Some background notes on willy wonka and the chocolate factory for teachers...
Willy Wonka director Mel Stuart on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Do The Right Thing ... Stuart felt compelled to address a pair of racially motivated concerns that arose from Dahl’s book. In the illustrations for “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” the Oompa-Loompas were depicted as black, pygmy-like Africans, brought over to work for Mr. Wonka. “Some prominent black actors [Stuart declines to name names] came to see me and questioned me about having black Oompa-Loompas working for a white boss,” he says. Already uncomfortable with the slavery-like portrayal, Stuart suggested making the Oompa-Loompa’s an unusual color. “Right on the spot I said I would give them orange faces and green hair, and that’s why they look that way,” he says. A second concern raised by the African-American actors was the title Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as “Charlie” was a common black expression for a white master. Potential controversy aside, Stuart preferred the title Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but that change had to be sanctioned by Dahl and Quaker Oats, among others. As an alternative, Margulies suggested The Candy Man, but that was rejected because “candy man” was slang for someone who deals in illicit substances. Much to Stuart’s relief, all parties eventually agreed on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Read more: http://failuremag.com/feature/article/wonka_vision/#ixzz3RGbQPA5C |
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Updated by E. Harris