"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"

[k8cre8]

Before I jump into this, let me go on record, I like Johnny Depp. I often like Tim Burton. I even mostly like Roald Dahl. And John August. I even had a good time at the movie. I laughed several times, and in no way thought the movie was a waste of time.

And yet.
 
It lacked a sense of wonder. The factory almost became, well, uninteresting, as though it was a documentary about a place well known to the audience, with no mystery left. I don’t think it had much to do with familiarity of the book, or even the original movie. It was something in the movie itself. Both bryee  and I left with a desire to re-read the book, which is typically not a good sign.
 
And, I re-read the book, mostly on Friday. I enjoyed it. There was still magic in there. Familiarity with the subject matter was clearly not the issue.
 
Talking after the movie, it seemed that there was just too much that pulled the viewer out of the movie. Some of the CGI effects aren’t well-blended into the movie, which is not something I’ve had a problem with in any of Tim Burton’s previous films. If you spend time noticing the puppet’s strings, the puppet’s not going to be as engaging. In parts of the film, the CG is well-integrated, and those are the parts of the movie that worked the best. I also appreciated that the script was closer to the book in most respects, and John August added some nice touches to that basic story.
 
Adding to the list of things that didn’t work, even though I love Christopher Lee, was the back story for Willy Wonka. The idea that Wonka became the world’s greatest chocolateier due to a childhood as the son of the town’s most prominent dentist, is interesting, but really unnecessary. Depp’s Wonka has almost become a mal-adjusted misanthrope, which isn’t the character created by Dahl. Re-reading it this weekend,  I realized even more clearly that Mr. Wonka, though eccentric, simply didn’t suffer fools lightly. He clearly is compassionate towards Charlie and his family, and treats them well. To the reprehensible children and their equally unpleasant parents, he’s distant, and has an eccentric, at times passive-aggressive, way of treating them. Granted, these appalling persons are ignorant that their perception of Wonka’s reactions to the events caused by their (and their children’s) actions is that he’s insane and uncaring. They see themselves as victims, and Mr. Wonka as their assailant.  
 
Lastly, the Oompah-Loompas were even more wrong in this version than they were in the original. I wish someone would do a movie where the Oompah-Loompas are even remotely like they are in the book. Making them all the same guy, interesting idea, but, why’d they have to be that guy, and make him grouchy? Worse, why have them be the same guy, and then fail to have the heads match the bodies correctly, or the bodies be of inconsistent sizes?
 
Okay. I’m done now. I stupidly volunteered to make a shot list for the start of principle photography (see, I'm making a movie, and I'm being pathetically geeky about it) tomorrow, so, I've got some work to do yet tonight.

Comments

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

Movie project details! Are you allowed to talk about it?

A sad happiness went into the mail for you today! Woobah and hooray! A mere month and half and we can put these unpleasant gaps in time behind us!

Also: shouting!

[k8cre8.livejournal.com]

I can talk about it. We're making a short film to enter in the Amazon short film competition. It can be a max (with credits) of 7 minutes.

It's a quick turn around, they announced it July 29, and it's due Aug 17. So, we got together, I came up with the basic idea, and then we brainstormed around that idea, and then, I wrote it up. It's sorta David Lynch meets Memento. It's all digital. byree is playing a part. And, I'm probably going to have to play a part, too. Hard to cast in the day between writing the script and begin shooting. I'll post a link when it's up.

Yay! Mail?! I'm so psyched, even with the "sad" warning. Yay! So unexpected, really. Thanks to you, and Sara. I'm so looking forward to seeing you all.

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

It's true, I sent you box full of kittens strangled in confetti streamers that have been soaked in ectasy.

[k8cre8.livejournal.com]

Just what I always wanted! How *did* you know?

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

Hooray! It was just a lucky guess!

[bryree.livejournal.com]

Yer wierd...

/movie reference

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

speaking of packages: did yours arrive?

did I ever tell you i found the actual manual and will bring it in Oct?

[bryree.livejournal.com]

Safe and sound. Thanks much. Knew that there were manual questions, but not that it was found. So looking forward to seeing youse guys.

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[drdeleto.livejournal.com]

As a boy, I read just about every Roald Dahl book except the Charlie books. So I don't have much familiarity with the book, though I do admire the original movie with Gene Wilder. Why would you try to remake it? I think it stands up quite well, and the description you give of the Wonka in the book sounds exactly like what they executed in the old film.

I heard someone somewhere (on the radio?) make a questioning reference to Depp's Wonka looking just a bit like Michael Jackson. I didn't hear where they were going with that, but... Well, if you were going to adapt a story to be a metaphor (perhaps an apology) for Jackson's peculiar relationship with children, the Chocolate Factory would be a good choice. I dunno if that resonates with what you saw on-screen.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh and: What were the Oompas like in the book?

[k8cre8.livejournal.com]

That was my take. The Gene Wilder version is so wonderful, that, while it deviates from the book more, I think the style, tone, etc is closer. No need, in my mind to remake it. Granted, I was intriqued, out of respect for those involved, but, not sure why this was necessary.

I think there are Jackson-esque comparisons, easy to make, in this version. Wonka in this version seems to not want much to do with children, and less to do with their parents. The "alien" or "other-worldly" qualities of Jackson's persona are the most directly-comparable.

Oompas in the book are tiny, joyous people. They seem to be constantly laughing, they've got a mischievious streak, their songs about the children (which are used more faithfully from the book in the Burton version), border on cruel, but, given the general attitude towards the repulsiveness of these children, and (in my opinion) an undertone of "you messed up the workings of our benefactor's wonderful factory." The Oompah's work in the factory is out of the sincerest gratitude, and they seem much more light-heated. In both film versions, they've been mysterious, (the only real mystery about the Oompas in the book is who was working the factory, once that's solved, it's not a mystery anymore.) and are almost always scowling, or, at best, looking around with a nutral expression. The Oompahs didn't ever seem to be scowlers in the books.

[drdeleto.livejournal.com]

So is every Johnny Depp character based on Keith Richards now? I heard he researched what Keith was like before he wacked out on drugs and based his portrayal of J. M. Barrie on that. (Okay, not really.)

[drdeleto.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'll get a chance. I hear my son's dad is Johnny Depp.

[lovecarnievan.livejournal.com]

Kinda wish I was there, too...