Willie Wonka

I spent the majority of the day catching up on paperwork. I am still not done, but needed to do something that would give my much beleaguered brain a rest. For a change, I turned on the TV and started channel surfing. I came across a movie I had wanted to see, but didn't want to see so badly that I was going to pay almost $10 to do it... the remake of Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. This movie had Johnny Depp in it and was called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, created in 2005. I have liked Johnny Depp in several other films (not all, just some) and was curious to see how this movie turned out.

I have liked Tim Burton's (the director) spin on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and due to my mood, thought I could do with some dark humor... so I started watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I was very impressed with how the movie was put together, it was not what I had expected. This movie is like a traditional fairy tale (perhaps it really is a fairy tale...didn't look that hard into it..) where there are obviously good children and obviously bad children portraying extreme behaviours. So now, instead of just watching a "simple" film, I was looking for the lesson in the story. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp did not disappoint, the lessons were clear, and the bad children did get their just desserts...

I don't know why, but I had the impression that the 'new' movie with Johnny Depp did not hold closely to the original movie, made 34 years earlier (with Gene Wilder, directed by Mel Stuart 1971). I was very surprised and impressed that this remake kept very close to the original story line. I really liked the background that was provided about why Willie Wonka became who he was and the ending was much more surprising than I had expected. After watching the end of that movie, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the original 1971 version followed immediately after the new version. That was a real treat, because I could now easily compare and contrast the two versions.

I had only seen the original Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory once as a child so was again interested in watching it through adult eyes. Again, it was definitely presented as a fairy tale with traditional good children and bad children. I was extremely impressed with this version too, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Comparing the two interpretations of Willie Wonka, I was impressed that they both portrayed the character basically the same. Obviously Johnny Depp's interpretation had a darker angle to it, but overall both actors kept the character the same.

You may think that watching either Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would be just for children, but there are very adult lessons to be learned in both films. You just have to keep an open mind and to look at what is being said, not just what you see.

Sometimes "children's" films do apply to adult themes. Take a look and let me know what you think...

Until tomorrow...