directed by Mel Stuart
Never underestimate the power of children. Never! Do you know that today’s film wouldn’t exist if one ten-year-old girl hadn’t asked her father to make it? The director’s daughter read the book about Willy Wonka and liked it so much that she talked to her father about it and… voilà! I guess most of you know the story of Willy Wonka very well, but in case you don’t, let me shortly tell you what it’s about. The main character is actually Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum), a boy from a poor family. In his town, and also all over the world, children are crazy about sweets produced by mysterious Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder). His factory is known as the place where “nobody ever goes in, and nobody ever comes out”. One day, Willy informs that he hid 5 Golden Tickets in his chocolate bars and those who find them will be invited for a tour in the factory. Obviously, everybody’s crazy about finding one of the tickets, so is Charlie. However, he cannot afford buying that many chocolate bars since his family barely finds money for everyday food. But I guess it won’t be a surprise for you if I say that Charlie somehow gets the ticket (he’s the main character, duh) and goes to the factory with 4 other children. And what happens there is for you to see. Personally, I love this story and I’m totally thankful for Stuart’s daughter. Thanks to this little lady, we can now enjoy her father’s film and Tim Burton’s remake. I’m not going to lie to you, I definitely like Burton’s version more, because I find this story perfect for his style and I believe Stuart’s version is too… nice. Still, it’s a very well done production with amazing soundtrack. Even if you haven’t seen the film, I’m sure you know “The Candy Man” song, which was written for it and later covered by many artists. Besides, there’s one very significant element that is better in Stuart’s version – Oompa Loompas! I’m a huge fan of their choreography and costumes, and I liked them a bit more than the new Oompa Loompas. If you haven’t seen the film, you’re probably wondering what the hell I’m talking about. Good. Go and find out!
My rating: 7/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 