Mr. Salt: Wonka! Butterscotch? Buttergin? You running something on the side here?
Willy Wonka: Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker!
Based on the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was released in 1971 and directed by Mel Stuart with original music by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley.
While Roald Dahl is credited for writing the screenplay, David Seltzer also worked on the script.
Filmed in Germany, the movie opens with the song “The Candy Man.” As the song ends, Charlie Bucket is standing outside the shop, looking in the window at all the other children who can afford to buy candy after school.
Sadly, Charlie’s life has been one of poverty. He lives with his mother, Grandpa George, Grandma Georgina, Grandma Josephine, and Grandpa Joe and for some reason, all four of his grandparents live in the same bed
The next day Charlie’s school erupts with excitement and the whole world goes nuts as Willy Wonka announces a contest allowing five visitors, with one guest a piece, to visit his factory.
In order to win, five golden tickets hidden in Wonka's chocolate bars must be found. As the race for the golden tickets heats up, the movie veers off from the story of Charlie into several vignettes (often in the style of news segments) concerning the contest.
One by one the tickets are found. The lucky winners include the plump Augustus Gloop, the spoiled Veruca Salt, the TV-addicted Mike Teevee, and the gum chewing Violet Beauregarde, and of course, Charlie. All are approached by the evil Mr. Slugworth, who wants the children to steal him Everlasting Gobstoppers - the only candy a child would ever need.
The best part of the movie is the time spent in the chocolate factory. (If you are the sort of person who wants to watch the movie while under the influence, you might as well just fast forward through the first half of the movie.) The factory is filled with odd and fascinating things- giant gummi bears, coat hooks in the shape of hands that move, and of course, the Oompa Loompas.
But one by one the children disappear from the tour group- Augustus falls into a chocolate river, Violet bloats with blueberry juice, Veruca gets dubbed a bad egg and Mike becomes the first person sent by Wonkavision.
At the end of the tour only Charlie and his Grandpa Joe remain. Charlie wins the grand prize- not just chocolate but the whole chocolate factory.
And after the Wonkavator takes off through the glass roof, everyone lives happily ever after.
Soundtrack listing:
- Main Title (Golden Ticket/ Pure Imagination)
- The Candy Man
- Charlie’s Paper Run
- Cheer Up, Charlie
- Lucky Charlie
- (I’ve Got A) Golden Ticket
- Pure Imagination
- Oompa Loompa
- The Wondrous Boat Ride
- Everlasting Gobstoppers/ Oompa Loompa
- The Bubble Machine
- I Want It Now/ Oompa Loompa
Wonkamoblie, Wonkavision/ Oompa Loompa
- Wonkavator/ End Title (Pure Imagination)
Cast Includes:
According to imdb.com, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was the only film Peter Ostrum (Charlie) was in, and
The film was originally financed by the Quaker Oats Company. They hoped to tie it to a new candy bar they intended to bring on the market. When the film was released, the company began marketing its "Wonka" chocolate bars. Unfortunately, an error in the chocolate formula caused the bars to melt too easily, even while on the shelf, and so they were taken off the market.
Harry Connick Jr recently featured several of the songs from the film on his album Songs I Heard, which also features songs from the films The Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music.
quotes and cast listing from imdb.com, sountrack listing from cdnow.com