Charlie vs. Charlie

In the past week I've had a lot of time to watch TV while I'm searching for jobs (excellent multitasker), and both the original Gene Wilder version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the more recent Johnny Depp/Tim Burton version have both been on. I've watched them both, and in my carefully considered opinion, I stand against conventional wisdom and announce that the Depp/Burton version is vastly superior to its original version. Below are the reasons:

1. The Depp/Burton Effect
With the exception of Ed Wood, whenever Tim Burton casts Johnny Depp in something, it's incredible. Burton also has an incredible sense of the aesthetic that makes the visual elements of the film simply incredible. Okay, so, when the original came out in 1971 (in Technicolor, no less) there wasn't quite as much you could do with visual effects, but the original set looks like it's made with inflatable beach balls and styrofoam.

2. Who's really creepy?
I cannot accept the argument that Johnny Depp is creepier simply because he channeled a little of that Michael Jackson "I forgot to grow up and now I'm kind of a molester" thing. Yes, the character is developmentally deficient in terms of maturity. But, I think Depp captures the childlike petulance of Willy Wonka far better than Gene Wilder was able to.


The other thing I think Depp does better is capture the kind of sinister "something more is going on here" that the book conveys and the original version of the film doesn't. This is also reflected in the visual aspects of the film, but I think there's always a bit of an "I know something you don't know" flashing in Depp's eyes.

3. Better Charlie
Freddie Highmore versus Peter Ostrum? Freddie, hands down. Freddie's portrayal is more meek and beaten-down by life, but with still that childlike hope and innocence. Peter Ostrum's Scandinavian face is a little too filled out for me to believe he's been living on cabbage soup for months.

4. Better Oompa Loompas

Just look at them with their green hair, tan-in-a-can orange skin and their white eyebrows. That is the stuff that nightmares are made of. The only possible element that might make the scary little orange men better is that there are more actors playing them, so they all look a little different from one another.

However, I do prefer that the Burton Oompas get costume changes, depending upon what scene they are in and what they are doing.

5. Less Singing

I like a musical as much as the next person, but there's way, way, way too much singing in the Gene Wilder version of Charlie. In the book, only the Oompa Loompas sing, but Wilder gets a couple of numbers of his own. I don't care for it, and actually, I change the channel when anyone but the Oompa Loompas are singing. The other musical drawback to the original version is that all the Oompa Loompa's songs sound the same: same music, same tune, same rhythm. I prefer a little variety.

So there you have it. Johnny Depp wins, Gene Wilder loses. I welcome arguments to the contrary.