Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

While many of the classic stories by children’s author, Roald Dahl, have lasted the test of time for their inventive scenarios, timeless messages and weird yet dark atmospheres, most would agree that his most enduring story is his 1964 novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, shown by its strong impact on pop culture and how it smoothly transitioned into a multimedia franchise with multiple video games, theatrical productions, and film adaptations. While the 2023 stand-alone origin film, Wonka, managed to enchant people with its whimsy, charm and color, and the clunky 2005 Tim Burton remake failed as a whole but did incorporate and update aspects of the book quite cleverly, the 1971 film that started it all, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, is what most people think of when they imagine a live-action Willy Wonka, and despite some grievances from the author that literally led to him dissociating from the project, it still stands as one of his best adaptations.

In a world where a chocolatier named Willy Wonka (played by Gene Wilder) is the candy king of the world, a young impoverish boy named Charlie Bucket (played by Peter Ostrum) dreams of what the inside of his factory must be like, but can’t dwell for too long as his living situation is rough, with his mother (played by Diane Sowle) and his four bed-ridden grandparents trying everything they can to make his life easier, especially his Grandpa Joe (played by Jack Albertson). Suddenly, it’s announced that Willy Wonka (who has never left his factory or allowed any inside) is starting a contest in which five golden tickets will be hidden inside a random Wonka bar, and the five who find the tickets will be given an exclusive tour of the factory. With the world rushing into a sugary frenzy hoping to receive such an illustrious prize, four of the tickets are found by children; a gluttonous German boy named Augustus Gloop (played by Michael Böllner), a spoiled British girl named Veruca Salt (played by Julie Dawn Cole), a gum-chewing American girl named Violet Beauregarde (played by Denise Nickerson), and a TV-obsessed American boy named Mike Tevee (played by Paris Themmen), and against all odds, Charlie ends up finding the fifth. Taking his Grandpa Joe on the tour, the children and their parents are introduced to Wonka and experience his odd eccentricities as well as the very random yet magical nature of his factory, and as they venture further, those who aren’t good natured are given a fitting punishment that might leave Charlie as the sole child remaining.

Despite the random name change and small but noticeable changes from the book, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a delightful film that is about as sweet as the confectionaries shown on screen thanks to the use of ingredients like very strong performances that highlight the exaggerative aspects of these roles but still make them feel authentic, enchanting music and songs that are extremely hummable, and an effective tooled story that builds to the whimsy patiently but effectively.

Originally inspired from Dahl’s personal experiences growing up near a Cadbury factory in his youth and witnessing these giant chocolate makers trying to steal trade secrets by sending spies into these towering factories, it’s an underappreciated element of the story that Dahl was able to capture the magic and wonderous nature of chocolate/candy making, and by placing this into a story that would go weird and wacky but still have a grounded, slightly cynical, but still very hopeful centre makes it a story that is very well-rounded, is instantly memorable for its characters and developments despite its pretty straightforward direction, and provides a simple message of punishing rotten children for their petty flaws, while still being a trippy inventive adventure. Being a story that’d wonderful translate to film, the project was spearheaded by director, Mel Stuart and his producer partner, David L. Wolper, who were able to get the film rights thanks to Quaker Oats Company, who financed the film with intentions to use any candy sold in the film as product for their own company. While the movie didn’t perform great financially when it came out (only earning $4 million on a $3 million budget), it’s eventual success on home release and V/H/S meant people eventually clicked with it, and for the time, this isn’t surprising. While deviating slightly from the book in parts (enough so that Roald Dahl exited the project despite initially being the film’s screenwriter), the basic components are still present and are played very effectively, with Stuart’s direction bringing a strangely natural and believable atmosphere to the opening act that nicely acts as contrast for when the characters enter Wonka’s factor and things get more colorful and abnormal.

The tone is nicely balanced, containing a quirky comical element that leads to some memorable interludes of random people trying to find the Wonka tickets, and the surreal situations that happen within the factory are expectedly playful and whimsical, but there’s also a nice sense of believability felt during the opening act that really allows the audience to connect with Charlie’s plight and feel good for him when he earns such a fantastic opportunity. It has a good heart but can also be pretty funny to, the magical moments never go too far due to the limited budget and time period but still stand out, and while the tweaks to the story done by Robert Kaufman (who came in to provide those off-beat comedic sequences during the first act) and David Selzter (who went uncredited as a screenwriter after Dahl’s departure) don’t significantly change anything, they are enough to let this be its own version and leave its own impression.

