Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Based on the book by Roald Dahl, this film tells the story of a young boy, desperate to escape his unfortunate life and have some good luck for the first time in his life.

Young Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) lives with his mother (Diana Sowle) and his four grandparents, including his favourite Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson) in a tiny house in an unspecified small town in England.

The family barely have enough money to make ends meet, but their love for each other keeps them hopeful, and they all dream of a better life for young Charlie.

Local candy-maker Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder), who has remained shut inside his factory for decades, with no one going in or out of the factory for years, holds a worldwide contest, with the greatest prize imaginable.

Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum).

Hidden inside five bars of Wonka chocolate are five golden tickets. Whoever finds a ticket will receive a lifetime supply of chocolate and a guided tour of the entire factory.

Luck doesn’t seem to be on young Charlie’s side, as during the entire run of the competition, he only purchases two bars of chocolate (due to having next to no money). But fortune smiles on him, and along with the four other winners - Augustus Gloop (Michael Boliner) from Germany, Briton Veruca Salt (Julie Dawn Cole), and Americans Violet Beauregarde (Denise Nickerson) and Mike Teevee (Paris Themmen) - he and Grandpa Joe find a ticket, and are treated to the tour of a lifetime.

The rest of the film centres around the inner workings of the factory, where incredibly eccentric Wonka guides the group around. But there is more in store for the group than they could have ever imagined, and not all of it good.

Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder).

The screenplay was mostly written by Dahl himself, based on his hugely popular childrens’ book, with rewrites by David Seltzer. For the most part, the screenplay closely follows the plot of the book, but there are several significant departures from the original source material, all courtesy of Seltzer. These changes do work quite well as far as the film is concerned, though, so don’t be too worried about them.

Being a musical, there are several songs throughout, written by Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley. These songs all serve the story very well, and push the plot forward and/or reveal character information and transformation, as is the case with any decent musical.

Arthur Ibbetson’s cinematography is fantastic throughout, not only capturing the action brilliantly, but also using camera angles and lighting to their full effect, setting each scene, and conveying so much more information than simply capturing on-screen action.

Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson) and Charlie (Peter Ostrum).

The performances of the entire cast are incredible, particularly those of Wilder in the titular role and young Julie Dawn Cole as spoilt brat Veruca Salt. Young Peter Ostrum as Charlie gives an adequate performance, though it is nothing spectacular; even he admits that he was mostly just playing himself on screen.

Where this film truly shines is in the production design. Harper Goff has created an incredible world, particularly the interiors of Wonka’s factory. The colours are vibrant, and the sets themselves and the various set pieces and dressing that fills the environment are absolutely gorgeous, bringing Dahl’s world to life in the best way possible.

Director Mel Stuart has made a beautiful film here, a film that became a classic very quickly. No matter how many times I watch it, I am just as blown away by the spectacle of it, and the beautiful story that underpins it. I doubt there are many people reading this review who have yet to experience this film, but let me encourage you to watch it again.

9 out of 10.