Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory.

Director:

Mel Stuart

Writers:

Roald Dahl (screenplay), Roald Dahl (book)

Stars:

Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gene Wilder	...	Willy Wonka
Jack Albertson	...	Grandpa Joe
Peter Ostrum	...	Charlie
Roy Kinnear	...	Mr. Salt
Julie Dawn Cole	...	Veruca Salt
Leonard Stone	...	Mr. Beauregarde
Denise Nickerson	...	Violet Beauregarde
Nora Denney	...	Mrs. Teevee (as Dodo Denney)
Paris Themmen	...	Mike Teevee
Ursula Reit	...	Mrs. Gloop
Michael Bollner	...	Augustus Gloop
Diana Sowle	...	Mrs. Bucket
Aubrey Woods	...	Bill
David Battley	...	Mr. Turkentine
Günter Meisner	...	Mr. Slugworth (as Gunter Meisner)

Storyline

The world is astounded when Willy Wonka, for years a recluse in his factory, announces that five lucky people will be given a tour of the factory, shown all the secrets of his amazing candy, and one will win a lifetime supply of Wonka chocolate. Nobody wants the prize more than young Charlie, but as his family is so poor that buying even one bar of chocolate is a treat, buying enough bars to find one of the five golden tickets is unlikely in the extreme. But in movieland, magic can happen. Charlie, along with four somewhat odious other children, get the chance of a lifetime and a tour of the factory. Along the way, mild disasters befall each of the odious children, but can Charlie beat the odds and grab the brass ring?

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Plot Keywords:

factory | chocolate | ticket | candy | golden ticket | 

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Taglines:

Charlie is let loose in the chocolate factory and every kid's dream comes true.

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Genres:

Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA East Germany West Germany

Language:

English French German Italian

Release Date:

30 June 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

Filming Locations:

Emmy-Noether-Straße, Munich, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$526,633, 4 September 2016

Gross USA:

$526,633

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$526,633

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolper Pictures Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 89 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gene Wilder's acting during the boat ride sequence was so convincing that it frightened some of the other actors and actresses, including Denise Nickerson (Violet). They thought that Wilder really was going mad from being in the tunnel.

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Goofs

When Charlie finds the coin and buys his first candy bar he stuffs as much as possible into his mouth (at around 54 mins), yet in the very next scene, his mouth is empty (at around 1 min).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bill: All right, all right, all right, what's it going to be? A Triple Cream Cup for Christopher. A Sizzler for June Marie. And listen!
[the children fall silent]
Bill: Wonka's got a new one today.
Children: What is it?
Bill: This is called a Scrumpdiddlyumptious Bar.

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Crazy Credits

At the same time as the end credits are playing, the film shows the Wonkavator rising higher and higher.

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Alternate Versions

The original theatrical version of this film was released by Paramount, but all television, video, and theatrical re-issue versions of the film are distributed by Warner Bros. As a result, the current version in circulation opens with a Warner Bros. logo. This happened as a result of Quaker's and Paramount's reaction to the film's poor initial box-office returns; Quaker bowed out early, and Paramount let their distribution rights expire. Since Wolper Productions had been acquired by Warners by that time, the rights reverted to them.

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: My Way or the Highway to Heaven (2018)

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Soundtracks

I Want It Now!
(uncredited)
Lyrics and Music by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Performed by Julie Dawn Cole

User Reviews

a golden ticket for an ultimate experience..

Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

The stunning rich visuals that projects excellence in production and costume design along with amazing graphics in 70's, is the window where the feature lures its audience in and flaunts it majestically. Such a simple yet deep concept is so pleasingly intriguing that one finds itself falling into the world half-way through the feature without even blinking. The passion and enthusiasm for such an eerie project is why it works for the most part of it while the rest is left upon its dark humour which may not be hilarious but certainly offers a chuckle every now and then. A gripping screenplay by Roald Dahl, himself who wrote the original book from which it is adapted, and Mel Stuart with his brilliant execution skills ups the ante and easily allows it to enter into the major league. On performance objective, Gene Wilder is stunning and satisfactory as usual and is supported by talented young actors and their humorous guardians. The first act is hilarious and exhilarating and longer than usual (which it doesn't seem so) after which it goes into dark place in its rest of the act but even that tone is so certifiably pleasing that no one minds it despite of being a feature primarily for children. Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory is a golden ticket for the ultimate cinematic experience where it doesn't bother to worry about its diplomacy and rather lets itself sink into its self-created poetic world.