1. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” the original, is my all time favorite movie. The story stresses the importance of character. The children, including Charlie, are all afflicted with some vice. The difference between Charlie and the others comes in Charlie’s decision to accept the consequences of his actions. He acknowledges his wrongdoing while in the factory, and relinquishes a potential goldmine, from the sale of his everlasting gobstopper to a rival spy, back to Wonka.
The hidden message in this film is one of redemption. It is hidden because it is conveyed through the imagery of the films final scene. Charlie has made it to the end of his journey. Despite his moral struggles, he finds redemption through his desire to correct his mistake. He is given a reward that is beyond his wildest expectations- he is given the keys to the factory while the Wonkavator crashes through the ceiling up into the sky. The allusion to Heaven and salvation is unmistakable. Perhaps the best reason to rate ”Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” as my number one film is the ability of this oompa-loompa song about Mike Teevee to perfectly end this post:
What do you get from a glut of TV?
A pain in the neck and an IQ of three
Why don’t you try simply reading a book?
Or can you just not bear to look?
You’ll get no… you’ll get no… you’ll get no commercials.
