This is what comes from only looking at material out of context, which the Internet is so good at doing. If you isolate the "You get nothing!" monologue from the context in which it appears, it appears Wonka is being a villain when he isn't. More than most actors of his time, Gene Wilder was capable of evoking a wide, realistic range of emotions from his characters, dramatic or comic, and that adds a layer of depth to his portrayal of Wonka that is absent from later versions, which tend to focus on the darker nature of the story.
Too true, I fully concur and it’s why I’m fully disconcerted by the railing against him. Gene Wilder was a great performer, and clearly played Wonka as a paternalistic, kindly if eccentric old man. His speech was a great one and he poured quite a bit of feeling into it.
He also embodies a sort of benevolent twist on the trickster archetype, in which the trickster presents a temptation and then warns of the consequences, leaving it up to the subject to resist or succumb. This differs from the more malicious trickster, who presents the temptation and its benefits while withholding information about the consequences. The latter kind is more explicitly demonic, as in the last temptation of Christ or the various villains in Pinocchio. He's giving these kids a test of virtue on easy mode, and they prove that they're unworthy by failing it.
What I remember about that movie is that no child died. Every child had a fatal flaw that kept them from winning the contest. Charlie seemed to be the only person without a major flaw and one that cared more for his family than for the contest.
Such an interesting analysis! I actually just happened to recently rewatch this as I was flipping through channels, and I also think Willy Wonka also saw a bit of himself in Charlie, hence their connection. When I viewed the movie, I couldn’t help but notice that the other children and their parents (in addition to being spoiled and undisciplined like you talk about) were very much focused on the commercialism and quantity of what they could “get” of the whole experience. Meanwhile Charlie simply appreciates the wonder of the factory in itself. In essence, he is a dreamer like Willy Wonka was and is—-and therefore will cherish willy wonka’s dream (the chocolate factory) in a way that the other children clearly couldn’t.
Agreed, and that lies at the core of the character and Wonka’s character, as they are in essense father and son and thus in some ways the same character from an archetypal point of view.
I have this movie on DVD. Absolutely love it. But then, Gene Wilder has been a fave for years, including a movie he made with Gilda Radner during their short marriage before her untimely death. Anyway, your assessment, based on the movie seems spot on. I've never read Roald Dahl's book, but the remake movie has been said to portray Willy Wonka closer to what the book has. But then, I haven't seen that remake (not a Tim Burton fan and I can only stomach Johnny Depp in Chocolat).
Sorta like a horn that can only blow one note. On one hand, it’s good to have a style, a voice, whatever, but in his case, that style and voice are monotonous. Sigh.
This was really interesting- it is not one of my favorite children’s movies and I see now I totally missed the point and need to watch it again! Thank you for posting!
You’re very welcome madame, it’s a fun movie I honestly kind of prefer the film to the book due to Wilder. But hope you have some fun reading the book.
It doesn’t surprise me that a segment of people view Wonka quite negatively. One of the first things the Ministry of Truth did was take a scalpel to all of Dahl’s famous books which offended them. I read the reports generated by the “editors” of these beloved children’s books detailing their bizarre changes. It was amazing how militant the woke organization became over a fabulous tale that my children and I both loved.
As patriarchy has become an epithet to some, filial piety is tarred with the same brush to the easily triggered. The “editors” objected to everything positive mentioned in this comments section.
The Wilder version is the only version I will watch. The Burton/ Depp version barely resembled the source material in a dark and twisted way, and included new material that gave Wonka a defining trauma caused by his parents to explain his iconoclastic behavior. The newest version has little hope in the Age of Woke.
While I’ve never seen others accuse Wonka of being a villain or similar, I wouldn’t doubt it. The world has turned into an asylum, similar to Stonehearst.
I always just thought the dislike for Wonka was a dark humor meme. Kinda shows how stupid people can take meme’s seriously and have it turn into a popular take or opinion.
Agreed, same thing happened with Goku because of TeamFourStars’ stupid abridged series and it’s boring jokes. People came to believe Goku is dumb and Vegeta smart, when it’s the reverse. For some reason the memes have inverted and perverted everything so that I wonder if memes on some level are an advanced psyop.
Anytime and yeah the timing is impeccable in part because I’m trying to do a lot of essays in honour of Father’s Day X) do hope you enjoy this classic wtih your kids!
