I’ve just heard the very recent news about Mel Stuart, recognised as the director of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He unfortunately died of cancer on Thursday, 9th of August. I was really saddened by the news that I decided to write a review of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in his honour. I remember reading the book when I was a kid, which I loved, and then watching this film, which I also loved. Now it’s one of my favourite movies.
Who doesn’t know the story? Willy Wonka, the world’s greatest candy maker, has hidden golden tickets inside five of his candy-bars, and the five lucky people who find a ticket will get a tour inside Wonka’s factory and be given a life-time supply of candy. Our protagonist Charlie Bucket is a young boy living with his poor family and soon gets his luck when he finds a golden ticket and is given the chance to visit the magnificent factory.
Even though Roald Dahl didn’t like the adaptation of his book when it came out (he almost despised it), there’s still a cult following. Even though there are differences in the film, and even though it becomes its own thing, it still keeps the feel of the original book. Not just the whimsical-fantasy side, but also the weirdness and the dark-humour of the original book. Speaking of which, the title of the film was changed from “Charlie” to “Willy Wonka” to promote the new candy. Anyway, the film stands on its own. So what is it about the film that we remember and cherish so much? For one thing, it’s a musical. Who doesn’t remember the songs? Who doesn’t remember the song “Pure Imagination”? That’s easily the best song of the movie. The whole look of the film itself is also very timeless and unique, presenting a colourful and surreal atmosphere. One of the things that really stood out for me from the imagery were the Oompa Loompas.
And of course the rest of the characters are memorable too. Charlie is a kind kid who we really feel for, and his family, especially Grandpa Joe, are very supportive. And the bratty kids? They’re really memorable for their extensive faults. Actually, I always kinda saw them each representing a deadly sin: Augustus Gloop represented gluttony for eating so much candy, Violet Beauregarde represented pride (I think that was shown more in the remake) for being so snobbish about herself and gum, Veruca Salt (what were her parents thinking when they named her Veruca?) was obviously greed for her spoiled-rich-girl nature and Mike represented sloth for focusing himself entirely on TV. Even Charlie, if you look at it from one angle, could be envy. He will act whiny about getting the golden ticket a few times, and he will act quite jealous. But he’s a good kid at heart nonetheless. That’s what makes him so appealing.
But the real star of the show isn’t Charlie. Gene Wilder gives an incredible performance as the candyman himself Willy Wonka. Hey! That could have been the other reason for the title change. It’s easy to emerge ourselves into all the fun when he’s around. He’s very suave and calm, but sometimes a bit disturbing. He can act kind and noble, but also a bit nuts and a bit scary. He’s so unassuming that we can never tell what he’s thinking, except that he’s planned everything out. I just love how non-chalant he is when something bad’s happening to a kid, or when someone criticises him. Like I love when he sings “A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men.” How can you not love that? My two other favourite Wonka moments are hysterical! One is Wonka’s reaction from beginning to end when Augustus Gloop falls into the chocolate river and gets stuck in the chocolate pipe (just eating chocolate and delivering funny lines. “The suspense is terrible. I hope it’ll last”). The other is when Mike Teavee was about to do something foolish and Wonka was all like “Stop. Don’t. Come Back.” as if he couldn’t care less. I love that dark humour.
Speaking of which, there’s a lot of dark humour of the film, which is very common in a Roald Dahl book. What happens to the spoiled kids is actually kinda disturbing: Augustus getting stuck in a pipe, Violet turning into a giant blueberry, etc. I mean GEESH! It still fits in with the type of message the film gives out. They all got what the “deserved” based of their spoiled nature, like Mike Teavee getting exactly what he wanted: to be on TV, but at a price. And no, I wasn’t scared at all when I saw the tunnel scene for the first time. Frankly I don’t know why. All I was thinking was “this isn’t like the book at all”. Apparently it did scared some people. It is creepy. I mean… a chicken’s head being cut-off, bugs on people’s faces… what in the world does all that have to do with candy? Oh well.
It’s a very rich and beautiful film to look at, and I certainly feel like a kid when I watch this. I still love this film to this day. It’s one of the most warm and optimistic films in cinema, along with films like Singin’ in the Rain and The Wizard of Oz. Mel Stuart brought us one of the most influential films of all time, one of the timeless classics, and really brought a smile to my face and to countless others.
R.I.P. Mel Stuart. Thank you so much for bringing us this film.
