#349: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Release Date: June 30th, 1971
Format: Streaming (HBO)
Written by: Roald Dahl and David Seltzer (uncredited)
Directed by: Mel Stuart
2 Stars
Yes, it’s a childhood classic for many, but I think Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a bit of a mess.
The story of a poor boy who wins a lifetime supply of chocolate from the eccentric candy magnate Willy Wonky may be whimsically charming in writer Raold Dahl’s children’s book, but I’m afraid director Mel Stuart and uncredited screenwriter David Seltzer fumble its adaptation to the big screen (Dahl is credited as screenwriter here, but he walked away from the production over creative differences before delivering a full script).
I think I understand why Dahl left the film: Mel Stuart is not a good director. For a movie that should be spectacular, Stuart’s compositions are simplistic and, frankly, kind of ugly. Even the film’s legendary production design, with its bubble room and chocolate river and magical Wonkavator, can’t completely overcome Stuart’s unimaginative camera. He mostly just shoots these sets blandly, under bright stage lights, effectively reducing them from magical to simply endearing.
It’s the film’s major flaw. Willy Wonka is a movie that is in desperate need of an auteur with a strong vision. Instead it’s a movie with a director who points a camera at fun props and little people painted orange.
Seltzer’s script is underwhelming as well. Our protagonist, Charlie, is largely neglected once the story moves within the confines of the Wonka factory, where the focus turns sharply to Gene Wilder’s performance. It’s a great performance, yes, but as entertaining as Wilder is, this narrative shift undermines everything the first half the movie has been building towards, which is the story of a boy who wants to save his family. Instead, Seltzer (and Stuart) refocus us on a funny man in a purple suit who may or may not like harming children.
It’s a memorable performance in a kid’s movie that should be better than it is.
