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.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-08-09 04:22 pm (UTC)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.