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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (film)
Encyclopedia
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 musical film
with a script by Roald Dahl
and Ken Hughes
, and songs by the Sherman Brothers
, loosely based on Ian Fleming
's novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car. It starred Dick Van Dyke
as Caractacus Potts
and Sally Ann Howes
as Truly Scrumptious
. The film was directed by Ken Hughes
and produced by Albert R. Broccoli
(co-producer of the James Bond
series of films, also based on Fleming's novels). Irwin Kostal
supervised and conducted the music, and the musical numbers were staged by Marc Breaux
and Dee Dee Wood
.
(Dick Van Dyke
), an eccentric inventor, and his equally peculiar father (Lionel Jeffries
). While skipping school, they meet Truly Scrumptious
(Sally Ann Howes
), a beautiful upper-class woman with her own motorcar, who brings them home to report their truancy to their father. Truly shows interest in Caractacus' odd inventions, but he is affronted by her attempts to tell him that his children should be in school.
The children have grown fond of a wrecked Grand Prix racing motorcar, and implore their father to buy it before it is sold to a junkman (Victor Maddern
), for scrap. Discovering that one of the sweets he has invented can be played like a flute, he tries to sell the "toot sweet" to Truly's father Lord Scrumptious (James Robertson Justice
), a major confection manufacturer, but when the factory is overrun by dogs responding to the whistle, he is thrown out. Then he takes his automatic hair-cutting machine to a carnival to raise money, but it goes haywire. He "hides" from an angry customer named Cyril (Arthur Mullard
) by joining a song-and-dance act, stealing the show and earning enough tips to pay for the car. Potts rebuilds the car, which he nicknames Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the noises its engine makes, and he and the children, accompanied by Truly, go for a picnic on the beach, where Truly becomes very fond of the Potts family and vice versa. Caractacus tells them a story about nasty Baron Bomburst (Gert Fröbe
), the tyrant ruler of fictional Vulgaria
, who wants to steal Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and keep it all for himself:
In the story, the quartet and the car are stranded by high tide, but Chitty suddenly deploys huge flotation devices and they escape inland. The Baron sends two comical spies ashore to capture the car for him, but they briefly capture Lord Scrumptious by accident, and then kidnap Grandpa Potts, mistaking him for the inventor of Chitty. Caractacus, Truly, and the children see him being taken away by airship, and give chase. When they accidentally drive off a cliff, Chitty sprouts wings and propellers and begins to fly. They follow the airship to Vulgaria, where the Baroness Bomburst
(Anna Quayle
) has ordered the imprisonment of all children, whom she abhors. Grandpa the "inventor" has been ordered by the baron to make another floating car, and is bluffing to avoid being tortured. The Potts party is hidden by the local toymaker (Benny Hill
), who now works only for the baron. But while Caractacus and Truly go in search of Grandpa, the children are captured by the Baron's Child Catcher
(Robert Helpmann
), and Chitty is discovered and taken to the castle.
The toymaker takes Truly and Caractacus to a grotto far beneath the castle where the townspeople have been hiding their children, and they concoct a scheme to free the children and the village from the baron. The toymaker sneaks them into the castle disguised as life-size dolls, gifts for the baron's birthday. Caractacus snares the Baron and the town's children swarm the banquet hall. In the ensuing chaos, the baron, baroness, and Child Catcher are all captured. The family is freed and fly back with Truly to England. Jeremy and Jemima finish the story themselves: "And Daddy and Truly were married!" which Truly seems to find appealing, but Caractacus is evasive, believing that the class distance between them is too great. But when Lord Scrumptious surprises them with an offer to buy the Toot Sweet, Caractacus realizes that he has become wealthy, and rushes off to propose to Truly. As they drive off together in Chitty, the car takes to the air for real, this time without wings.
The part of Truly Scrumptious had originally been offered to Julie Andrews
, to reunite her with Van Dyke after their success in Mary Poppins
. Andrews rejected the role specifically because she considered the part too close to the Poppins mould.
"Doll on a Music Box" is sung near the end of the musical by Truly and is a musical counterpoint, also being sung simultaneously with Caractacus' rendition of the song "Truly Scrumptious". Two songs apparently intended for the film but ultimately relegated only to instrumental background music are "Come to the Funfair
" and the "Vulgarian National Anthem
"; they were published with lyrics in the sheet music
along with the other film songs when the movie was released. The stage version restores these two as vocal numbers
. The Sherman Brothers
also were hired to write several new songs for the stage production including "Think Vulgar!" which was replaced in 2003 with "Act English
", "Kiddy-Widdy-Winkies
", "Teamwork
" and "The Bombie Samba
".
