SimonJack
Apparently, there is no category in the Academy Awards for unusual or extraordinary sets. If there were, "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" would have walked away with that Oscar in 1971. The set for this movie – once inside the chocolate factory, is exceptional, and at least half the draw and appeal of this movie. It is a delight to behold for young and old. This film is cause for one to marvel at the Hollywood designers, tradesmen and craft people for such splendid work. That said, the story is a nice fairy tale, but with live action all the way. Gene Wilder is very good as Willy Wonka, but this entire cast performed well, down to the most obnoxious child. One especially has to like Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe, and Peter Ostrum as Charlie. This was Ostrum's only movie. Not bad for a child star's single performance in a leading role. Ostrum was offered a three-film contract, but turned it down. He says that although he enjoyed acting and studied it for some time, his parents weren't stage people. Instead, he went on to earn a PhD in animal husbandry from Cornell University and practice veterinary medicine for large farm animals in outstate New York. I wonder if Paramount received any negative feedback for how it portrayed a couple of the children – namely the German boy, Augustus Gloop, and the French girl, Violet Beauregarde. I doubt that any Americans would have complained at the portrayal of the two sassy, snotty, spoiled and nasty kids. Most of us have seen a Mike Teevee and a Veruca Salt more than once. But the actors who played those parts, as well as those of their parents, were very good. One wonders, though, if it was much a stretch in a couple instances. It's interesting that none of the child actors in this film made acting their career. Only one had more than a few films. This is a fun film, although with some dark overtones for kids.
Idiot-Deluxe
The first thing you should notice about this film is that the life of Charlie Bucket seems to be nothing more then a cruel, endless cycle of crushing poverty and cabbage water, until........I've seen this film a number of times over the years and sadly with all it's great potential it never does completely deliver, which is a shame, because the film has a terrifically quirky and unusual premise. But I refuse to lie to myself, because I can readily see and hear the many flaws in this film, especially in it's first half, which alternates from being drab and boring, to shrill and irritating. All the while very little of it's humor gels together, making for some very tedious viewing, worse yet are those lame, go-nowhere songs that occur early in the movie. It's only when they get to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory that things pick up and the films eccentricities immediately increase ten-fold. However half of this movie IS boring. Gene Wilder (RIP) is simply fantastic as Willy Wonka, the eccentric King of Candy and his performance is, unquestionably, the best thing about the movie and he injects the film with some desperately needed energy, excitement and purpose - which partly makes up for the films painfully slow start.Not surprisingly the second half of the movie is much better, as we the audience are treated to a walking tour of Mr. Wonka's one-of-a-kind chocolate factory, where there is a surprise around every corner. With that being said I think Warner Brothers could have definitely splashed more cash on this film, as I find Wonka's factory, on a visual basis, to be small in scale and a bit underwhelming in it's design; starting with the factory's front gate, in fact from an exterior standpoint, there isn't a single thing that catches your eye, it's completely plain Jane on the outside. The interior sets fare better, but still this film will never win any Oscar's for Art Direction or Set Design; yet had this film been made to the caliber that it should have been, it would have easily won in both those categories. But sadly I find Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to be a rather ponderous and distinctly underwhelming feature and 46 years after it's release the whole film looks very, very dated. It looks ugly. And while on that note, of all the movies I've seen, this film must have one of the overall ugliest casts of them all, who are made even uglier by their bad clothes and worse hair-cuts and/or comb-overs - particularly the parents of the contest winners. And surely I'm not alone with my hatred for that loud-mouthed, spoiled-rotten, bratty little bitch, Veruca "I WANT IT NOW!" Salt! SHE SUCKS! As does her repulsively irritating pappy; these two characters are more a detriment to the film then they are an asset, curiously enough I do like her song though, which is the only one of the movies numerous songs that catches my ear. On her singing number you could say that her bitchiness finally paid off in her final scene, right before Wonka's "Eggdicator" determines her, correctly, to be a bad egg.Throughout the tour Willy Wonka keeps things going in a lively, yet off-kilter direction, his factory is indeed loaded with many gimmicks and surprises; including the fact that in every other room of his factory, it looks like there are numerous health code violations being committed, as things often look unsanitary. And is anyone going to object when I mention the fact that machine/set that makes Wonka's "Everlasting Gobstopper's" looks as lame, as it does cheap..... they didn't try too hard on that one. Once again the Wonka factory should have been a supreme showpiece, a marvel of set design, but unfortunately that's not what we get and that's another missed opportunity, in fact you can say that about nearly every aspect of this film. I have this theory that had it been made 15 years later, in the mid-80's, it would have been so much better, that would have been the perfect time for this movie (for multiple reasons) - not 1971. For instance when this was made Gene Wilder was only in his late-30's, yet at the end of the movie he's all ready to give his factory away to Charlie. What sense does that make??? Early retirement? The way I see it it's a shame that this project wasn't shelved for a decade-and-a-half. With all that being said Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is still a much better than Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's hideous remake "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", which has the same problems as the first film, only in reverse; the factory looks spectacular, however, the film is utterly ruined by Johnny Depp's hideous performance. Depp made for a VERY weak and effeminate Willy Wonka, a real dandy - Wilder was infinitely better in the role.Ultimately for the reasons given I find Willy Wonka and the Chocholate Factory to be a frustrating and disappointing movie, which had the potential to be a lot better then it ultimately is. This film stands as one of the best examples of Hollywood failing to seize upon and capitalize on what should have been, a golden screen epic. Instead it's a botched, lazily executed film.... but this is still much better then Burton's Blunder.On a lighter note, whose with me on thinking that "the most perfect high in existence" could be achieved through the lighter-than-air combination of Willy Wonka's Fizzy Lifting Drink and (if I were a druggie) a giant, slow-burning, reefer one that's over-flowing with the worlds most potent pot. Tell me that wouldn't be quite a marvelous combination... made better yet if Wonka himself were to make clouds of cotton-candy, as they float low and lazily, they'd only further the experience as you're on your way up..... to grand ethereal heights of supreme ecstasy. Up-Up and Away.
briskozak
First off, how can't you like Wonka? I love this movie. Has great songs, good characters, the plot is solid and for the budget of this movie they did an amazing job with the sets, especially the chocolate room. Wonka was the original troll. Almost everything he said was sarcastic and I love it. Like when Veruca and her dad fall down the bad egg chute and Wonka says, "There is going to be a lot of trash today". LOL love it. This is great movie, and a must watch classic. If you don't like Wonka, well then...YOU LOSE, GOOD DAY SIR! RIP Gene.
