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:

Your golden ticket to imagination and adventure!

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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 Belgium

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

In the scene where Wonka angrily reads to Charlie and Grandpa Joe the contract out loud, he reads two lines in Latin: "Fax mentis incendium gloriae culpum" and "Memo bis punitor delicatum". The first line translates to "Fax blaze of glory fault". The second line, as it is heard in the movie, is believed to be gibberish. However, according Google Translate, it translates to "Twice a delicate memo punishing."

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Goofs

When Violet turns into the blueberry you can see the reflection of the blue light in her hair. But in the same scenes where blue make-up is used instead of the light, you can see the regular flesh tone under her hair and in her parting.

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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

Missing sequences with German subtitles were shown in the German dubbing on its first full version broadcast on ARTE on August 22, 2006. This version has been released in Germany on DVD including the English version.

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: Double Dragon (2008)

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Soundtracks

The Candy Man
(uncredited)
Lyrics and Music by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Performed by Aubrey Woods

User Reviews

One of my all-time favourites.

Surprisingly, Roald Dahl (author of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, on which this film is based) reportedly hated this big screen version of his book. There's no denying that the book is sheer genius, but in all honesty this film adaptation is exceptionally well made too. In fact, it comes high up on my list of all-time movie favourites.

The Wonka Chocolate Factory is an amazing building from which some of the most scrumdiddlyumptious sweets are delivered to the world's candy stores. Wonka-mania hits the world when five golden tickets are hidden inside packs of Wonka bars - for the winners will be granted a tour of the top-secret factory. Young Charlie Bucket, a poor boy whose family cottage lies within sight of Wonka's factory, dreams of becoming a winner - but with barely a penny to his name, does he have a chance?

What makes Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory such a success is the way it skillfully blends entertainment and a serious underlying moral. Each winning child is exposed as being rotten-to-the-core, then dealt with harshly and dismissively by Wonka. Seeing these awful brats get their come-uppance is hilarious, enjoyable and - on a serious level - quite eye-opening (it's as if parents in the audience are being told how to prevent their children from turning bad). Gene Wilder was simply born to play Wonka (every eccentric phrase, every bemused expression, and every mischievous glance is judged to perfection). The film's set design is fabulous, with particular high-spots including the chocolate room, the egg room and the wacky corridor which gets smaller and narrower the closer you get to the end. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is simply magic - a film that everyone must see, especially parents whose kids are just becoming that bit too big for their boots!