First Take Classics: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - re-enter a world of pure imagination

SYNOPSIS: A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory.

It’s always a great time when you return to the madcap world of Roald Dahl’s work - we’ve covered a lot of his books within the film world, most recently with the musical adaptation of Matilda, but there’s one Dahl book that remains beloved, one which this Christmas (should strikes resolve by then), the makers of Paddington will take on with prequel of sorts Wonka. Naturally, Warner wanted to put the original 1971 film back in cinemas, and with National Cinema Day this weekend in England, now felt like the right time.

Mel Stuart’s take on the film, even with a heavily changed script from what Dahl was commissioned to write (to a point where the man himself disowned this production), it packs a lot in to just 1 hour 40 minutes, and at times, it’s hard to believe that it deals with the entire factory sequences in just 40 minutes. It looks right at home on the big screen these days, with a lovely new 4K remaster showcasing Arthur Ibbetson’s cinematography, 35mm grain and all, very well on modern digital equipment, and of course that score from Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley has become iconic. Pure Imagination, The Candy Man… so many iconic songs, and so many cultural moments were born back in 1971.

Onto the performances, and before we go in depth, we have to speak about the late, great Gene Wilder. This was, for many, the first exposure to his comic talent, his ingenuity, his style, and at the time, a taste of what would follow with a fellow director named Mel (Brooks) with Blazing Saddles four years later - he made Wonka his own, and even with Johnny Depp, and very soon Timothee Chalamet playing the character, everybody compares a depiction to this undeniably unique performance that showcases what it take to carry a film of this nature - and you have the perfect foil to Wonka’s madcap nature with Peter Ostrum as Charlie, in his first and only performance. Rounding things out is Jack Albertson, Roy Kinnear, Paris Themmen, Julie Dawn Cole, Denise Nickerson and Diana Sowle - this is a real ensemble piece for the whole family, and to this day… boat sequence aside, still a safe U certificate.

THE VERDICT

52 years on from initial release, Wonka still has his charm, and whether you prefer the Wilder/Stuart version, or the 2005 Depp/Burton remake, the story still holds up so incredibly well. It’s great to have it back on the big screen, and who knows, maybe another generation will carry this with them - it sold out on National Cinema Day at the local after all.

RATING: 4/5