Two songs stand out for the use of musical instruments in the orchestra: "Toot Sweets" – especially in the motion picture – employs a multitude of flute
s; and the subject of "Me Ol' Bamboo" is aurally suggested by the xylophone
(and accompanies Potts performing a Morris dance
with a troupe).
magazine, describing Emett's work, said no term other than "Fantasticator...could remotely convey the diverse genius of the perky, pink-cheeked Englishman whose pixilations, in cartoon, watercolor and clanking 3-D reality, range from the celebrated Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway
to the demented thingamabobs that made the 1968 movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang a minuscule classic."
At a 1973 auction in Florida, one of the Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang cars sold for $37,000. The original "hero" car, in a condition described as fully functional and road-going, was offered at auction May 15, 2011 by a California-based auction house. The car sold for $805,000, far less than the $1–2 million it was expected to sell for.
magazine began its review saying the film is a "picture for the ages—the ages between five and twelve" and ends noting that "At a time when violence and sex are the dual sellers at the box office, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang looks better than it is simply because it's not not all all bad bad"; the film's "eleven songs have all the rich melodic variety of an automobile horn. Persistent syncopation
and some breathless choreography partly redeem it, but most of the film's sporadic success is due to Director Ken Hughes's fantasy scenes, which make up in imagination what they lack in technical facility." During her brief period as chief film critic for The New York Times
, Renata Adler
reviewed the film, saying: "in spite of the dreadful title, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, ...is a fast, dense, friendly children's musical, with something of the joys of singing together on a team bus on the way to a game"; Adler called the screenplay "remarkably good" and the film's "preoccupation with sweets and machinery seems ideal for children"; she ends her review on the same note as Time: "There is nothing coy, or stodgy or too frightening about the film; and this year, when it has seemed highly doubtful that children ought to go to the movies at all, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang sees to it that none of the audience's terrific eagerness to have a good time is betrayed or lost."
Movie critic and historian Leonard Maltin
considered the picture "one big Edsel
, with totally forgettable score and some of the shoddiest special effects ever." In 2008, Entertainment Weekly
called Helpmann's depiction of the Child Catcher
one of the "50 Most Vile Movie Villains."
The soundtrack has been released to CD twice, both releases using the original LP masters rather than going back to the original music masters to compile a more complete soundtrack album with underscoring and complete versions of songs. The 1997 Rykodisc
release included several quick bits of dialogue from the film between some of the tracks and has gone out of circulation. On February 24, 2004, a few short months after MGM released the movie on a 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, Varèse Sarabande
reissued a newly remastered soundtrack album without the dialogue tracks, restoring it to its original 1968 LP format.
List of tracks:
^ - instrumental used for the film's "exit music"
+ - dialogue track only included on the Rykodisc release
^+ - first vocal performance from the film
^++ - second vocal performance from the film
format. In 1998, the movie saw its first DVD
release. 2003 brought a two-disc "Special Edition" release. On November 2, 2010, 20th Century Fox
released a two-disc Blu-ray
and DVD combination set featuring the extras from the 2003 release as well as new features. The 2010 release is the first release to have the film in it's original 2.20:1 Technirama
aspect ratio
.
The film did not follow Fleming's novel closely. A separate novelization
of the film was published at the time of the film's release. It basically followed film's story but with some differences of tone and emphasis, e.g. it mentioned that Caractacus Potts had had difficulty coping after the death of his wife, and it made it clearer that the sequences including Baron Bomburst were extended fantasy sequences. It was written by John Burke
, but was not clearly credited to him.
) in which impoverished or homeless children were sent to British colonies experiencing labor shortages throughout the 20th century until the late 1960s - thus making the topic a relevant one for Dahl. While it may be the thought that this practice existed because Queen Elizabeth II or the Queen Mother "hated kids" (ala Baroness Bomburst in the movie), the Home Children
page gives a starting date for British child migration as early as 1618. For a somewhat different set of dates see the Child Migration Timeline.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
with a script by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
and Ken Hughes
Ken Hughes
Ken Hughes was a British film director, writer, and producer.-Personal history:Wife Charlotte Hughes living in LA...
, and songs by the Sherman Brothers
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
, loosely based on Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
's novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car. It starred Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
as Caractacus Potts
Caractacus Potts
Caractacus Potts is one of the main characters in the family film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He is an eccentric inventor who lives with his twin eight-year-old children, Jeremy & Jemima, and Grandpa Potts, on the Potts' hilltop farm...
and Sally Ann Howes
Sally Ann Howes
Sally Ann Howes is a British actress and singer, who currently holds dual British-American citizenship. Her career on stage, screen and television has spanned over six decades...
as Truly Scrumptious
Truly Scrumptious
Truly Scrumptious is a fictional character in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, based on the children's novel of the same name by Ian Fleming.She does not appear in the book. In the film the character is portrayed by singer/actress Sally Ann Howes....
