mrv3000 | Really random poll.

I read the book long before I ever saw either of them. When I saw the Gene Wilder version, I hated it - I thought, Willy Wonka's supposed to be sort of dark and creepy, what the f*$& is this? I thought the Johnny Depp version came much closer to what I imagined from the book.

I read the books a very very long time ago. Way too long to remember how it should be. The only thing I really remember were the Vermicious Knids, which scared the hell out of me. :D

I thought, and it's ironic if you look at the difference in names, that the 2005 version focussed far too much on Willy Wonka and ignored everything else. It seemed to me like it was really just an exercise in seeing how creepy they could make Johnny Depp. Don't get me wrong, his acting was excellent as usual, but it felt like they sacrificed the story for the acting.

On the other hand, I've adored the 1971 version since I first saw it as a small child, so it's entirely possible I'm biased.

They did fudge the characters a bit in the newer version. Like suddenly Willy had this whole childhood trauma storyline (which I actually kind of liked), and Charlie had a dad and so on.

I liked the original version, but I never really loved it, which probably helps for liking the new version.

I never liked the original version. I don't know why, but it didn't appeal. The new version, on the other hand, I quite enjoyed. I liked Depp in the role, I liked the production values, and really just the whole look of it.

I liked the original - I just didn't love the original. (That tunnel scene in the original - someone was on acid for that one.)

One thing I like about the new version is the humor. Like talking about flashbacks happening regularly...today. :D

I really like both versions and it depends on my mood which I would rather see. Today, I'd go with the older version b/c I am just kind of into the classics at the moment...watched It's a Wonderful Life over the weekend with my sister. If asked at any other random moment, I might have said the newer version.

Ah, nice! Yeah, they're different enough from each other that they can both be enjoyed, depending on mood.

Heh. I had this very discussion at school today as they were playing the original! I think I prefer the original one; not that this means I don't like the recent one.

As you said, Mr Depp reimagined the character and I did get into it. But the first one is such an integral part of my childhood. I watched it so many times, I sang along to all the songs (as I did again today!) and to me that light hearted, almost bopping-along-happily nature of it is what childhood should be like. The remake - to me - seems a little bit darker, a bit more forboding, and JD's Willy Wonka was a bit creepy!

Both of them have roots and creedence in the book, and it was a perfect reinvention of the GW version rather than a remake. But I think the simplicity of the first movie, before the CGI and computer trickery advanced to such a level, gave the whole *feel* of the book more weight. Somehow the image of Charlie and his parents and both sets of grandparents all under one roof (and mainly in one bed too!) feels like something that belongs more in the world of yesterday rather than today.

(I know this is not strictly true, I know there is some abject poverty going on, but I'm sure you get my meaning of it.)

GW as Wonka sums up the childish view of your heroes. You idolise them, proclaim to love them, and should you get the chance to meet them they not only live up to but sometimes surpass your expectations. JD provides the other view; you meet them and they're hungover and putting up with you, and probably only there 'cause it's good PR or a pay check or something...!

Heh. I had this very discussion at school today as they were playing the original!

WEIRD!

But the first one is such an integral part of my childhood. I watched it so many times, I sang along to all the songs (as I did again today!) and to me that light hearted, almost bopping-along-happily nature of it is what childhood should be like.

I think that makes a big difference. I watched it as a kid, but for some reason I never felt really attached to it. Maybe because I watched so many old musicals, that it was just one of many?

Somehow the image of Charlie and his parents and both sets of grandparents all under one roof (and mainly in one bed too!) feels like something that belongs more in the world of yesterday rather than today.

Hmmm. That's interesting. I can't say that really struck me. One thing I did notice was that you couldn't really tell where the new version was supposed to be taking place. It was a sort of fantasy Amero-Europe, with a complete mix of accents.

GW as Wonka sums up the childish view of your heroes. You idolise them, proclaim to love them, and should you get the chance to meet them they not only live up to but sometimes surpass your expectations. JD provides the other view; you meet them and they're hungover and putting up with you, and probably only there 'cause it's good PR or a pay check or something...!

HA!! I think that sums up the differences between the two nicely.

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sherbertglasses.livejournal.com - 2008-12-18 05:21 (UTC) - Expand

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mrv3000.livejournal.com - 2008-12-18 15:43 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2008-12-16 20:04 (UTC) - Expand

Okay, so I chose the '71 version, because Gene Wilder is just SO iconic as Wonka.

