Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (UK)
It`s everybody`s non-pollutionary, anti-institutionary, pro-confectionery factory of fun!
Certificate: U
Running Time: 96 mins
Retail Price: £15.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
Twenty-five years after this merry movie charmed audiences with a colourful mix of song, humour and life lessons, the Candy Man still wields magic, expecially now in a vibrant new print with a soundtrack in true stereo.
From the classic Roald Dahl story comes a lip-smacking delight with jolly tunes, among them The Candy Man and Pure Imagination. 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. Don`t let the tour leave without you!
Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Letterbox 1.85:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 Dutch
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 French
Subtitle Tracks:
French
Italian
CC: Italian
Romanian
English
Spanish
German
CC: English
Portuguese
Dutch
Arabic
Bulgarian
Directed By:
Mel Stuart
Written By:
Roald Dahl
David Seltzer
Starring:
Julie Dawn Cole
Peter Ostrum
Gene Wilder
Roy Kinnear
Jack Albertson
Casting By:
Helen Colvig
Soundtrack By:
Walter Scharf
Leslie Bricusse
Anthony Newley
Director of Photography:
Arthur Ibbetson
Editor:
David Saxon
Producer:
Stan Margulies
David L. Wolper
Ed Peck
Distributor:
Wolper Pictures
Your Opinions and Comments
Firstly ill start out with the story which most of your probably know anyway so ill keep it brief. The story revolves around the main chracter Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) who along with 4 others wins a "Golden Ticket" which gives him the special privalage to tour Willy Wonka`s Chocolate Factory. The main part of the movie follows the kids around the factory going from skirmish to skirmish of how the kids are dismissed by being naughty, stupid etc. Willy Wonka who is brilliantly played by Gene Wilder has a hidden agenda to the kids in his factory which offers a satisfying end to a timeless classic of a movie.
On to the picture which has been cleared up brilliantly by Warner Brothers for this special edition of the movie. In some scenes there is some grain but what can you expect for a movie which is 30 years old!. The majority of the movie however the picture is superb with no dirt at all.
The audio is offered in Dolby 5.1 format and a movie with this nature your never gonna really gonna push your system to its limits. However when the Ooompah Loompah`s start singing the front and rear surrounds all get used as they do with all the songs in the movie. Other than that the voices from centre speaker sound crystal clear and volume levels are all standard.
Warner Brothers have pulled out some decent extras for this special edition and have included some great extras. We have the bog standard usuals like photo gallery, trailers and talent bios. The real good stuff is the 1971 featurette (5 mins) and the brand new featurette made especially for this DVD (30 mins). The new featurette has interviews with all the main cast of the movie including the original 5 Wonka kids and shows how their lives have ended up and gives insightful views into how the movie was made. The other edition is a Sing-Along-Song feature which is basically a karaoke for the songs in the movie, fun idea but lets face it, nobody is ever gonna use it. The real treat is the commentary by the 5 Wonka Kids which is a brilliany insight into the movie and also very funny. The 5 Kids (or adults now) give a very entertaining commentary and tell lots of the hidden secrets that you never knew or thought were there.
Overall this is a good DVD purchase and if your a fan of the movie then this will bring back all your childhood memories and then some. Great movide, great picture, decent audio and great extras all add up to a DVD that is well worth shelling out £20 for if you have a multi reigon DVD player and need a nostalgic trip back to your early days.