Musical Mondays Week 62 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

[Cameron H. 23786]

A movie that asks: how long will a person reasonably sit just to see a car fucking fly?

We watched:

[Cameron H. 23786]

You’ve got to give it to a movie that’s framed as a story being told by one of the characters about the themselves and the other characters - one of whom they just met the day before. I just love the idea of DvD being like, “And after I dropped Truly off at her house, she sang a whole song about how much she wanted me. It went like this...But of course, this was before I entrusted her with my children’s safety and she allowed them get kidnapped.”

[WatchOutForSnakes 807]

41 minutes ago, Cameron H. said:

You’ve got to give it to a movie that’s framed as a story being told by one of the characters about the themselves and the other characters - one of whom they just met the day before. I just love the idea of DvD being like, “And after I dropped Truly off at her house, she sang a whole song about how much she wanted me. It went like this...But of course, this is before I entrusted her with my children’s safety and she allowed them get kidnapped.”

To be honest, by the time the car turned into a boat, I had forgotten the framing device that DVD was just telling this story to everyone.

Also, yes, I just about lost my shit when Truly looks at the two kids in the land where kids are hated and is all, "you kids stay here while I find food. It's all fine. you can watch each other. nothing bad will happen." What?! 

[Cameron H. 23786]

I loved how DvD's accent work was the polar opposite of Bert from Mary Poppins.

"Hmmm...Incredibly British father? Incredibly British children? Okay. I'll give this about 2%." 

[EvRobert 1684]

This movie is so good, so weird, so bonkers insane while somehow being less bonkers insane then the book (which I haven't read but skimmed on Wiki). Which means I loved it. It's so damn utterly charming. DvD learned not to do a bad accent and just let himself shine through amidst all these great British actors. 

is it to long? Probably. The car doesn't show up for like an hour into the film (after the opening race and the kids playing in it). And talk about some free range parenting. But man this film is just so damn good.

[Cameron H. 23786]

2 minutes ago, EvRobert said:

The car doesn't show up for like an hour into the film (after the opening race and the kids playing in it)

I thought it was a bold choice to show three separate children nearly being run over by cars within the first 10 minutes.

[EvRobert 1684]

1 minute ago, Cameron H. said:

I thought it was a bold choice to show three separate children nearly being run over by cars within the first 10 minutes.

This movie has so much violence and sex we were marveling Friday night that it is considered a children's movie

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

1 hour ago, Cameron H. said:

I loved how DvD's accent work was the polar opposite of Bert from Mary Poppins.

"Hmmm...Incredibly British father? Incredibly British children? Okay. I'll give this about 2%." 

I found this article where DVD said he didn't like the movie and had turned it down repeatedly.  Here's what he said about the accent.

“I made one last stipulation. I didn’t want to reprise my English accent, which I’d struggled with in Mary Poppins. Not a problem. My character was suddenly an eccentric American inventor. Spanning ten months, production was headquartered in England but also touched down in Bavaria and the South of France.”

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

55 minutes ago, EvRobert said:

This movie has so much violence and sex we were marveling Friday night that it is considered a children's movie

This is one of my favorite movies but is one I watch in spurts.  I will watch it a bunch then not again for years.  I agree it is far too long and there are tons of plot holes (which I hope we can discuss).  However I can't get over the Baron & Baroness's duet (who puts an adult woman in see-through lingerie in a kids' movie?) and the living doll parts.  Especially where DVD and Sally Ann Howes sing together.  I have watched the movie many times but missed a lot that I saw during the Rabbit showings.  Thank you all for watching this with me!

I have never figured out why DVD pauses during the duet and looks mystified in the mirror.  Until last week I never noticed Sally pushing him into the mirror to get him going again.  I always thought he just leaned too close to the mirror to look in and hit his head.  DVD did an interview on the Blu-Ray.  I will see if I can find it or post it later.  He talks about the doll sequence and especially Sally's performance.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

In the Blu-Ray interview DVD mentions that he's not (or wasn't anyway) a dancer so they had to make the dances easy for him.  Given his physicality (thanks for that word @EvRobert or @WatchOutForSnakes) I can't imagine him doing the "crouch/squat" shortly after he comes out of the box and not be a dancer!

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

9 minutes ago, Cinco DeNio said:

In the Blu-Ray interview DVD mentions that he's not (or wasn't anyway) a dancer so they had to make the dances easy for him.  Given his physicality (thanks for that word @EvRobert or @WatchOutForSnakes) I can't imagine him doing the "crouch/squat" shortly after he comes out of the box and not be a dancer!

The relevant part starts at 8:30 (if the link doesn't take you there).  Feel free to watch the entire thing @EvRobert.  (It does seem a little funny to watch him praise the movie here.)

