Not Coming to a Theater Near You

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory / USA / 2005

I’m rather heartened to hear that a lot of people (myself included) enjoyed this movie immensely, even with a thorough and probably greater appreciation of Mel Stuart’s 1971 version. Sure, parts of the film are terrible (has Danny Elfman totally lost it?), but Burton gets a sufficient number of things right, even if the film is ultimately unnecessary. For Charlie, he casts the most adorable little English boy imaginable; for Grampa Joe, the most adorable little Irish old man. (David Kelly has an interesting career that stretches back about 50 years. He played Stephen Dedalus’ boss in Joseph Strick’s remarkable adaptation of Ulysses, was featured as the incompetent [read: Irish] builder O’Reilly in a classic episode of Fawlty Towers, and appeared in a 2002 adaptation of Spike Milligan’s novel, Puckoon, that I had no idea existed.)

It’s no surprise, however, that the film belongs to Depp, whose Willy Wonka is infinitely fascinating, if only for the total confusion it engenders. Yes, everyone “gets” the evocation of Michael Jackson … but what the hell is this man doing? And in a children’s movie? Thank god that Hollywood has an actor like Depp around, who is seemingly willing to sabotage his entire career — repeatedly — with performances that are totally off-the-wall, but never seem to prompt concern for his mental health (as was the case for someone like Peter Sellers … or, indeed, Spike Milligan). And the great miracle is that they somehow inadvertently spell box-office gold.

The other great thing about Depp’s performance is that it doesn’t eclipse Gene Wilder’s earlier rendition. If anything — and in spite of Wilder’s vocal objections to Burton’s film — the two performances complement each other by contrast. It astounds me that the imagination of Roald Dahl (to say nothing of these actors) can foster not one, but two brilliantly perverse characters.

Jason’s thoughts | Matt’s thoughts | Rumsey’s thoughts

by Leo Goldsmith | Source: Cable OnDemand
31 Aug 2006 4:06 PM | Comments (2)

Comments / 2 total / Submit Comment

1. Conor / 19 September 2006 / 11:32 PM

   Player and painted stage took all my love, and not those things they were emblems of —William Butler Yeats

   Despite the easy tone of Leo’s review of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, he rakes some fundamental questions to the fore. Beneath his blase attitude towards the greatest modern mainstream cinematic composer and the greatest modern portrayer of youthful detective work since Chris O’ Donnell hide some deeply felt concerns about the human issues that keep the Hollywood system in operation. Like what does mental health have to do with Hollywood. And who exactly are great actors imitating. The scope of these questions cannot be exhausted. I beg of you ask them often! I mean you can anlayse a story. That’s obvious. Can’t we all. But in this review you ask genealogical questions. Dare I say Foucauldian questions about the cultural origins of the film, the contemporary archaeology of the production that are so often lost to the common filmgoer in the rush of eros and ego that—present company included—blind us to the institutional origins of the film. I mean, I didn’t know Depp was imitating the King of Pop for this one! I didn’t even remember Depp was human up there on the screen until you inquired after his mental health! Tout grand!

2. LW / 23 September 2006 / 11:31 AM

   Yee-gods, Conor! It’s just a pleasant review. Don’t get all Foucauldian on our asses.