July 14, 2005
By Matt Savelloni
“A LITTLE NONSENSE NOW AND THEN IS RELISHED BY THE WISEST MEN.” – ROALD DAHL
Charlie’s the son of a broke English family,
Wonka, he owns a mysterious Factory.
But once a year Chuck’s dream comes true,
A shining black bar of scrumptious dark goo.
From the pen of a man, so caring, so kind,
Comes a tale of morals, aimed at young minds.
It’s Dahl we speak of, artist without peer,
Doctor of whimsy and well-tempered cheer.
Charlie’s a boy but a hero most brave,
Grabbing the eye of a kind purple knave.
Earning a ride in an elevator of glass,
Charlie’s detractors can kiss his poor ass.
Veruca and Beauregarde and hypnotized TeeVee,
Gloop, a glutton who’s rude and so greedy,
Bad nuts and squirrels and a diminutive staff,
Wonka at first seems creepy and daft.
All around Charlie a cast so sublime,
I wish Oompa Loompas would easily rhyme.
Confections and sweets and prototype candy,
Vexing these kids who are spoiled and bratty.
In the midst of it all, our Charlie stands tall,
Proving his dignity, at least to sweet Willy.
Height matters not, neither do treasures,
One slight boy sees life’s simple pleasures.
A hilarious journey based upon cocoa,
Led by a man who’s a little bit loco.
Age brings heartache, struggles and pain,
But Charlie assures us not all is in vain.
It’s not about truffles or sugar or stature,
Passion’s the thing to bring us to rapture.
Warnings surround us, handle with care,
Call your mother and don’t ever swear.
Lessons we take from childhood days,
Forgotten they are in present day haze.
Dahl reminds us of when we were small,
To share the gifts in the hearts of us all.
“WE ARE THE MUSIC MAKERS, AND WE ARE THE DREAMERS OF DREAMS.” – ROALD DAHL
I have a love-hate thing going with Tim Burton. ED WOOD is one of my favorite movies of the last 20 years. I have special affection for EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, BEETLE JUICE, BIG FISH and moments of MARS ATTACKS! He also produced the inventive and amusing THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and the better JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH, my personal favorite Dahl story. That’s a pretty good filmography. However, the incredible missed potential of BATMAN, BATMAN RETURNS and SLEEPY HOLLOW and the sheer pointless atrocity of PLANET OF THE APES bring his batting average way down. And sometimes I wonder if I am the only person who finds the intentional fakery of his “vision” distracting, which was why BIG FISH’s natural and illuminated appearance came as such a welcome surprise. So I am torn.
However, I am also convinced that Burton is the only current director up to the task of filming CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. And Johnny Depp… well, what do you say other than while being one of the five best leading men of our age, he is the only one so capable of character transformation, of subverting his matinee idol status for the benefit of the piece. But other than updating effects and making boatloads of cash, is there really a need for a new CHOCOLATE FACTORY novel? The Mel Stuart-Gene Wilder 1971 adaptation is near perfect, with great songs, fine set pieces (for their time) and most importantly, the preservation of the subversive wit of Dahl who wrote the screenplay himself. Where is the motivation to shoot this story all over again other than box office dollars? It seems so calculated, clashing with the spirit of the novel.
Nevertheless, rather than sound off like an over-analytical snit, I will admit to being more than a little thrilled at the prospects of Burton at his best, the always-welcome Depp and the rebirth of screenwriter John August who seemed to shake off the detritus of the CHARLIE’S ANGELS blights with 2003’s BIG FISH, a remarkably restrained nostalgia piece. I am also encouraged Burton has cast British character actors to support Depp and not Hollywood familiars. This should help maintain the singular drollness of Roald Dahl. The marketing buzz tells us this version is more “dedicated” to the novel—I’m not sure how this is possible other than using the actual title, CHARLIE THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. But if it at the very least it means they channeling as much of Dahl as possible, well, how could that possibly be a bad thing?
“And Charlie, don't forget about what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he ever wanted. He lived happily ever after.” –Roald Dahl, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
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