Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – A film by Tim Burton

Before I begin a review of the current film, let me just state the similarities between this film and the original 1971 film by Mel Stuart. Both films are about Willie Wonka, the five golden tickets, the five children (who possess the same personalities and have the same ignominious ends), the four old people in the bed, and the Oompa Loompa’s. There are similar settings such as the edible room, the river of chocolate, and the flying elevator. These were prominent parts of the book and should be included in with the story.

The first film was a musical. In fact, one song, “The Candyman Can,” was recorded by Sammy Davis, Jr. and became a big hit. Anthony Newly, who composed many songs for Broadway and also had an acting career, wrote the songs.

The Tim Burton film is a far darker and more mysterious version of the book. John August's screenplay (Big Fish) has given us not just a Wonka with more depth, but also more history. We are told why Wonka went into the candy business; how he got started; and what happened that made him a recluse from society. In fact, this Wonka is far more complex than the Gene Wilder version, which was slightly more whimsical. For this Willie Wonka, the world stopped years ago, perhaps decades ago. However as time has caught up with him, he has delineated his fortune to the child that will take care of his Oompa Loompas. Naturally it should be Charlie, right? But not necessarily so; and that sense-of-the-unknown quality is what separates this Wonka from the Mel Stuart 1971 version.

The emphasis on this film from start to finish is about family, and how important that support is, whether present or lack of, influences and affects our lives as long as we live. For Charlie, family is everything. But Wonka can’t even remember his childhood; and when he does, it is full of frightening images right out of Freud’s book of parental nightmares. This looking at the world through dark glasses is a constant theme for Tim Burton. He has continually used the themes of death, the color black, and misshapen images to present a world that is morbid at best… Batman, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Mars Attacks, Sleepy Hollow, etc. were all patterned after that same dark warped imagery that borders on being a page ripped out of a psychoanalysis session with Salvador Dali.

The Oompa Loopas do not smile, and are clones of the same being (thanks to CGI). They do a moralizing dance and sing about the ethics that each kid lacks (as in the original film). But here, we see an endless supply of them, stamped out like mindless creatures performing everything (except the nuts, which squirrels do better). We’re almost ready to drop them in the trash heap as unlikable, too; when it turns out they have a surprise contribution to the story. There is also a new twist on the ending.

I was delighted by the in-jokes, the double entendre, and the symbolism Burton and August added to the story. Yes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a remake. But I believe the remake is even better and perhaps a bit sweeter than the original.