Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

We got some friends together this weekend and went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There were several reasons we wanted to see it. First, it was directed by Tim Burton. Second, it starred Johnny Depp. And third, we'd heard it was closer to the book than the Gene Wilder movie.

I had heard mixed reviews from the movie, particularly related to Johnny Depp's performance as Willy Wonka. Some said his performance was too eerily evocative of Michael Jackson, which gave them a creepy feeling.

But The Dormouse said that he was a little bit Michael Jackson and a little bit Mr. Rogers, what with the flat, Midwestern accent and his measured way of speaking to the children. I can see that, actually. And knowing Depp, it may well be intentional.

If he resembled Michael Jackson, it was only because of a few wardrobe decisions. Really, he's not dressed too differently from Gene Wilder. They both wear outdated suits, top hats and canes. Johnny Depp wore red velvet and a black top hat, while Gene Wilder had worn a blue suit and a white top hat. And Depp does wear a shoulder length page boy, but it's dyed red.

And there were little touches, such as the fact that he wore purple rubber gloves, but this only reinforced his inability to deal with the real world. If there are similarities between Willy Wonka and Michael Jackson, that's all MJ's fault. The book was written many years ago, and the character on screen is the character from the book.

But if people who make that association come away from an ookie feeling, that's not altogether bad. After all, Willy Wonka is not meant to be a cuddly character. He's blatantly narcissistic and seems all too happy to allow children to meet their so-called just desserts (pardon the pun).

The actor who plays Charlie, Freddie Highmore, also played Peter opposite Depp in Finding Neverland, which could explain why they seem so comfortable with each other on screen.

The rich visual look of the film, combined with special effects, give the film a magical quality that evokes the power of the book. I'm not sure whether it was The Dormouse or The White Rabbit who said that Burton did a better job of instilling that fairy tale quality even to Charlie's house, so fancifully dilapidated that it seems to fit in the same world as the factory.

Watching the movie with us was a theater full of people, including many families with young children. At the close of the movie, as the closing credits started to roll, applause burst from all over the room. It's rare to hear so many people applauding in a movie theater, especially families.

I'm sure that those who viewed the movie this weekend, whether young or old, will tell their families the movie is worth seeing. And the mixed reviews will be but trifles.

Copyright 2005 by Alyce Wilson

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