There are a lot of Wonkas out there. Is the best Wonka the original? Who knows - we'll find out with this latest release.
The plot summary is a delight. Here's an excerpt of just one scene:
"While on tour, Charlie and Grandpa Joe enter the Fizzy Lifting Drinks room and sample the beverages against Wonka's orders. The drink makes them float up and have a near-fatal encounter with the ceiling exhaust fan, but burping allows them to escape and descend to the ground."
The making of the movie is as crazy as the movie. Who was considered for the part of Willy Wonka compared to Gene Wilder?
"Before Wilder was officially cast as Willy Wonka, producers considered Fred Astaire, Joel Grey, Ron Moody, and Jon Pertwee. Spike Milligan was Roald Dahl's original choice. Peter Sellers reportedly begged Dahl for the role.
All six members of Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin) expressed interest in playing Wonka, but at the time they were deemed not big enough names for an international audience.
Sammy Davis Jr. wanted to play Bill, the candy store owner, but Stuart did not like the idea because he felt that the presence of a big star in the candy store scene would break the reality; though Davis would make Bill's signature song, "The Candy Man", into a big hit. Anthony Newley also wanted to play Bill, but Stuart also dissuaded him for the same reason.
Here's another tidbit. The movie was filmed in Germany. The Chocolate Room set had difficulties and overran its allotted time. Director Bob Fosse came in every afternoon to complain because the filming was overrunning towards the end and stopping him from shooting Cabaret on the same stage.
I would expect this is just as eccentric - my version of Chocolate and Vanilla.
No comments:
Post a Comment