Comparison of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Book vs. Movie
Rosina Gonzalez
ENG 353
02/08/05
Research Paper
For this paper, I chose the Roald Dahl modern fantasy book, Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory, and the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl's
books are mostly fantasy and full of imagination. They are always a little cruel, but never
without humor - a thrilling mixture of the grotesque and comic. A frequent motif is that
people are not what they appear to be. Dahl's works for children are usually told from the
point of view of a child, and they typically involve adult villains, usually women who
hate and mistreat children, and feature at least one "good" adult to counteract the
villain(s). However, this tale offers a different formula in that the adults in Charlie's life
are good. It is the children that he goes to the factory with that would be considered
"bad" and there are consequences to their bad behavior. This paper will discuss some of
the differences between the book and the film, as well as some of my own thoughts on the
two.
The film stars Gene Wilder as the eccentric chocolate maker, Peter Ostrum as Charlie,
and Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe. The film was released in 1971. It was not a full
musical in the usual sense, featuring only six songs. Some were notably well received,
including "The Candy Man Can," and "The Oompa Loompa Song." "Cheer Up, Charlie"
and "I've Got a Golden Ticket" are songs are regularly edited out of TV screenings,
presumably because the songs are widely (but not universally) disliked. Dahl's screenplay
follows his book's basic storyline fairly closely. Mel Stuart's direction however takes
some parts of the movie in a slightly darker direction than the book. One sequence, for
example, the boat ride on the chocolate river, in hindsight shows a psychedelic influence
seen more at rock concerts than in films for children. I think that the book can be enjoyed
by readers 3rd
ENG 353
02/08/05
Research Paper
For this paper, I chose the Roald Dahl modern fantasy book, Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory, and the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl's
books are mostly fantasy and full of imagination. They are always a little cruel, but never
without humor - a thrilling mixture of the grotesque and comic. A frequent motif is that
people are not what they appear to be. Dahl's works for children are usually told from the
point of view of a child, and they typically involve adult villains, usually women who
hate and mistreat children, and feature at least one "good" adult to counteract the
villain(s). However, this tale offers a different formula in that the adults in Charlie's life
are good. It is the children that he goes to the factory with that would be considered
"bad" and there are consequences to their bad behavior. This paper will discuss some of
the differences between the book and the film, as well as some of my own thoughts on the
two.
The film stars Gene Wilder as the eccentric chocolate maker, Peter Ostrum as Charlie,
and Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe. The film was released in 1971. It was not a full
musical in the usual sense, featuring only six songs. Some were notably well received,
including "The Candy Man Can," and "The Oompa Loompa Song." "Cheer Up, Charlie"
and "I've Got a Golden Ticket" are songs are regularly edited out of TV screenings,
presumably because the songs are widely (but not universally) disliked. Dahl's screenplay
follows his book's basic storyline fairly closely. Mel Stuart's direction however takes
some parts of the movie in a slightly darker direction than the book. One sequence, for
example, the boat ride on the chocolate river, in hindsight shows a psychedelic influence
seen more at rock concerts than in films for children. I think that the book can be enjoyed
by readers 3rd