Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Loosely based on a novel by Ian Fleming (of James Bond fame), 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', a 1968 children's fantasy musical directed by Ken Hughes, opens in early 20th century Edwardian England & gets under way when an eccentric single father named Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke) - an inventor with barely enough $$ to keep a roof over his young son & daughter's head - is able to buy a beat-up jalopy motorcar & transforms it into a beautiful, magical dream mobile that can fly, float and ... can even think for itself. A picnic day at the seashore with the magic mobile - which they name Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the rattling sound the engine makes - brings forth an elaborate adventure in the faraway faerie tale land of Vulgaria.
There, the Potts clan (Caractacus & his kids, Jeremy & Jemima) & attractive candy heiress, Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes), try to rescue similarly eccentric old Grandpa Potts (Lionel Jeffries) from his kidnappers, cold-hearted Baron Bomburst (Gert Frobe) & Baroness Bomburst (Anna Quayle). On this adventure, an extremely creepy child catcher (Robert Helpmann) entices young Jeremy (Adrian Hall) & Jemima (Heather Ripley) with lollipops; Caractacus & Truly Scrumptious masquerade as life-sized dolls at the baron's big birthday party; and Vulgaria's outlawed, imprisoned children stage a revolt. Much singing, frivolity & mayhem ensues.
This movie really is the stuff of children's movie magic. Roald Dahl, author of many kid's stories {including James and the Giant Peach & Charlie and the Chocolate Factory}, co-wrote of the script here, which blends fantasy & adventure in this fanciful, whimsical movie musical that captivated kids for decades ... if not most adults. Award-winning lyricist/composers Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman, who wrote the music for Mary Poppins 4 years earlier, provide a plethora of songs here; problem is, aside from the memorable, Oscar-nominated title tune, the rest of the songs are just so-so.
I understand why this movie was viewed as a minor classic back in 1968. I also liked seeing it highlighted so lovingly in Kenneth Branagh's film Belfast from 2021. Action & jovial comedy is abundant; so, too, are some major scares -- especially by way of Robert Helpmann's creepy child catcher character {yikes!}. Dick Van Dyke is appropriately nutty, here. Sally Ann Howes steps in for Julie Andrews and, is a lovely presence. And Lionel Jeffries' grandpa is a riot. I liked how light, bright & dreamy the whole thing is. The sets & gadgetry are innovative {the real STAR of the movie is, of course, the flying car}. The special effects were good 'for the time'; not so much now. And the locales are wondrous; a flight over a castle in the Alps is a wower.
But the plot of this movie is a bit unruly. The 1st half of the film & the 2nd half of the film really have nothing to do with one another; isolated entities that are somehow connected because they have to be. And there is NO reason for this movie to have been 144 minutes in length. Wayyy too much time is wasted setting up the simplistic story. And the bloated evil Baron/Baroness subplot detracts, as well. These issues prevent me from giving this any kind of significant recommendation. But this sweet-natured, amiable extravaganza still has enough charms to probably please young children the most.
There, the Potts clan (Caractacus & his kids, Jeremy & Jemima) & attractive candy heiress, Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes), try to rescue similarly eccentric old Grandpa Potts (Lionel Jeffries) from his kidnappers, cold-hearted Baron Bomburst (Gert Frobe) & Baroness Bomburst (Anna Quayle). On this adventure, an extremely creepy child catcher (Robert Helpmann) entices young Jeremy (Adrian Hall) & Jemima (Heather Ripley) with lollipops; Caractacus & Truly Scrumptious masquerade as life-sized dolls at the baron's big birthday party; and Vulgaria's outlawed, imprisoned children stage a revolt. Much singing, frivolity & mayhem ensues.
This movie really is the stuff of children's movie magic. Roald Dahl, author of many kid's stories {including James and the Giant Peach & Charlie and the Chocolate Factory}, co-wrote of the script here, which blends fantasy & adventure in this fanciful, whimsical movie musical that captivated kids for decades ... if not most adults. Award-winning lyricist/composers Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman, who wrote the music for Mary Poppins 4 years earlier, provide a plethora of songs here; problem is, aside from the memorable, Oscar-nominated title tune, the rest of the songs are just so-so.
I understand why this movie was viewed as a minor classic back in 1968. I also liked seeing it highlighted so lovingly in Kenneth Branagh's film Belfast from 2021. Action & jovial comedy is abundant; so, too, are some major scares -- especially by way of Robert Helpmann's creepy child catcher character {yikes!}. Dick Van Dyke is appropriately nutty, here. Sally Ann Howes steps in for Julie Andrews and, is a lovely presence. And Lionel Jeffries' grandpa is a riot. I liked how light, bright & dreamy the whole thing is. The sets & gadgetry are innovative {the real STAR of the movie is, of course, the flying car}. The special effects were good 'for the time'; not so much now. And the locales are wondrous; a flight over a castle in the Alps is a wower.
But the plot of this movie is a bit unruly. The 1st half of the film & the 2nd half of the film really have nothing to do with one another; isolated entities that are somehow connected because they have to be. And there is NO reason for this movie to have been 144 minutes in length. Wayyy too much time is wasted setting up the simplistic story. And the bloated evil Baron/Baroness subplot detracts, as well. These issues prevent me from giving this any kind of significant recommendation. But this sweet-natured, amiable extravaganza still has enough charms to probably please young children the most.