欢乐糖果屋

It seems British author Roald Dahl cannot suffer bratty, pettish kids gladly, in his beloved children story, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, he has no qualms about dispensing with those gluttonous, insolent, spoilt and/or TV-obsessed whippersnappers and their equally obnoxious parents at short notice, save for Charlie Bucket, the veritably virtuous poor kid who will receive a windfall.

In this film adaptation, directed by the journeyman Mel Stuart, an obligingly spirited Gene Wilder headlines it as Willy Wonka, the wacky, evasive entrepreneur of the chocolate factory, who creates a global brouhaha after announcing that there are five golden tickets hidden in the mass produced Wonka chocolate bars, and whoever discovers it will be granted with a factory tour and a lifetime supply of chocolate. Of course, if you don’t have a sweet tooth, that doesn’t really pique your interest, yet zillions of people are motived and many a comical skit is skewered together, before Charlie (Ostrum) finds his own ticket.

But before that, the film pulls out all the stops to make Charlie’s expected discovery as surprising as possible, not that he is the last one of the five beneficiaries, he must also come in for several letdowns before blissing out when he least expects, and the impression is that the golden ticket can make or break Charlie’s entire household, which includes his widow mother (Sowle, a ringer of Suzanne York), works as a laundress and four bedridden grandparents, among which grandpa Joe (Academy winner Albertson, avuncular and surprisingly fleet-footed) is his favorite, and becomes his chaperone to the much hyped factory tour.

Once Wonka materializes in the entrance of the factory to welcome the lucky ticket-holders, with a handspring gimmick notwithstanding, the movie’s momentum kicks off sizably, what awaits us is a rabbit hole composed of a candy garden, a chocolate river, and a handful of unwieldy contraptions (a psychedelic tunnel, among other things) that are inscribed with its 70s filmmaking hallmarks, including a striking instance of proto-blue screen FX, all enclosed within a vibrant vivarium-scale fantasyland that is the fruition of intensive work of the art production team.

As a musical fantasy set in a Podunk, Stuart’s film also boosts a colorful soundtrack including its dulcet Oscar-nominated score and the introduction of the song The Candy Man, but the sheer exploitation of those nameless dwarf actors as Oompa-Loompas doesn’t sit well with anyone with a sensitive disposition (Tim Burton’s remake has a less grating effect by employing Deep Roy alone and reproducing him through computer wizardry).

If it is galling to see those otherworldly homunculi are deployed only as labor force (I wish at least the actors' paycheck is gracious), for what it is worth, Wonka’s experiment to give decaying human morality another try turns out propitious in the end, and before the film becomes self-consciously cloying, we are quite content to vicariously drift aloft and not give a toss about what has happened to the other four hapless brats, presumably bogged down in a pool of sugary confections.

referential entries: Tim Burton’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (2005, 7.6/10); Victor Fleming’s THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939, 8.2/10).

这部《查理和他的巧克力工厂》比蒂姆·波顿的版本早了近35年，同样改编自奇幻小说家罗尔德·达尔的名著，在这个欢笑与荒诞并存的人间，成人和儿童思维的巨大差异酿就了世事缤纷的奇特。这类故事不仅有着对儿童世界天真无暇的保护欲，更有强调健康家庭教育观念的意识。如何在金钱帝国物欲横流的社会依然维护孩子的幻想，是步入成人世界的大人与孩子之间最大的鸿沟。

故事整体没有多大变化，都是四个深受成人规则毒害的孩子因难以控制的贪欲遭受惩罚的故事，只有保持诚实善良本性的查理得到了最后的褒奖。在蒂姆波顿的版本中，查理的爷爷是曾经巧克力工厂的员工，既曾经幻想的制造人，因外界的阴谋离开工厂后又返回故地；而威利旺卡更是多了身份的注解，以此解释他行为乖张的源泉。而在《欢乐糖果屋》中，虽然这种完整版比不上后来者，但一颗童心所相信的事情本身就不是能用任何规则和理性解释清楚的事情不是么。

威利旺卡接下来要嚼的这个杯子其实是蜡做的

扮演查理爷爷的演员基本上算是盲人

这些灭火泡沫对皮肤很不好，演员们拍完这段后身上难受了许久

不甚精美的特效给人很深的怀旧感，用其他故事怀念我们熟悉的年代感同样可以制造新鲜，就像守着的依然是那台需要拍一拍才好用的电视，有时候并非屏幕越大获得的快乐就可以成倍翻增。那些简陋的装置因为不够完美而给了人可以模仿的空间：几张床单、几个箱子、几块木头，拼接起来就是一个完美的工厂。童年的我们因为全心全意的相信我们所幻想的，所以它们在那时的每一分每一秒都成了真。

作为家庭电影，《欢乐糖果屋》要比《查理和他的巧克力工厂》有更多的歌舞戏份，人们随时随地可以唱歌欢笑，绕着简陋的屋子转圈就以心满意足，梦想的实现而让瘫痪了二十多年的病人站立起来。其实我一直觉得这个故事最有意思的地方在于人们对威利旺卡工厂的向往和憧憬，所有的精华都在寻找那五张金纸里的世人百态中，不论是三十五年前还是三十五年后。成人虽然向往却更多的掺杂了个人私欲和名望面子，最后基本上变成了金钱比拼秀；而查理一家简单的期待才是人人熟悉的情感，撕开包装前的忐忑和与家人分享的快乐一刻。都说老人和孩子脾性最为相像，已知天命的老人晓得人世间最为可贵的是什么，而未经人事的孩子对任何物质的诱惑不屑一顾，这样一对寻宝早就得到了上帝的眷顾。

夸张和讽刺或许是能惹成人会心一笑的东西，而寻找细节上的幽默是孩子的专属：记者无意中站在了墙上驯鹿角面前为观众现场直播；讲课颠东倒西的老师抢起巧克力比孩子还疯；工厂里工作的矮人长着橘色的脸和青柠的头发；幸运之神一定会关注最乖巧的孩子；眼前任何事情都不会和危险挂钩等等。满足了腹欲后马上要做的事情不就是分享快乐么，让更多的人吃到巧克力，而不是让这样制造幻想的工厂倒闭。

小孩的世界什么最重要呢？天气预报不是、政治也不是，最重要的，是童年无限的幻想。

一张零食中奖券是世界上最棒最棒的财宝。

奔向一个糖果零食筑成的世界。

我们在巧克力的河里航船。

吃下泡泡水，在空气里游泳。

我们飞上天，向下数着像玩具一般的红屋子。

最后，一个温柔的声音，告诉你，你将永远幸福。

只要保持自由的幻想和希望，你就总是幸福的。