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How sweet it is! This beloved 1971 family classic returns in scrumpdiddlyumptious 30th anniversary editions to delight a new generation. Wilder stars as the mysterious and elusive Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder), who throws the world into a candy-buying tizzy when he sponsors a contest with a very special grand prize: a tour of his fantastic factory. Five children win, and four of them -- Veruca Salt, Augustus, Violet, and Mike -- are a ghastly bunch; spoiled, greedy, ill-mannered, and brain-dead from watching too much TV. Awaiting them are "little surprises around every corner" that translate to just desserts. It is up to the Oompaloompas (the little people who work at Wonka's factory) to reinforce in song the life lessons these children need to hear. Only impoverished Charlie, accompanied by his grandfather (Jack Albertson), appreciates Wonka's world of pure imagination. Adapted by Roald Dahl from his own book, Willy Wonka survives the leap from page to screen with its fantastic characters and dark humor intact. Like The Wizard of Oz, this is a rare film that will transport viewers to a place where, in Wonka's words, "what you see will defy explanation." Both the VHS and DVD editions include an all-new documentary, "Pure Imagination," featuring interviews with Wilder. The DVD adds such treats as audio commentary by the now-grown Wonka kids, the original theatrical featurette about the making of the film, and sing-along Wonka songs. All right everybody, "Who can take the sunrise/Sprinkle it with dew..."? Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

Promoted as a family musical by Paramount Pictures, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is more of a black comedy, perversely faithful to the spirit of Roald Dahl's original book Charley and the Chocolate Factory. Enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) stages a contest by hiding five golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whoever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are insufferable brats: the fifth is a likeable young lad named Charley Bucket (Peter Ostrum), who takes the tour in the company of his equally amiable grandfather (Jack Albertson). In the course of the tour, Willy Wonka punishes the four nastier children in various diabolical methods one kid is inflated and covered with blueberry dye, another ends up as a principal ingredient of the chocolate, and so on because these kids have violated the ethics of Wonka's factory. In the end, only Charlie and his grandfather are left. Ostensibly set in England, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was lensed in Germany (as revealed by the film's final overhead shot). Hal Erickson

All Movie Guide

As dark and sweet as the titular confection, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) overcame a lackluster theatrical release to become an adored black comedy/musical and family classic. Scripted by Roald Dahl from his children's book (with an uncredited rewrite by David Seltzer), director Mel Stuart and set designer Harper Goff rendered the adventure a psychedelically colored trip through a candy factory that was equal parts children's paradise and creepy funhouse. Even as Gene Wilder's mysterious, purple-clad candy man Wonka extols the whimsical possibilities of "pure imagination," the orange-faced Oompa Loompas tunefully back up Wonka's message about the evils of parent-enabled gluttony, greed, and TV sloth. Though Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was greeted with audience indifference in 1971, Leslie Briscusse, Anthony Newley, and Walter Scharf's song score earned an Oscar nomination, and Sammy Davis Jr.'s version of "Candy Man" became a 1972 chart-topper. Given new life by TV and home video, legions of music makers and dreamers of the dreams have since succumbed to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory's wicked charms, leading to a 25th anniversary theatrical re-release in 1996. Lucia Bozzola

Product Details

• UPC: 883929057443
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled
• Time: 1:40:00
• Sales Rank: 2,868

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