But if I'm going based on book interpretation and visualizations, I'm going to pick the 2005 version.

Okay, so I chose the '71 version, because Gene Wilder is just SO iconic as Wonka.

He really really is.

But if I'm going based on book interpretation and visualizations, I'm going to pick the 2005 version.

I'd read the books again to find out, but...Vermicious Knids! SCRAM! *shudders*

I prefer WW primarily for childhood sentimental reasons, but I do think the Burton version is more Dahlesque. I say this having only actually seen a test version about two months before release. Really should get around to seeing the final cut.

Hmm. I wonder if anything got changed between the test and the final cut.

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wiliqueen.livejournal.com - 2008-12-16 18:58 (UTC) - Expand

I prefer the newer one because it's closer to the book. It's also well known that Roald Dahl HATED Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I think Roald Dahl would have liked Tom Burton's adaptation.

Did he really? I didn't know that.

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selenityshiroi.livejournal.com - 2008-12-16 18:32 (UTC) - Expand

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mrv3000.livejournal.com - 2008-12-16 18:41 (UTC) - Expand

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selenityshiroi.livejournal.com - 2008-12-16 19:32 (UTC) - Expand

I saw WW when I was very young and chose it for purely sentimental reasons, I suppose - I do love the second one, though.

It does seem to be a part of many childhoods. :)

Well...I admit I'm biased in my ~~obsessive, frightening~~ love for Johnny Depp's acting, but I prefer the newer one. I agree with Lindsay, though, in that the story-line itself didn't pack a punch in the 2005 remake. I guess after enjoying the original it was interesting in this movie to simply focus on the character of Willy Wonka, assuming we've got the story down...

With the story not packing a punch, do you think it was because you already knew the basic story being told? Or something else? *is curious*

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rachelbeann.livejournal.com - 2008-12-16 18:32 (UTC) - Expand

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mrv3000.livejournal.com - 2008-12-16 18:36 (UTC) - Expand

I've never seen the 2005, so I can't really judge, but I felt that the 1971 version was quite dark, a lot more so than I expected.

In some ways the 2005 is even darker. The humor is a lot darker. But in other ways it's a bit more fluffy. Like Willy reconciling with his father and a fairly fluffy ending.

I never liked the original. As a kid I thought it was just mean. But I haven't seen the new one yet. I love Johnny Depp but I have to be in the right mood for his wackier performances.

I liked it for the most part, but there were parts that creeped me out as a kid. Like the tunnel scene. I also didn't like it when Augustus got stuck in the tube. Well, I didn't like it in the new one either, but I have "CAN'T BREATHE!!" issues.

You probably would have to be in the mood for this performance. It's very wacky. A dark kind of wacky.

My best friend and I went to see the new one in the theater. We were the only ones there. Even being able to mock it as loudly as we wanted, it wasn't enough to save the movie. I was pretty disappointed as I love Johnny Depp and I walked into the movie thinking I was going to adore it. I was absolutely bored and really, really irritated by the Oompa Loompa.

I guess I'll just have to stick to the books as being my favorite (I loved Charlie and the Glass Elevator).

Awwww. It is very...different.

I like the new one a lot better, because people no longer tell me that my dad looks just like Willy Wonka. He bears some resemblance to Gene Wilder, and it annoyed me all throughout my childhood when people would be like, "Sarah, are you an oompa loompa?"

HEH! That had to be a bit annoying. :D

I like the new one better if only because it does not contain the song "Cheer Up, Charlie". I hated that song. Oh, also, no fizzy-lifting drinks. I did like the movie as a child, but it's one of a passel that I just don't enjoy any more. I will say, though, that it contained a lot of impressive and iconic scenes, and I've always, more than anything, wanted a Chocolate Room. The new one is somehow less memorable than breaking open huge jelly-filled jawbreakers, and eating daffodil teacups.

The Burton version just feels more like the book, though. I prefer the songs a lot more, they kept the squirrels and...it's just more a movie that appeals to me as an adult, versus the older one, which appealed to me as a child, I guess.

I like the new one better if only because it does not contain the song "Cheer Up, Charlie".

Oh yeah. Not really wild about that one.

I will say, though, that it contained a lot of impressive and iconic scenes, and I've always, more than anything, wanted a Chocolate Room. The new one is somehow less memorable than breaking open huge jelly-filled jawbreakers, and eating daffodil teacups.