Remembering Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

[EvRobert 1684]

I really did enjoy this movie but DvD is right, there are SO many plot holes, it's lacking something that Mary Poppins had, and I can totally see Cubby Brocolli throwing a fit. But DvD is so damn good. I love that it's a romance (even if it's a whirlwind romance that makes Romeo and Juliet [since we've been talking about that on Unspooled] look like they took their time and is based on DvD's fortunes rather than anything else), it's not so much about the kids as it is about Potts and Truly falling in love. The kids are just their to kind of help move the mcguffin along. The car in incidental and until the Grease esque ending is just a car when it's not being used as a prop in DvD's story. I think if you look at the song Hushabye Mountain and then the story in the car, it is essentially a bedtime story, which means I can forgive a lot of the plot holes I think that is the main difference between this and Mary Poppins (and even Bedknobs and Broomsticks). MP and B&B are bordering on magical realism where is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a straight up bedtime story. 

As for DvD's dancing, I think he underplays his skills as a dancer because he was never formally trained but I think a physical comedian such as himself is closer to a dancer then he probably realizes. 

[Cameron H. 23786]

15 minutes ago, EvRobert said:

and is based on DvD's fortunes rather than anything else

That was so weird for me. I’m fine with whirlwind romances. They happen all the time in fiction. What was strange was how how DvD tries to force an issue of their class difference when it’s not a problem for her. Then he waits to sign a contract to talk to her and I’m thinking, “Oh, he’s going to check to see if she’s truly (heh) interested in him even though he’s poor,” but instead he’s like, “I’m rich now, baby! Let’s get married!” She never cared about that you dunderhead!

[Cameron H. 23786]

57 minutes ago, Cinco DeNio said:

However I can't get over the Baron & Baroness's duet (who puts an adult woman in see-through lingerie in a kids' movie?) 

This was around the time I started fast forwarding through the songs  

I’m sorry, maybe by that time they had become relevant, but there were so many numbers that did nothing. “Old Bamboo” and “Toot Sweet” were just spinning their wheels numbers. You could have cut them right out and saved us ten minutes of runtime. And what’s worse, they weren’t even that good. In fact, aside from the title song and “Hushabye Mountain” none of the music was all that memorable. Like, I’m glad I finally watched it, but it was hard to sit through. There’s no way I would have had the patience to watch the thing straight through on Rabbit. You guys are the real heroes!

[EvRobert 1684]

3 minutes ago, Cameron H. said:

That was so weird for me. I’m fine with whirlwind romances. They happen all the time in fiction. What was strange was how how DvD tries to force an issue of their class difference when it’s not a problem for her. Then he waits to sign a contract to talk to her and I’m thinking, “Oh, he’s going to check to see if she’s truly (heh) interested in him even though he’s poor,” but instead he’s like, “I’m rich now, baby! Let’s get married!” She never cared about that you dunderhead!

Yeah that was a whole part of their romance I didn't like since it came like almost out of no where

[EvRobert 1684]

5 minutes ago, Cameron H. said:

This was around the time I started fast forwarding through the songs  

I’m sorry, maybe by that time they had become relevant, but there were so many numbers that did nothing. “Old Bamboo” and “Toot Sweet” were just spinning their wheels numbers. You could have cut them right out and saved us ten minutes of runtime. And what’s worse, they weren’t even that good. In fact, aside from the title song and “Hushabye Mountain” none of the music was all that memorable. Like, I’m glad I finally watched it, but it was hard to sit through. There’s no way I would have had the patience to watch the thing straight through on Rabbit. You guys are the real heroes!

Man Old Bamboo is probably one of my favorite numbers from this. And the Baron and Baroness song isn't a bop the way Old Bamboo or toot Sweet is, but it's bonkers level of comedy

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

I wasn't in the mood to watch this this weekend but hopefully will sometime soon. (Blame Unspooled and West Side Story, I wasn't ready for another 2.5 hour musical.) 

But I do have a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang memory from as a kid. At some point, we rented it from the video store, I'm guessing like age 8-10 or so. My parents were going somewhere and the neighbor kid (maybe he was like 15-16) down the street was coming over to babysit. I distinctly remember him bringing Neverending Story to watch with us, and he was very much like 'why in the world would we watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?' like it was the uncoolest thing possible. But I feel like this may have been one of the first times where I learned something isn't cool and Chitty has always been in that 'not hip' category for me ever since haha.

I don't remember what we ended up watching that day, but I do know I saw Chitty a few times back then (though I don't remember very much about it 30+ years later).

 

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

1 hour ago, AlmostAGhost said:

I wasn't in the mood to watch this this weekend but hopefully will sometime soon. (Blame Unspooled and West Side Story, I wasn't ready for another 2.5 hour musical.) 

