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Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

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Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

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Summary

Fantasy based on the classic children's book by Roald Dahl, starring Gene Wilder. Most children, at one hungry time or another, dream of visiting a chocolate factory. For young Charlie Bucket the fantasy comes true when he finds a golden ticket in a candy bar: an invitation to tour the giant factory of eccentric sweet tycoon Willy Wonka.

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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Jeremy Aspinall

Tim Burton's 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory featured Johnny Depp creepily channelling Michael Jackson as eccentric sweet manufacturer Willy Wonka. In this fabulous 1971 musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's evergreen story, it's Gene Wilder who parks his buffoonish comic persona to bring a pinch of the macabre to the wide-eyed candy-maker. Dahl wrote the script and though he had misgivings about the finished article, this vibrant, imaginative fantasy still reveals a layer of grimness beneath the confection. Peter Ostrum makes a convincing Charlie Bucket, desperate to find that last golden ticket to gain entrance to Wonka's phantasmagoric factory, and Julie Dawn Cole is perfectly awful (a compliment!) as spoilt and spiky Veruca Salt. Meanwhile Jack Albertson (Grandpa Joe) and Roy Kinnear (Mr Salt) bring sugar and spice as their grown-up guardians. Add singalong ditties like The Candy Man, Pure Imagination and the Oompa-Loompa song, and you have wonderful, timeless entertainment.

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7.8/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameWilly WonkaGene WilderGrandpa JoeJack AlbertsonCharlie BucketPeter OstrumAugustus GloopMichael BollnerMrs GloopUrsula ReitViolet BeauregardeDenise NickersonMr BeauregardeLeonard StoneVeruca SaltJulie Dawn ColeMr SaltRoy KinnearMike TeeveeParis ThemmenMrs TeeveeDodo DenneyMrs BucketDiana SowleMr BillAubrey WoodsMr TurkentineDavid BattleySlugworthGünter MeisnerComputer operatorTim Brooke-TaylorHenrietta SaltPat Coombs

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Crew

rolenameDirectorMel Stuart

Details

Released on

1971-08-20

Languages

English | English | German | Italian | French

Available on

video, DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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