Willie Wonka and the Chocolate factory is a famous American movie that is an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Screenplay for this movie is done by Roald Dahl himself. Though Roald Dahl did the Screenplay, the production also hired David Seltzer to write the uncredited rewrite. This decision caused a fallout between the production team and Dahl causing him to disown the film.
Though the film has some drama like this, it was an overall hit causing many remakes, including Charlie and the Chocolate factory starring Johnny Depp. The movie is also about to have another remake in 2023. It is called Wonka, and the title character is played by Timothee Chalamet.
The film is produced by Stan Marguiles and David L. Wolper. Mel Stuart is the director of the film. It was released on June 30, 1971, with a budget of $3 million. The movie was a box office success earning $4 million dollars. It has a run time of about one hour and forty minutes. It was not only a box office hit but was also critically acclaimed, with the film receiving an Academy nomination. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe.
Cast and Crew of the Movie
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Movie Stills Credit: Paramount Pictures
The movie has Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. He is perhaps one of the most famous Wonka. Along with him, Jack Albertson plays the role of Grandpa Joe. It also has Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket, Roy Innear as Mr. Salt, Julie Dawn Cole as Veruca Salt, Denise Nickerson as Violet Beauregarde, and Leonard Stone as Mr. Beauregarde.
The movie narrates the story of a poor child named Charlie Bucket. He was suddenly struck with the luck of finding a Golden Ticket in a chocolate bar. He has an amazing experience when he, along with the other four children, visits Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory.
The film is directed by Mel Stuart, and the Screenplay is done by Roald Dahl. The film is distributed by Paramount Pictures. The music for this movie is made by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. The majority of the film took place in Munich. The filming started in August 1970 and ended in November 1970.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Filming location
All the external shots of the factory were filmed in Munich, Germany. It was at Gas Works of Stadtwerke. The Entrance and the buildings are still preserved as an honor to the film. The main location of the movie was mainly in west Germany.
The factory that we see in the movie is completely constructed for the sake of this film. The School that Charlie went to was also in Munich. Katholisches Pfarramt St. Sylvester Biedersteiner Straße 1 is the location where they filmed his school.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie still Credit: Paramount Pictures
The thing that stands out the most is the Film set and the whimsical atmosphere that it brings. The factory is filled with quirky machinery that matches Willy Wonka’s personality. The set designers want to capture this essence of him in the laboratory and factory that he uses.
Initially, the construction of the Inventing room was supposed to look like a normal industrial room with lots of steel and iron to give it a look of a factory. But the film director had another vision and wanted to incorporate some quirkiness into the set so as to match the weirdness that Wonka exudes from his personality.
It was this decision that prompted him to use unusual equipment to make it more unique. He made his production team go and search for anything that fits this description in the streets of Germany. When designing the set, Mel Stuart was certain that he could not make this look like an ordinary factory.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Poster Credit: Paramount Pictures
The factory was such a memorable part of the movie. A considerable amount of props in the Chocolate room were edible. Now, how cool is that! Chocolate Watermelon, Gumballs from a tree, Marzipan, and toffee-based candies were available on the set and were used as props.
No matter how many movies are adapted after this, There will always be a special place for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It is the OG film that started it all.
