Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

 

Genre: Musical/ Family

Time: 2h 24mins

Director: Ken Hughes

Quick Summary: A down-on-his-luck inventor turns a broken-down Grand Prix car into a fancy vehicle for his children, and then they go off on a magical fantasy adventure to save their grandfather in a far-off land.

This is the most sweetest and fantastic musical ever. There is something for everyone in this. This movie really does a great job at being funny, very adventurous, musical, and throwing in some romance too. It has a good balance. Honestly, this is so sweet and fun and just simple. It will really warm your heart. This is a childhood classic for me, and admittedly I had a lot of nostalgia watching this again.

The songs are unforgettable and beautifully staged, and the choreography is mesmerising to watch. Honestly, I don't think I dislike any of them at all. My favourite is one where the two adults pretend to be dolls to distract the king of "vulgaria" and the whole routine is so fun to watch as the male doll falls in love with a female doll who happens to be on a music box. It involves bumping into a mirror and being smacked in the face a few times. It really helps to create such a dreamy experience.

The children are awful singers, but they can act and are cute. And something that is actually really important and some musicals really miss is that they actually advance the plot while these musical numbers are going on. A case in point is Caractacus' "Old Bamboo" song and dance routine, which provides not only an instantly memorable tune (and dance) but also the financial means to save Chitty from the scrap heap. I do really like that song as well as it is so mesmerising to watch. 

The only criticism is that at two and a quarter hours, it is probably a bit too long, I personally could have done without the spies. They would be funny to children as they really focus on slapstick humour and shenanigans. As well it does feel like two different films spliced together literally at the halfway point which can feel rather jarring. 

In the first half, we meet Caracatus (Dick Van Dyke) who is a single father, who is doing his best to raise his two children by himself. He holds a lot of charm to this and I loved watching him on screen. It's through his children's love of an old rusty car that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is born, and after Truly Scrumptious comes into their lives, all four of them start to become a wonderfully charming family and we watch a few events of them simply having fun.

The second half of the picture then hurls us far away into the fantasy genre. Vulagaria is ruled by nutty toy obsessive Baron Bomburst who has banned children as his wife (who is very eccentric) and he both hates them. Naturally, he has his sights set firmly on the magnificence that is Chitty Chitty. Bomburst sends out his child snatcher to nab Caracatus's kids in the hope of bargaining for the special car to which they then go on a mission to save the children.

As a child, the child snatcher terrified me. He was so creepy in how he looked and performed. Honestly, if I saw him now I would sprint in the opposite direction.

Humour-wise, it does feel very old-fashioned, but I like it. It's delightful, and honestly, it's pretty funny too.

This is such a lovely film to watch that I really feel is very much underrated. I recommend this if you want a delightful experience full of wonderful musical numbers.

8/10

"Caracticus Potts: How was India?

Grandpa: India? I'll tell you something. I got up this morning and I shot an elephant in my pyjamas.

Caracticus Potts, Grandpa, Jemima, Jeremy: How he ever got in my pyjamas, I shall never know.

Grandpa: You've heard it before."

" Oh, I haven't seen a good drowning in years."

"Jemima: Jeremy! It's not nice to peek.

Jeremy: I'm not peeking. I'm looking!"

"There are children here somewhere. I can smell them."