You're right. I hadn't really thought about that aspect, but I can't even really remember what they did when getting to the chocolate room in the new version.

And I love the squirrels. :D

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solielle.livejournal.com - 2008-12-16 20:09 (UTC) - Expand

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mrv3000.livejournal.com - 2008-12-16 20:40 (UTC) - Expand

I think the newer one is closer to the book, but the older one is more fun to watch.

I keep getting the feeling I need to read those books again.

I like the Gen Wilder version--only because he quotes "Sea Fever" by John Masefield in it. :x

All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by...

I only chose the 2005 version because I am PETRIFIED of the original. Like, shivers when watching, nightmares petrified. Still, at my age.

Oompa Loompas scare me more than spiders. But I love Gene Wilder... It's a bit weird.

*pats you* Sounds like some deep trauma there.

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makesometime.livejournal.com - 2008-12-17 06:31 (UTC) - Expand

It may just be because I saw it as a kid, but I infinitely prefer the 1971 version. Hated the songs in the new one, but I hated the oompa loompa even more. Loathed and detested him. And I like pretty much everything Johnny Depp is in, and on top of that I usually love remakes and reinventions of old classics, so I was surprised I didn't like it.

I think perhaps it's that Gene Wilder sort of underplayed Wonka's inherent crazy (exception being at the end where he yells at Charlie), whereas Johnny Depp had the crazy bubbling all over and spilling into everything. It ends up giving you a sense that Wilder's Wonka is aware of consequences but doesn't care/can't really be bothered to do anything unless it's going to affect him, so he's just going to let whatever happens happen, whereas Depp's Wonka is going to let whatever happens happen because he's too oblivious of the consequences to care. In that sense, they're both dangerous figures, but in different ways. Does any of that make sense?

I think perhaps it's that Gene Wilder sort of underplayed Wonka's inherent crazy (exception being at the end where he yells at Charlie), whereas Johnny Depp had the crazy bubbling all over and spilling into everything.

*nods* With Gene Wilder you get "eccentric" but with Johnny Depp you get "unhinged."

It ends up giving you a sense that Wilder's Wonka is aware of consequences but doesn't care/can't really be bothered to do anything unless it's going to affect him, so he's just going to let whatever happens happen, whereas Depp's Wonka is going to let whatever happens happen because he's too oblivious of the consequences to care. In that sense, they're both dangerous figures, but in different ways. Does any of that make sense?

It does make sense.

I like the 2005 version better because I like movies based on books to be as close as possible to the actual story, and it definitely is moreso than the 1971 version. I was a bit confused at the daddy issues addition, but I actually liked it in the end, because it kind of filled out Wonka's character a bit more.

I get the feeling that people like the 1971 version because it's what they grew up with and/or because of Gene Wilder. I love that movie, and Wilder is fantastic in it, but I just liked the 2005 version a lot better. Perhaps I have a Burton/Depp/Elfman bias, though, so.

The whole daddy storyline kinda threw me the first time I watched it. But having watched it a couple of times now, I like it. It's definitely something that grew on me.

And I'm probably being swayed by the Burton/Depp/Elfman thing too. :D

I never really liked the original, the underlying malice creeped me out, I prefer malice to be in your face like the newer one! Lol.

HEH!! It was much more overt, that's for sure.

Oh dear. The 2005 version seems to be losing. It was a close decision for me, but I really liked the jokes in the more recent one.

I agree with how good it was that Depp did a totally new version of Wonka rather than copying Wilder. Apparently he'd never seen the original.

I think the humor in the new one is really what gives it the edge for me. I've actually laughed out loud a few times in it.

And he never saw the original? Wow.

Add me to the group who prefer the newer version because it's closer to the book. And I usually hate Tim Burton's stuff, but they really couldn't have chosen a better director to interpret Dahl. I just wish they'd done Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator too. :-(

Now if they'd only do the same kind of back-to-the-book reinterpretation with The Wizard of Oz...

(Sacrilege, I know, but as much as I love the classic film I really *do* feel that way.)

I just wish they'd done Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator too. :-(

The Knids!! *HIDES*

Now if they'd only do the same kind of back-to-the-book reinterpretation with The Wizard of Oz...

That's one book I've never read. I'm not quite sure why.