Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: Best Film Ever?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Johnny Action, Oct 21, 2019.

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  1. Galley

    Galley Forum Resident

    I visited Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1986, where the Vulgarian village scenes were filmed.
     
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  2. GeetarFreek

    GeetarFreek Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montana
    Anyone who doesn’t like Chitty Chitty Bang is a Choochie Face
     
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  3. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    An all time favorite since I saw it upon release as a child. Finally bought myself an anniversary edition Corgi car about 15 years ago to replace the long lost childhood one.

    What struck me upon seeing it for the zillion things time a few years ago is how closely it follows the structure of the James Bond films, and of course stars Goldfinger himself, Gert Frobe as the malevolent King. But that Child Catcher...oh how he scared me as a kid!
     
  4. Time for bed Johnny, yer drunk.
     
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  5. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Haaaaaarible. I saw it in theaters when it was new, and all the trailers and advertising kind of implied, "hey, we got Dick Van Dyke and the Sherman Brothers from Mary Poppins, a story by Ian Fleming, the guy from Goldfinger as the villain, lots of cool special effects, so it'll be a classic!" Instead, it absolutely tanked (cost $10M and made $7.5M) and got terrible reviews.

    I think very young children at the time (1968) might like it because of nostalgia, but I was barely a teenager and thought it was extremely lame. I also thought it had the worst visual effects of any major film I had ever seen up to that point, at a time when I was becoming aware of how visual effects composites worked and how shots were put together. If nothing else, the film proved it's a lot harder to make a great kids' movie than you might think.

    I don't think the songs are terrible, and Van Dyke did what he could to give the film some energy. He's sung the title song in public a few times; here's one he did a few years ago in Santa Monica:



    I gotta say, the car itself was very cool and I did have the little model Corgi toy.
    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Kassonica

    Kassonica Forum Resident

    Yea citizen Kane has nothing on chitty chitty bang bang :biglaugh:
     
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  7. Raylinds

    Raylinds Resident Lake Surfer

    I absolutely loved the book as a child. I think I enjoyed the movie, but not nearly as much as the book. I have not seen it in many a year, so may need to re-watch it. As far as best film ever...
     
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  8. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Love this film - grew up with this as a kid, had the toy car. Good songs and a great villain and a decent story which is never boring.

    When I went travelling I went to Bavaria and you can go and visit the Castle in the film, Neuschwanstein Castle, built by Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria! It was actually the inspiration for the Disney Castle.

    Anyway, Bavaria is beautiful and it's a great trip so I would recommend it if you are in the area.
     
  9. Spaghettiows

    Spaghettiows Forum Resident

    Location:
    Silver Creek, NY
    I liked it as a kid. Even my son liked it when he was 6 or 7. (He's 31 now.) But watching it again when my son was a kid, I thought it was a little overwrought. They could have shaved a good 30-45 minutes.

    Greatest film ever is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.
     
  10. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    :laugh:

    (Best film title, maybe.)
     
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  11. guppy270

    guppy270 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown, NY
    I enjoyed the film as a kid. When I watched the DVD with my daughters a few years ago after not having seen it in years, I thought it was amazingly boring, sorry. My daughters didn't care for it either.

    It was made during a time in the mid to late sixties when it seemed that all childrens movies were about 3 hours long, lol. Chitty Chitty, Dr Doolittle, even the great Mary Poppins, are such LONG films.
     
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  12. Johnny Action

    Johnny Action Forum President Thread Starter

    Location:
    Kailua, Hawai’i

    Chitty Chitty Bang Band too long and boring?!?

    I believe that you and your daughters should consider a diminished daily diet of cell phones, social media and YouTube. They contribute to ADD and desensitize us to truth, art and beauty.
     
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  13. Dylanos

    Dylanos Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    Oh yeah the Child Catcher kept me awake at night. The movie? Not bad.
     
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  14. Solitaire1

    Solitaire1 Carpenters Fan

    I saw the movie long ago and then read the book. Like with most movies, they are quite different from the book. I did enjoy both, and I liked the songs too (I think my favorite song is "Me Old Bamboo"). For me, was an enjoyable movie but not an outstanding one. Likewise with the book.
     
  15. Advantage Gene Wilder and the witty script.
     
  16. Guess I’m another of the few. Love the movie. A favorite. The Best Film Ever....????

    Ummm, no. But I do enjoy it!
     
  17. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I still haven't seen the movie (yes, I ought to) but the book is great for those who haven't read it.
     
  18. Kevin In Choconut Center

    Kevin In Choconut Center Offensive Coordinator

    I own the film on DVD. In the year or so since I purchased my copy, I've watched it one time. There's some good scenes in it. I like the scene where the father
    is trying to raise money and joins a group of dancers. But overall, I think it's a bad film. I respect the fact that some of us here love it, and I hope you continue to
    enjoy it.
     
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  19. clhboa

    clhboa Forum Resident

    This has to be one of the 1st movies I saw in a actual theater (as opposed to the drive-in). Loved it as a kid and we watched it everytime it came on tv. Bought the dvd a while back but I haven't got around to watching it yet. I had a plastic Chitty car from a cereal box when I was little. Wish I still had it.
     
  20. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    The best thing about the book was the fudge recipe on the back page. The movie didn't even have that.
     
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  21. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream

    Always thought that if they remade this that Stiv Bators could play him. Too late for that now.

    [​IMG]
     
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  22. Rich C

    Rich C Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northbrook, IL
    Loved it and was lucky enough to see it in a downtown theater in its initial release. One of the last movies I recall being an event similar to going to see a play. It had an intermission and Dad bought me a program. The movie seemed to go on forever and that was just fine with me as a 7 year old. The shots of the Bavarian castle were stunning.
     
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  23. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    It's 145 minutes long! Any film has to be pretty remarkable to sustain that running time, and this one is, well, not remarkable.

    You're welcome to like what you like, but I'm with @Vidiot on this. I was surprised to see this thread title because I've always had the impression that the movie isn't very well liked. For me, it's got nothing on Mary Poppins.
     
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  24. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Yeah, some critics noted that when it was released.

    The original Mary Poppins was actually 140 minutes long (unusual for a Disney film), and does have some slow parts, but it's such a classic and such a heartwarming film, it managed to work. I think the performances, the music, and the visual effects all came together to create a really memorable film. It's tougher for me to watch today, because I see a lot of the flaws, but that was an amazing film in 1964. Walt Disney himself said for several years afterwards, "Mary Poppins is the culmination of my career and the best film I ever made in my life," and I tend to agree with him.

    Compared to that, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a real goat turd, just an awful film. I read the book as well, and it's an odd novel.
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2019
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  25. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    Mary Poppins could have benefited from some smart editing, but the worst part for me is Dick Van Dyke's AWFUL cockney accent. Fortunately, Julie Andrews (both her acting and singing) more than compensate. And it is very well made, no doubt.
     
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