I have never heard someone say that Wonka was evil or a demon. That's interesting if people today see him that way, especially seeing as how I see this as an allegory of the heavenly kingdom. I once wrote "imagine the factory as the Heavenly Kingdom, and the Everlasting Gobstopper as the pearl of great price. In order to enter the New Jerusalem from Revelation, you have to enter the gates and the gates are pearls (which represent wisdom).
...Jesus (Yehoshua) was passing out pearls of wisdom (the word of God), and that’s also described in another parable as him planting seeds. “The devil” can snatch away the seeds before they germinate.
In the movie Willy Wonka hands out Everlasting Gobstoppers to the children. They can keep it, suck on it, and have everlasting sweetness (everlasting life?). But there is a tempter, Slugworth, who comes and says, basically, “You can sell that candy to me for a large amount of money,” (but of course money doesn’t last forever). We’re told that Slugworth is the enemy of Wonka just as we’re told Satan is the enemy of YHWH.
However, the bible tells us that Satan actually works for YHWH, just as we find out that Slugworth actually works for Wonka. In the movie Slugworth lies to the children saying he’s a rival. But the bible didn’t lie to us about the real job of Satan. The world lied to us. The biblical saying “Surely, we have inherited lies,” is more true today than ever. Hollywood and mainstream TV has done a great job of promoting the fake Satan and never seems to mention the real biblical Satan.
Slugworth told the children they should give up the everlasting treat for earthly treasures, just as Satan tempts us to give up everlasting life for earthly pleasures that will fade away one day. So why do it? In the movie, Wonka sent his employee to tempt the children to see if they were worthy to inherit the factory..."
This is what comes from only looking at material out of context, which the Internet is so good at doing. If you isolate the "You get nothing!" monologue from the context in which it appears, it appears Wonka is being a villain when he isn't. More than most actors of his time, Gene Wilder was capable of evoking a wide, realistic range of emotions from his characters, dramatic or comic, and that adds a layer of depth to his portrayal of Wonka that is absent from later versions, which tend to focus on the darker nature of the story.
Too true, I fully concur and it’s why I’m fully disconcerted by the railing against him. Gene Wilder was a great performer, and clearly played Wonka as a paternalistic, kindly if eccentric old man. His speech was a great one and he poured quite a bit of feeling into it.
He also embodies a sort of benevolent twist on the trickster archetype, in which the trickster presents a temptation and then warns of the consequences, leaving it up to the subject to resist or succumb. This differs from the more malicious trickster, who presents the temptation and its benefits while withholding information about the consequences. The latter kind is more explicitly demonic, as in the last temptation of Christ or the various villains in Pinocchio. He's giving these kids a test of virtue on easy mode, and they prove that they're unworthy by failing it.
Very good point, I think a good comparison might be Odin vs Loki; the former is a benevolent trickster while the latter is a demonic one.
What I remember about that movie is that no child died. Every child had a fatal flaw that kept them from winning the contest. Charlie seemed to be the only person without a major flaw and one that cared more for his family than for the contest.
Very true, and that sums up the movie perfectly.
Such an interesting analysis! I actually just happened to recently rewatch this as I was flipping through channels, and I also think Willy Wonka also saw a bit of himself in Charlie, hence their connection. When I viewed the movie, I couldn’t help but notice that the other children and their parents (in addition to being spoiled and undisciplined like you talk about) were very much focused on the commercialism and quantity of what they could “get” of the whole experience. Meanwhile Charlie simply appreciates the wonder of the factory in itself. In essence, he is a dreamer like Willy Wonka was and is—-and therefore will cherish willy wonka’s dream (the chocolate factory) in a way that the other children clearly couldn’t.
Agreed, and that lies at the core of the character and Wonka’s character, as they are in essense father and son and thus in some ways the same character from an archetypal point of view.
I have this movie on DVD. Absolutely love it. But then, Gene Wilder has been a fave for years, including a movie he made with Gilda Radner during their short marriage before her untimely death. Anyway, your assessment, based on the movie seems spot on. I've never read Roald Dahl's book, but the remake movie has been said to portray Willy Wonka closer to what the book has. But then, I haven't seen that remake (not a Tim Burton fan and I can only stomach Johnny Depp in Chocolat).
Dahl’s book is nearest to the movie from the 70s on every level.