While there were many reasons why Roald Dahl stepped away from the film like the casting of Willy Wonka, not liking the songs, and the deviations made to the story, one criticism was how he felt that Willy Wonka was given more focus than Charlie, and while this problem would ironically plague the 2005 remake (even though his estate specifically got full artistic control on that project), it’s not an entirely unfounded claim. While Charlie is still the main focus, it can’t be denied how much Wonka’s presence and specifically Gene Wilder’s portrayal elevate the role to a point where it’d be crazy if he wasn’t spotlighted. Wilder was not the first choice for Wonka, but it feels like they did have a specific thought-process with the casting, going for either quirkily comedic figures like Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Eric Idle, and Spike Milligan, or classical star with musical backing or a romanticized Hollywood flair like Peter Sellers, Joel Grey and Fred Astaire.

Wilder does feel like the right choice to bring something unexpected to the part as, while arguably not very accurate to the book, his delivery was instantly iconic and very well received by the public for how he captured the fluttery charm and playful unpredictability one would expect from a eccentric chocolatier isolated from the world, he also brings an unexpected volatility that means you never quite know whether to be afraid of him or not. His out-of-nowhere mood swings and seeming apathy to those around him are entertainingly chaotic and bring a slight sinister side to what’d normally be a childishly oblivious portrayal, it’s very well done. The rest of the actors are also great, bringing a lot of charm and character to this world which keeps your attention even before Wonka shows up. Peter Ostrum doesn’t always have the best delivery, but does feel very authentic and Charlie by extension, Jack Albertson is very good as Grandpa Joe and really makes the sentimental moments work very nicely, all the kids fantastically handled their archetypes with a lot of over-the-top personality, and their parents (played by Ursula Reit, Leonard Stone, Roy Kinnear, and Dodo Denney) also follow suit, and some of the minor background roles like David Battley, Günter Meisner and Peter Capell are pretty memorable

Roald Dahl stories were known for having a twinge of magic to them even while the situations were pretty normal and the mood felt pretty cruel, and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory as a story smartly transforms industrial confectionary creation and makes it equally as magical not only through the more surreal elements like Oompa Loompas and the wild things Wonka’s candy can do to people, but also through the presentation, music and aesthetic, all of which are very nicely handled in this. Shot in Munich, Bavaria, West Germany as it was much cheaper to film in than the U.S, the look of the film before entering the factory has a very naturalist and even gritty look to it, with the German architecture of the buildings and streets offering a unique look on a traditional town setting, and with the squalid locales and production design by Harper Goff, plain coloration, and down-to-earth camera work by Arthur Ibbetson, it creates a surprisingly believable atmosphere and environment, which is nicely broken once entering the factory, where things get a little more vibrant and flashy even if it can never go too crazy due to the low budget (some parts genuinely look like a sweat shop).

The musical score by Walter Scharf has a very classical and romanticized sound to it that really elevates the magic and pure wonder of what’s going to be experienced, and that orchestrated energy helps bring a more timeless quality to the film even though there are a few 70s-ism present that are charmingly dated. The songs written and composed by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse are also very good and are so hummable and catchy that they’re still referenced even to this day (‘’Pure Imagination’’ even got nominated for an Oscar). While the lyrics can sometimes be a little silly and not all the singers are that good, they are very memorable, are spread nicely throughout the film, and while not in line with how the book handled its songs, manages the same outcome in verbalizing the lessons in a fun fashion.

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory might not be everyone’s favorite Roald Dahl story, but its success in other mediums proves its staying power and ability to be warped around while still keeping true to the spirit of the book, and while the author himself didn’t enjoy this small budgeted cult film from the 70s, the positive reception it received elsewhere can’t be a coincidence. While not really doing much to elevate the source material and being slightly hindered due to its small budget which prohibits what it can showcase, the solid atmosphere, good pacing, very good performances (especially from Gene Wilder), subdued but memorable effects, and lovely music, are enough to make this a treat worth savoring.