Chocolate is an important force in the world, and in many of our lives. While we might not think about it on a day to day basis, we'd definitely miss it if there was no more chocolate to be found. In addition, chocolate has been important in several movies and books over the years.
The three most popular of these films are probably the two adaptations of Roald Dahl's 1964 book called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the film adaptation of Joanne Harris's 1999 book Chocolat. Here's some information about all three of these famous movies that center around chocolate.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
There were two adaptations of this book - one in 1971 and another in 2005. The 1971 adaptation is called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, due to the then-association of the name Charlie with Communist Vietnamese soldiers. The movie starred Gene Wilder and was directed by Mel Stuart. It received an Academy Award nomination for the score.
Recently, another adaptation was made, directed by Tim Burton. This film has the same name as the book, and stars Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. This box office success got a good reaction from the critics, as well as a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design at the seventy-eighth Academy Awards. The film was released in the summer of 2005, and has significant plot differences from the earlier adaptation. Neither exactly match the plot of the book.
In this movie Willy Wonka was choosing a new owner for the factory. He did this through selling candy bars with golden tickets inside. One of the people who received the tickets was Charlie, a boy from a poor family. Once arriving at the factory the winners are dazzled by wondrous candy creations such as the chocolate river. A girl eventually winds up trying to drink from the river and accidentally falls in to her parents horror. By the end of the movie Charlie who has a deep appreciation for people and kindness is the winner.
Chocolat
Chocolat was first written in 1999, then adapted for film in 2000. This successful film pulled in more than $150,000,000 around the world, and received Golden Globe and Academy Award Nominations for Best Original Score, Best Actress and Best Picture. The film tells the story of a young mother who comes to a fictional French village with her young daughter and opens a small chocolate shop.
The chocolate she produces changes the lives of the people she lives around. There's a great deal of strife between the woman and the village, starting with the fact that she opens her shop during Lent. However, her confections eventually encourage secret love, help a married couple, and help a woman leave her abusive husband.
We all love chocolate, and box office figures show that we also love movies about chocolate. If you're feeling that craving, why not check out a chocolate-based film and enjoy it with a brownie, truffle, or scoop of chocolate ice cream?
Chris loves to write about all kinds of food particularly chocolates. For more information on the best tasting chocolates visit http://www.ultimatechocolateshoppe.com
