Rent Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

3.9 of 5 from 154 ratings
1h 36min
Rent Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
With a golden ticket young Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) wins a tour of the factory of wily mogul Wonka (Gene Wilder) and run by his Oompa-Loompa crew. There Charlie, his Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson) and others discover a kind heart is a finer possession than a sweet tooth.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , Ursula Reit, Michael Bollner, , , , , , , , Dora Altmann,
Directors:
Producers:
Stan Margulies, David L. Wolper
Writers:
Roald Dahl, David Seltzer
Others:
Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse, Walter Scharf
Studio:
Warner
Genres:
Children & Family, Classics, Music & Musicals
Collections:
Award Winners, Children & Family, Children's Books On Screen: Family Classics & YA, Elvis Presley on Screen, Films to Watch If You Like..., Holidays Film Collection, JFK on Screen, Oscars: Winners & Losers, People of the Pictures, The Golden Age of British Pop Musicals, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide: to Tim Burton, Top 10 Barnyard Bird Films, Top 13 Halloween Films For Kids, Top Films, What to Watch Next If You Liked Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, What We Were Watching in 1971
BBFC:
Release Date:
24/01/2000
Run Time:
96 minutes
Languages:
Dutch Dolby Digital 2.0, English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles:
Arabic, Bulgarian, Dutch, English, English Hard of Hearing, French, German, Italian, Italian Hard of Hearing, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour
BBFC:
Release Date:
02/11/2009
Run Time:
100 minutes
Languages:
Brazilian Portuguese Dolby Digital 1.0, Castilian Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0, English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French Dolby Digital 1.0, German Dolby Digital 1.0, Italian Dolby Digital 1.0
Subtitles:
Brazilian, Castillian, Danish, Dutch, English, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, German, German Hard of Hearing, Italian Hard of Hearing, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Delectable Documentary: 'Pure Imagination: The Story of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'
  • Mouth-Watering Commentary with the Wonka Kids
  • 4 Scrumptious Sing-Along Songs
  • Tasty Vintage Featurette
  • Theatrical Trailer
BBFC:
Release Date:
28/06/2021
Run Time:
100 minutes
Languages:
Castilian Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 1.0, Italian Dolby Digital 1.0, Latin American Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0
Subtitles:
Castillian, Danish, Dutch, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, Italian Hard of Hearing, Latin American Spanish, Norwegian, Swedish
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Commentary with the Wonka Kids
  • Documentary Pure Imagination: The Story of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
  • 4 Sing-Along Songs
  • Vintage Featurette
  • Theatrical Trailer

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Reviews (1) of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

So-so adaptation but the book is SO much better - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory review by PV

Spoiler Alert
31/03/2017

I didn't see this movie till my mid-20s. Apparently it was bigger in the USA and they watch it there every Christmas (for us it was The Wizard of Oz).

For me, Charlie and the Chocolate factory will always mean the book, not any film - esp as I met Roald Dahl and he signed my copy back in the mid-70s.

The original book (1964 USA only) makes it clear the Oompaloompas are pygmies from Africa. The 2nd edition toned that down after accusations of racism (Dahl had worked in African for an oil company in the late 1930s so his attitudes were of his time). But the Oompaloompas certainly were never orange. Sadly, the London musical copied from this movie including making Augustus Gloop German which he most certainly is not in the book!

Tellingly the best song in that musical was the 'Imagination' song from here, which is a good song.

Gene Wilder doesn't really convince as Willy Wonka for me. He's too fey and wide-eyed innocent.

I find it hilarious how David Walliams basically rips off Roald Dahl at every turn, including the obsession with cabbage and cabbage smells. he lacks the darkness under the comedy to come anywhere near to matching Roald Dahl and is a pale imitation (ie rip off) of his books. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a work of genius and Dahl's best book by a mile. read it if you haven't already. Then reread it. Then read it again. SO much better than this movie.

And of course this movie is too American. There were no Americans in Roald Dahl's book even though he lived in the US at the time of writing it (and originally there were 10 kids but Dahl cut that to 5).

This is watchable, yes. But not that great, to be honest. I'd make any child read the book FIRST before this pollutes their wonderful imagination!

3 stars.

1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

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