Ah, thanks. Not surprising. Tim Burton tends to twist everything to the dark side.
Yeah, Burton is a hack, he used to be good but after 2-3 movies he got dull and used up.
Sorta like a horn that can only blow one note. On one hand, it’s good to have a style, a voice, whatever, but in his case, that style and voice are monotonous. Sigh.
True
This was really interesting- it is not one of my favorite children’s movies and I see now I totally missed the point and need to watch it again! Thank you for posting!
You’re very welcome madame, it’s a fun movie I honestly kind of prefer the film to the book due to Wilder. But hope you have some fun reading the book.
I will def read the book- always better for me than the movies 😊
Good point
It doesn’t surprise me that a segment of people view Wonka quite negatively. One of the first things the Ministry of Truth did was take a scalpel to all of Dahl’s famous books which offended them. I read the reports generated by the “editors” of these beloved children’s books detailing their bizarre changes. It was amazing how militant the woke organization became over a fabulous tale that my children and I both loved.
As patriarchy has become an epithet to some, filial piety is tarred with the same brush to the easily triggered. The “editors” objected to everything positive mentioned in this comments section.
The Wilder version is the only version I will watch. The Burton/ Depp version barely resembled the source material in a dark and twisted way, and included new material that gave Wonka a defining trauma caused by his parents to explain his iconoclastic behavior. The newest version has little hope in the Age of Woke.
Well said
While I’ve never seen others accuse Wonka of being a villain or similar, I wouldn’t doubt it. The world has turned into an asylum, similar to Stonehearst.
Agreed, and yeah I’ve tried not to find those insulting the movie, I’ve somehow run into them.
Stop. Don't. (sighs)
One of the best lines Wilder delivers!
Yep
Don’t what?
Moralfags always miss the point
Agreed
Hear,hear!!
Hahaha merci
I always just thought the dislike for Wonka was a dark humor meme. Kinda shows how stupid people can take meme’s seriously and have it turn into a popular take or opinion.
Agreed, same thing happened with Goku because of TeamFourStars’ stupid abridged series and it’s boring jokes. People came to believe Goku is dumb and Vegeta smart, when it’s the reverse. For some reason the memes have inverted and perverted everything so that I wonder if memes on some level are an advanced psyop.
Just in time for Father’s Day! I always enjoyed this movie as a kid; now I’ll have to rewatch it as a father. Thanks for sharing.
Anytime and yeah the timing is impeccable in part because I’m trying to do a lot of essays in honour of Father’s Day X) do hope you enjoy this classic wtih your kids!
I applaud honoring fathers. Keep up the good work.
Thanks and I plan to keep honouring them.
I have never heard someone say that Wonka was evil or a demon. That's interesting if people today see him that way, especially seeing as how I see this as an allegory of the heavenly kingdom. I once wrote "imagine the factory as the Heavenly Kingdom, and the Everlasting Gobstopper as the pearl of great price. In order to enter the New Jerusalem from Revelation, you have to enter the gates and the gates are pearls (which represent wisdom).
...Jesus (Yehoshua) was passing out pearls of wisdom (the word of God), and that’s also described in another parable as him planting seeds. “The devil” can snatch away the seeds before they germinate.
In the movie Willy Wonka hands out Everlasting Gobstoppers to the children. They can keep it, suck on it, and have everlasting sweetness (everlasting life?). But there is a tempter, Slugworth, who comes and says, basically, “You can sell that candy to me for a large amount of money,” (but of course money doesn’t last forever). We’re told that Slugworth is the enemy of Wonka just as we’re told Satan is the enemy of YHWH.
However, the bible tells us that Satan actually works for YHWH, just as we find out that Slugworth actually works for Wonka. In the movie Slugworth lies to the children saying he’s a rival. But the bible didn’t lie to us about the real job of Satan. The world lied to us. The biblical saying “Surely, we have inherited lies,” is more true today than ever. Hollywood and mainstream TV has done a great job of promoting the fake Satan and never seems to mention the real biblical Satan.
Slugworth told the children they should give up the everlasting treat for earthly treasures, just as Satan tempts us to give up everlasting life for earthly pleasures that will fade away one day. So why do it? In the movie, Wonka sent his employee to tempt the children to see if they were worthy to inherit the factory..."
https://lothealing.com/why-should-we-appreciate-satan-the-devil-rather-than-fearing-him/