Marcus Powell

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. It is an adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Dahl was credited with writing the film's screenplay; however, David Seltzer, who went uncredited in the film, was brought in to re-work Dahl's screenplay against his wishes, making major changes to the ending and adding musical numbers. These changes and other decisions made by the director led Dahl to disown the film. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) as he receives a Golden Ticket and visits Willy Wonka's chocolate factory with four other children from around the world. Filming took place in Munich in 1970, and the film was released by Paramount Pictures on June 30, 1971. With a budget of just $3 million, the film received generally positive reviews and earned $4 million by the end of its original run. Paramount distributed the film until 1977, and beginning in the 1980s, Warner Bros. assumed control of the rights for home entertainment purposes. The film then made an additional $21 million during its re-release by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment banner in 1996. The film became highly popular in part through repeated television airings and home entertainment sales. In 1972, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, and Wilder was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, but lost both to Fiddler on the Roof. The film also introduced the song "The Candy Man", which went on to become a popular hit when recorded by Sammy Davis Jr.. In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". ==Plot== In an unnamed town, children visit a candy shop. Charlie Bucket, whose family is poor, stares through the window as the shop owner sings "The Candy Man". Walking home, he passes Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. A mysterious tinker recites the first lines of William Allingham's poem "The Fairies", and tells Charlie, "Nobody ever goes in, and nobody ever comes out." Charlie rushes home to his widowed mother and bedridden grandparents. After telling Grandpa Joe about the tinker, Joe reveals that Wonka locked the factory because other candy makers, including rival Arthur Slugworth, sent in spies to steal his recipes. Wonka disappeared, but three years resumed selling candy; the origin of Wonka's labor force is unknown. Wonka announces that he has hidden five "Golden Tickets" in chocolate Wonka Bars. Finders of the tickets will receive a factory tour and lifetime supply of chocolate. Four of the tickets are found by Augustus Gloop, a gluttonous boy; Veruca Salt, a spoiled girl; Violet Beauregarde, a gum-chewing girl; and Mike Teavee, a television-obsessed boy. As each winner is announced on TV, a man whispers to them. Charlie opens two Wonka Bars but finds no Golden Ticket and loses hope. The newspapers announce the fifth ticket has been found by a millionaire in Paraguay. Charlie finds money in a gutter and uses it to buy a Scrumdidilyumptious bar. With the change, he buys a Wonka Bar for Joe. The newspapers reveal that the Paraguayan millionaire's ticket is a forgery; when Charlie opens the Wonka Bar, he finds the fifth golden ticket. While rushing home, he is confronted by the same man seen whispering to the other winners, who introduces himself as Slugworth and offers to pay for a sample of Wonka's latest creation, the Everlasting Gobstopper. Charlie returns home with his news. Charlie chooses Joe as his chaperone and they sing "I've Got A Golden Ticket". The next day, Wonka greets the ticket winners and leads them inside where each signs a contract before the tour. The factory includes a river of chocolate, edible mushrooms, lickable wallpaper, and other sweets and inventions. As the visitors sample these, Wonka sings "Pure Imagination". The visitors see Wonka's workers, small men known as Oompa-Loompas, who sing the first verse of "Oompa-Loompa". Augustus falls into the chocolate river and is sucked up a pipe to the Fudge Room. In the Inventing Room, everyone receives an Everlasting Gobstopper. Violet becomes a large blueberry after chewing an experimental gum containing a three-course meal despite Wonka's warnings. She is taken to another room to be drained of blueberry juice and the Oompa-Loompas sing another verse of their song. The group reaches the Fizzy Lifting Drinks Room, where Charlie and Grandpa Joe ignore Wonka's warning and sample the drinks. They are not caught, but have a near-fatal encounter with an exhaust fan. In the Chocolate Eggs Room, Wonka uses geese to lay golden eggs. Veruca demands one and sings, "I Want It Now", then falls into a garbage chute leading to the furnace. Her father falls in trying to rescue her. The group tests out Wonka's Wonkavision, only to have Mike teleport himself and become only a few inches tall. Only Charlie and Grandpa Joe remain, but Wonka dismisses them without the promised chocolate. When Grandpa Joe asks him why, Wonka replies they violated the contract by stealing Fizzy Lifting Drinks and will receive nothing. Joe suggests to Charlie that he should give Slugworth the Gobstopper, but Charlie returns the candy to Wonka. When Charlie puts the candy on the desk, Wonka declares Charlie the winner. He reveals that "Slugworth" is really "Mr. Wilkinson", an employee of his, and the offer to buy the Gobstopper was a morality test which only Charlie passed. The trio enter the "Wonkavator", a multi-directional glass elevator that flies out of the factory. Soaring over the city, Wonka reveals that his actual prize is the factory; Wonka created the contest to find a worthy heir and Charlie and his family can immediately move into the factory. Wonka then reminds Charlie not to forget about the boy who suddenly received everything he ever wanted. Charlie inquires "What ever happened to him?" to which Wonka replies "He lived happily ever after."