a defense of charlie and the chocolate factory

i just read a somewhat nasty review of CCF in the New Yorker. i am somewhat dismayed by all the attention to the source of inspiration for depp's wonka and some people feeling that burton's addition of the backstory for wonka was unfaithful to dahl and a way to get his preoccupations into the story. i am in no way a big fan of burton's. i really liked beetlejuice and ed wood. i appreciated edward scissorhands but just couldn't like it as much as i wanted to. i went and saw sleepy hollow and loved the look and feel of the movie but felt that as far as the story went it was missing. planet of the apes sucked. i love ewan macgregor but just was left cold by big fish. as sarah commented i liked the idea of getting to accept your parents for who they are and how sometimes buying into their visions of who they hoped they would be or are is a sign of love but i had to force myself to watch the whole movie.

back to CCF.
1. if you have ever read any of roald dahl's books how could you make criticisms about a character in a movie based on one of his books as being creepy??? i don't think the character of wonka was that likeable in the book. in his books the kids are the heroes because the horrors they have faced in life have not yet fazed them and warped them. the aunts in james and the giant peach are not a bit over the top and creepy?
2. for roald dahl family was always a centerpiece of any of his works. this does not necessarily mean one's biological family but the family one creates or finds for herself to help her make it through the world. james and the animals in the peach. matilida and miss honey in matilida. is tim burton being completely untrue to dahl and tacking on a direction to the story that makes no sense? in the book the whole idea is not that wonka needed to have a child of his own but that his creation meant nothing without someone to share it with. that is what a family is for dahl--someone to share your vision.


were there flaws in the movie? yes. but it is visually stunning and the acting was superb. it will be like the wizard of oz---a classic. fuck all this michael jackson wonka connection.