On Gene Wilder's passing...

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 08/29/2016 at 16:52 • Filed to: None

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I’m just going to throw this out there as a means of comparison. Wilder’s Willy Wonka, though part of a somewhat saccharine movie that Roald Dahl eventually disavowed himself of, was a masterpiece of understatement. Funny, touching, poignant, powerful, he brought Wonka to life in a way that Johnny Depp can only dream of. You could tell he was eccentric, and perhaps more than a tad crazy, but Wilder never overplayed it. Granted, they are very different films, but Depp doesn’t know how to underplay a scene. He plays the same character in every one of Tim Burton’s films. When you see one of his films, you see Johnny Depp. When you watch Wilder, you see Wilder, but you don’t care, because you are seeing the brilliance of the man in a role. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory wasn’t necessarily a great film, but Wilder’s performance was sheer brilliance.

These are my favorite scenes from the film.

arl > ttyymmnn 08/29/2016 at 17:05

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He was great. Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Silver Streak, Stir Crazy...comedic genius.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > ttyymmnn 08/29/2016 at 17:13

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Wilder IS Willy Wonka. Depp merely played him in a terrible movie.

ttyymmnn > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 08/29/2016 at 17:16

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Depp over played him in a terrible movie.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > ttyymmnn 08/29/2016 at 17:21

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Over-acted, if we’re getting pedantic about semantics here..

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 08/29/2016 at 18:41

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Well played. I’d have been six or seven when that film came out. We’d have seen it in the theatre. It scared the liver out of me. When I was a kid, I thought the rotten kids were doomed. As an adult, I am subtly reassured that Wonka will get them straightened out.

I like when the buggy gets all of the root beer suds wrung out of it. And though it looks cheesy now, when I was a kid, the ride in the elevator at the end mesmerized me.

I appreciate your analysis. I would never have recognized Wilder has having underplayed the role. Good stuff, Timo.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > arl 08/29/2016 at 18:42

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Yup. Young Frankenstein was brilliant. And underplayed throughout, by everyone.