I recently saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the second time. There were many things about the original Willy Wonka and Chocolate Factory that I really enjoyed, the main one being the character of the teacher. However, I always abhorred the song that the mother sings about Charlie as she’s doing laundry. I suppose I can live without the quick remarks of the teacher if I don’t have to hear “good-boy Charlie.”
Rick has a criticism about the movie saying that Charlie in the newer one is depicted as “too perfect.” However, I have to disagree. Yes, he was portrayed as perfect, but really, no one in the movie is portrayed as “normal.” Each child’s character was highly satirized. One of the most jolting images was an upshot of Mike TV playing some video games yelling, “Die, die, die!” Maybe not all kids are so involved in the games they play or shows they watch, but it did show a perhaps exaggerated way in which kids today behave.
Charlie’s goodness is in direct contrast to the selfishness of all the other children, the other parents, and even Willy Wonka. It was not so much that he was perfect, but that he understood the value of family and did not want to give his up. The audience is either like Charlie in that reguard and understands perfectly his decision or is more like the selfish children and thinks Charlie a fool for giving up such a grand offer.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Rick Beckman // Aug 29, 2005 at 7:58 pm
Well, I don’t think Charlie was a fool for offering to give up the prize; in fact, I thought that was great. Indeed, Charlie was a great kid all throughout the original movie as well. However, his one quirk with the highly carbonated soda made him more realistic. At least his disobedience didn’t lead to his being blown up like a plum, sent to the garbage as a bad egg, or sucked up into the chocolate tubes.
I do, however, agree that his disobedience wasn’t any better than the other kids’, and because of it he almost “lost.” It wasn’t until he returned, I believe it was, the Everlasting Gobstopper that he was “redeemed” in Wonka’s eyes.
Both are great movies, to be sure.
2 Alicia Beckman // Aug 29, 2005 at 9:05 pm
I was always confused in the first movie when Charlie did something wrong and still won. I thought it unfair…and always assumed that the only reason he could disobey and win was because he didn’t get caught.
3 Rick Beckman // Aug 29, 2005 at 11:36 pm
No, he was caught. And if I recall correctly, his grandfather fought for him, and just before they left, Charlie left the gobstopper on Wonka’s desk. Wonka turned around and saw it, saying in effect, “You passed the test,” or somesuch.
In other words, we need to re-watch it.
4 Mandy // Sep 2, 2005 at 8:47 pm
I think that the guy in the beginning of the movie talked to each kid and wanted them to bring the recipe and the gombstopper to him and if they did then he would give them money. Then when Charlie did drink that soda he disobeyed the rules. But the reason he won is because in the end of the movie he laid the gombstopper on the table to show that he wasn’t taking it with him. That was the test to see which kid was more greedy and was going to trade the gombstopper for the money but charlie wasn’t like that in his morals so he left it there and then he won. Sorry, if i intruded i was just stating my opinion. I think that Willy Wonka and the Chocalate factory was a great movie and Thad and I ahve even talked about how we think it portrayes God and us humans. Each and everyone of us are like the kids off of Willy Wonka. I think that it really helped Thad and I in a spiritual way but i think that lots of things if you look at them in the right way can.