But I do have a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang memory from as a kid. At some point, we rented it from the video store, I'm guessing like age 8-10 or so. My parents were going somewhere and the neighbor kid (maybe he was like 15-16) down the street was coming over to babysit. I distinctly remember him bringing Neverending Story to watch with us, and he was very much like 'why in the world would we watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?' like it was the uncoolest thing possible. But I feel like this may have been one of the first times where I learned something isn't cool and Chitty has always been in that 'not hip' category for me ever since haha.

I don't remember what we ended up watching that day, but I do know I saw Chitty a few times back then (though I don't remember very much about it 30+ years later).

 

I'd be willing to do a Rabbit showing on Wednesday or Thursday night.

[WatchOutForSnakes 807]

2 hours ago, AlmostAGhost said:

I wasn't in the mood to watch this this weekend but hopefully will sometime soon. (Blame Unspooled and West Side Story, I wasn't ready for another 2.5 hour musical.) 

But I do have a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang memory from as a kid. At some point, we rented it from the video store, I'm guessing like age 8-10 or so. My parents were going somewhere and the neighbor kid (maybe he was like 15-16) down the street was coming over to babysit. I distinctly remember him bringing Neverending Story to watch with us, and he was very much like 'why in the world would we watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?' like it was the uncoolest thing possible. But I feel like this may have been one of the first times where I learned something isn't cool and Chitty has always been in that 'not hip' category for me ever since haha.

I don't remember what we ended up watching that day, but I do know I saw Chitty a few times back then (though I don't remember very much about it 30+ years later).

 

I actually have a similar history with The King and I. The only time I ever watched that was when I was at a house with some girls from school whose parents only allowed them to watch G rated movies. It was the first time I remember being bored by a movie and that not all movies were "cool" because it was way cooler to be able to watch PG or (gasp) PG-13 movies. 

I agree with the consensus that Chitty is too long. If I were to watch it again I would skip through the songs, except maybe for the one where they're dressed as toys. 

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

1 hour ago, Cinco DeNio said:

I'd be willing to do a Rabbit showing on Wednesday or Thursday night.

Thanks I'll let you know if needed, but I did put it on my phone and for a 2.5 hour movie it'll probably have to watch it in a few sittings.

[gigi-tastic 2322]

Ooh boy do I have some thoughts! First thank you again for hosting @Cinco DeNioI had SO much fun watching with you!  On to my thinky thoughts!

First off this family is FUCKED!!

The kids are a hair's breadth away from being full on feral. DVD is an awful father. Those kids are entitled(yet  woefully neglected )little shits. 1. What gives them the right to play in someone's place of business and 2. Of all the businesses to loiter in why the junk yard?  3. How dare they lose this guy a sale and declare that their dad will get them their favorite playscape?  4. Those kids are full of tetanus and are seconds away from blood poisoning setting in from frolicking in the scrap metal. I'm shocked they can even work their jaws.

These children can't possibly be truant because they have never seen the inside of a school. Also this is a time of child workers so I feel like it's not unusual for kids to not be in school.just wondering around like bums yeah that's odd. But not being in school itself isn't.felt

All in all this family is why CPS was invented.

I don't remember it all but I know I came up with two really stupid (but fun at the time ) conspiracy theories about how 1. DVD's character is actually really Burt from Mary Poppins (this is a Sherman film). He is saddled with the children that came from a dalliance with Mary Poppins because we all know she doesn't want kids of her own and peaced the fuck out. He must hide because these children now posses her eldritch powers. Or 2. 

Mrs.DVD faked her death to get the fuck away from this bullshit. Or DVD killed her with an invention.

[gigi-tastic 2322]

So did anyone else find the Child Catcher antisemitic? I mean it checks out because... Fucking Roald Dahl . If you don't know he was a racist antisemitic scum bag .

A truly terrible quote from him “There is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity, maybe it’s a kind of lack of generosity towards non-Jews. I mean, there’s always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason.”  

So there's that. So it's not that hard to feel gross about a  very blatant Jewish caricature that steals children. Something Jewish people have been accused of for centuries. They have been accused of killing Christian children to make matzos. It's a disgusting old antisemitic belief that Jewish people take part in blood libel. When children would get sick or go missing Jews were often blamed.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

Just to remind you that the world has some magic in it, this actually happened once:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/nov/11/dick-van-dyke-porpoises-rescue

[gigi-tastic 2322]

Apparently Peter Jackson owns one of the driveable Chitty's and drives his kids around New Zealand in it. 

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

11 hours ago, Quasar Sniffer said:

Just to remind you that the world has some magic in it, this actually happened once:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/nov/11/dick-van-dyke-porpoises-rescue

Three years later...

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/aug/20/dick-van-dyke-cheats-death-sports-car-fire