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.

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Mary Shelley’s classic novel receives the Mel Brooks treatment in this classic film.

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) is teaching at a medical school in the United States, when he is summoned to Transylvania to receive what has been willed to him by his great-grandfather Baron von Frankenstein. He insists that his name is pronounced Fronkonsteen, however, wanting to distance himself from the work of his grandfather, Victor Frankenstein ie. the doctor from the novel who reanimated dead tissue and created a monster in the process.

Leaving behind his beloved Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn), he journeys to Transylvania, where he is greeted by Igor (the grandson of the Igor from the novel, played by Marty Feldman) and Inga (Teri Garr) who is to be his laboratory assistant.

The castle where he will be staying is overseen by Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman), a harsh woman whose name alone strikes fear into horses everywhere (watch the film, you’ll understand).

Despite his reluctance to accept his grandfather’s work as anything other than the ravings of a lunatic, Frederick finds himself following in his footsteps, and creating his very own monster. He had intended to give it the brain of a genius, but after Igor takes the wrong brain, he ends up with a dimwitted creature (Peter Boyle, you know, Ray’s father from Everybody Loves Raymond).

The film is shot in black-and-white, despite being released well after colour had made its way into film. However, black-and-white works well in this case, as I believe Mel Brooks was aiming for a particular aesthetic, that of the classic horror films of the mid-20th century, an aesthetic which he pulls off brilliantly here: this film really feels like it fits in with all the greats, while still having that unique Mel Brooks stamp on it.

The screenplay, written by Brooks and Wilder, is very clever for the most part. The dialogue is very well written, the script filled with the typical word-play humour one finds in a Mel Brooks script, while keeping true to the horror genre as well.

The score by John Morris is adequate. The underscoring of the opening titles is perhaps the most impressive piece of music in the film, the remainder of the score doing its job well enough, though it is nothing spectacular.

The cast all give their all to their performances, though. In particular, Gene Wilder is inspiring as a doctor who turns from reason to madness with an exceptional skill in his craft. This feels like a role he was born to play, as his particularly unique vocal stylings fit right in to this slightly unhinged character.

Marty Feldman also gives a great performance here. His comic timing, combined with his slightly odd appearance, make him the perfect choice of performer to play the role of Igor. But even Igor has his lucid, normal moments, and Feldman pulls these off with brilliance, too.

Again, the black-and-white film gives cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld the ideal environment in which to shine, which he does. His use of light and dark, highlight and shadow, is perfect for the horror aspects of the film, but is also used to comedic effect when necessary.

This film does have a lot going for it, even by today’s standards. The horror aspects are horrific enough, the comedy is funny enough. Unfortunately, I didn’t care much for the ending. I didn’t really feel like it ended in the best way it could, the script at this point feels a little forced and a little too contrived.

It may be one of Mel Brooks’s best films from the time period, but I don’t think it’s one of his best overall.

6 1/2 out of 10.