Throwback Thursday: ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ is a wacky, memorable movie
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With the recent release of "Wonka" -- which sees Timothee Chalamet take on the role of the famous chocolate maker in an untold origin story -- I thought I'd take a trip back to the movie that first dared to bring Roald Dahl's book to life.
Side note: I did go and see the new movie on Monday night and I enjoyed it. I'd rank it number two in the adaptations below the movie I'm about to review -- 1971's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was the first-ever major screen adaptation of Dahl's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
It stars Gene Wilder as the titular character -- famous chocolate maker Willy Wonka -- who puts out a contest. The reclusive and eccentric man placed five golden tickets in five candy bars distributed throughout the world. Those lucky kids who find the tickets would have the opportunity to get a peek inside Wonka's factory and a year's supply of chocolate.
Amongst the five children -- which includes a spoiled rich girl, an excessive eater, loud gum chewer and TV addict -- is little Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum), a young man who sells papers to help support his widowed mother and four bed-ridden grandparents.
Charlie is the last of the group to find his ticket, after miraculously finding some money in a storm drain. He and his grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson), who is reinvigorated at the chance for Charlie to enjoy being a child even for an afternoon, join the other children and their parents for the tour.
The tour proves to be more than anyone bargains for, as they're introduced to Wonka's wacky and unique candy-making methods.
I won't go much further, if you aren't already familiar with the premise of this musical-movie I'd hate to spoil it for you.
Suffice to say, there's a lot of interesting stops along Wonka's tour and not every kid manages to follow the rules.
As a kid, I always found this particular adaptation of the book to be the most unsettling. Wilder plays Wonka as a very mysterious, often blunt character that can sometimes throw you off. And when I was little, it certainly kept me on my toes.
In particular, the tunnel scene can still get to me. When I learned most of the cast didn't know what was about to happen before the scene started, except for Wilder, it made a lot of sense. I also would have reacted the same way.
Overall, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" remains at the top of my list in terms of film adaptations. It manages to tell the story of the factory tour, highlighting Charlie's differences from the rest of the group, easily and with great sets and props.
I've said this before, and I'll keep saying it, practical effects are always going to be better than CGI. This movie only had a few instances where a green screen was needed, the rest was clearly built -- specifically the first room the group enters with the chocolate river. And it made it all the better.
If you enjoy a good musical with some good sets, a great storyline and wonderful acting, I'd recommend giving "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" a try. And if this wasn't isn't your cup of tea you could also check out 2005's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" or hit up a theater for 2023's "Wonka." Although the last one is more of an origin story.
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is rated G and may be watched on Max, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV and Vudu.
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Laura Jameson is Managing Editor of The Express.