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Even if it is in front of
dozens of tut-tutters?
How
many times have you wanted to grab the little blighter and give them a
damn hard kicking for being a swag of trouble to their parents,
shoppers and the rest of the whole world?
Err… you get the picture.
And, in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory you get the chance to see severely spoilt little poops get their come-uppance via a strange sweet maker called Willy Wonka.
Based on the classic Roald Dahl book, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
is a marvelous throw back to yesteryear (none of this CG Tim Burton
nonsense) presented in crystal clear Blu Ray that appeals to both
adults and children alike.
You can sit down with your
youngsters (from four up) and enjoy them enjoying themselves with the
rich colours and songs and then get a real buzz yourself when the
(slightly child hating) Mr Wonka (played to odd ball perfection by Gene
Wilder) gets stuck into some truly horrid children who have won a prize
trip through his factory and the chance of winning chocolates for life.
Of
the winners - all but one are revoltingly, greedy, opinionated or just
plain painful. Their parents are awful too and, despite the best
intentions, you hope the lot really have some horrible things happen to
them.
All, that is, save for two nice, slumdogs.
Charlie
(Peter Ostrum) and Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson) are your
salt-of-the-earth types who have struggled to buy a handful of the
chocolate bars that included the prize-winning gold passes to the
factory.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a marvelous fantasy filled with some terrific songs (The Candy Man
is a perfect example of the sweet, yet slightly sinister angle the film
travels), and a witty storyline that will amuse kids and keep adults
entertained with the subtle savagery of it all, along with some top
notch performances.
Be warned, however, Wonkas with beastly children may not want to watch. Blu Ray Special Features with Sean Lynch
The remastering of the flick is astonishing,
considering it was made in 1971, with the Video Quality boosted to a
full 1080p and minimal grain.
The soundtrack has been enhanced and is now presented in both Dolby
TrueHD 5.1 Surround & Dolby Digital 5.1 to 5.1 standards.
And
considering the original flick was recorded in Mono - the difference in
sound textures are an absolute treat for those with decent sound
systems.
As for Special Features themselves, there isn't
anything included here that hasn't been seen on previous DVD
re-releases over the years. That said, considering the flick is almost
40 years old - it's actually impressive to see the quality of Special
Features when compared to most modern day flicks.
Highlights
include a wonderfully nostalgic Audio Commentary with the original
“Wonka Kids”, the extensive doco “Pure Imagination: The Story of Willy
Wonka & The Chocolate Factory”, plus four Sing-Along Songs
and a Vintage 1971 Featurette which shows the set designers discussing
working on the film.
A genuine classic in every context of the phrase. Great colours, great performances, great story... a world of pure imagination.
Conclusion:
Movie 95% Extras: 85%
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