The original take on the Roald Dahl story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory arrives on Blu-ray… Theyre not even close, truth be told.
And there are several reasons why.
Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newleys catchy, brilliant songs are a good place to start.
This is as uneasy a central performance in a so-called childrens movie as we can remember.
Are we supposed to like him?
To be scared by him?
Is he on the side of the children?
Is he a prelude to theSawseries?
For the vast bulk of the running time, you simply dont know.
And in Wilders hands, Willy Wonka becomes an immense screen presence.
Its surely one of the mans best three performances, and those arent words written lightly.
Most staggeringly of all, decades on its still just as strong as it always was.
It sounds very good, too, with the surround track bringing the terrific music very much to life.
The extra features have been seen before on DVD, but that doesnt mean theyre not worth seeing again.
There are a few silences, but its great fun.
I love stuff like this, and Roald Dahl himself offers a quick talking head to the camera.
Theres also the production design touched on, as well as footage of Mel Stuart directing the movie.
And its very much worth a spin.
Some fresh features for the Blu-ray would still have been appreciated, though.
The Film:
Rating:
5 out of 5
