it's been done for that very reason, though--to make the original look more commercial than it was in people's minds.

[bluestateguy]

1. Johnny Depp made Willy Wonka a somewhat disturbing figure

maybe that's what was needed, I don't know, but as the movie goes by you find it harder and harder to be on his side. If I was one of the parents taking my kid through the factory I'd be a little worried by what I saw from him too. Gene Wilder, on the other hand, seems to just come across as a normal person who is a little strange.

[vi5]

2. Cue the whining voices yelping..

"It's not a remake!....Dahl, hated the original movie....blah blah blah". Whatever. The original movie was great and people who complain that it didn't have some goddamned squirrel scene in it can go take a flying leap. The book also didn't have anything about Wonka's father in it either so it's not perfect or any more faithful. I love Tim Burton and I'm sure this movie is fine. But the original is a great movie to a lot of people.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. Whatever it is, the original had that about it which captures the imagin-

ation. I agree, feh to these kneejerk "not a remake/Dahl hated the orig" protests.

Wilder's Wonka was better. Love Depp in most of his stuff but his Wonka was just kinda creepy mannerisms.

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

4. I haven't watched the original in it's entirety in quite some time

I do have very fond memories of the film and greatly enjoyed the bits and pieces I catch every once in a while. I assume most of us have fond memories of this film from out childhood and still enjoy it.

I wonder how kids today react to Charlie and if they will remember it with the same fondness that many of us do. I very much enjoyed Charlie and found Depp worked very well for the film that Burton intended to make. Gene Wilder worked very well in the Willy Wonka as well. Both films have the same basic premise but are different in style and tone.

I wouldn't call either great but they are both highly entertaining films that I feel I could sit back and watch for two hours or so and just have a good time.

[terrya]

5. I haven't seen "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" yet.

But I've seen "Willy Wonka" several times already. I like this film very, very much. The casting was near perfect....Gene Wilder, of course. Jack Albertson and Roy Kinnear. And I did like the music...it's a nice score. Veruca Salt singing "I want it now" before meeting her demise. Just brilliant.

Yeah, there were some hokey moments in the original. But the combination of music and special effects made it memorable, indeed.

[Catchawave]

6. Huge fan here of the original,

though I enjoyed Tim Burton's version very much. Two different movies!

[oregonjen]

7. Gene Wilder's entrance and "Pure Imagination" are priceless

Depp's version of Willy Wonka is horrible. I usually like his movies, but in this one, he misses the mark.

When Gene Wilder made his entrance to the crowd, it was brilliant. Also, "Pure Imagination" was a key to the whole message of the movie.