. The film was directed by Ken Hughes
Ken Hughes
Ken Hughes was a British film director, writer, and producer.-Personal history:Wife Charlotte Hughes living in LA...
and produced by Albert R. Broccoli
Albert R. Broccoli
Albert Romolo Broccoli, CBE , nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer, who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career, most of them in the United Kingdom, and often filmed at Pinewood Studios. Co-founder of Danjaq, LLC and EON Productions, Broccoli is most notable as the...
(co-producer of the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
series of films, also based on Fleming's novels). Irwin Kostal
Irwin Kostal
Irwin Kostal was an American musical arranger of films and an orchestrator of Broadway musicals.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kostal opted not to attend college, instead teaching himself musical arranging by studying the symphonic scores available at his local library...
supervised and conducted the music, and the musical numbers were staged by Marc Breaux
Marc Breaux
Marc Breaux is an American choreographer and occasional film director best known for his work on musical films of the 1960s and 1970s. Most of his well known work was in collaboration with Dee Dee Wood to whom he was married for many years...
and Dee Dee Wood
Dee Dee Wood
Dee Dee Wood is an American Choreographer best known for her work on musical films of the 1960s and 1970s. Most of her well known work was in collaboration with Marc Breaux, to whom she was married for many years. Much of Wood's most recognized work was also in collaboration with the songwriting...
.
Plot
Set in the 1910s, the story opens with Jeremy and Jemima Potts (Adrian Hall and Heather Ripley), who live with their widowed father Caractacus PottsCaractacus Potts
Caractacus Potts is one of the main characters in the family film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He is an eccentric inventor who lives with his twin eight-year-old children, Jeremy & Jemima, and Grandpa Potts, on the Potts' hilltop farm...
(Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
), an eccentric inventor, and his equally peculiar father (Lionel Jeffries
Lionel Jeffries
Lionel Charles Jeffries was an English actor, screenwriter and film director.-Early life and career:Jeffries attended the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wimborne Minster, Dorset. In 1945, he received a commission in the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry...
). While skipping school, they meet Truly Scrumptious
Truly Scrumptious
Truly Scrumptious is a fictional character in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, based on the children's novel of the same name by Ian Fleming.She does not appear in the book. In the film the character is portrayed by singer/actress Sally Ann Howes....
(Sally Ann Howes
Sally Ann Howes
Sally Ann Howes is a British actress and singer, who currently holds dual British-American citizenship. Her career on stage, screen and television has spanned over six decades...
), a beautiful upper-class woman with her own motorcar, who brings them home to report their truancy to their father. Truly shows interest in Caractacus' odd inventions, but he is affronted by her attempts to tell him that his children should be in school.
The children have grown fond of a wrecked Grand Prix racing motorcar, and implore their father to buy it before it is sold to a junkman (Victor Maddern
Victor Maddern
Victor Jack Maddern was an English actor.Born in Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex, Maddern was one of large group of dependable supporting actors that British film produced over the years....
), for scrap. Discovering that one of the sweets he has invented can be played like a flute, he tries to sell the "toot sweet" to Truly's father Lord Scrumptious (James Robertson Justice
James Robertson Justice
James Robertson Justice was a popular British character actor in British films of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.-Biography:...
), a major confection manufacturer, but when the factory is overrun by dogs responding to the whistle, he is thrown out. Then he takes his automatic hair-cutting machine to a carnival to raise money, but it goes haywire. He "hides" from an angry customer named Cyril (Arthur Mullard
Arthur Mullard
Arthur Ernest Mullard, original surname Mullord was an English comedy actor.- Early life :...
) by joining a song-and-dance act, stealing the show and earning enough tips to pay for the car. Potts rebuilds the car, which he nicknames Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the noises its engine makes, and he and the children, accompanied by Truly, go for a picnic on the beach, where Truly becomes very fond of the Potts family and vice versa. Caractacus tells them a story about nasty Baron Bomburst (Gert Fröbe
Gert Fröbe
Karl Gerhart Fröbe, better known as Gert Fröbe was a German actor who starred in many films, including the James Bond film Goldfinger as Auric Goldfinger, The Threepenny Opera as Peachum, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as Baron Bomburst, and in Der Räuber Hotzenplotz as Hotzenplotz.-Life:Born in...
), the tyrant ruler of fictional Vulgaria
Vulgaria
Vulgaria is a fictional European barony visited by the Potts family and Truly Scrumptious in their flying car, in the 1968 children's film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the 2002 stage adaptation.-About Vulgaria:...
, who wants to steal Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and keep it all for himself:
In the story, the quartet and the car are stranded by high tide, but Chitty suddenly deploys huge flotation devices and they escape inland. The Baron sends two comical spies ashore to capture the car for him, but they briefly capture Lord Scrumptious by accident, and then kidnap Grandpa Potts, mistaking him for the inventor of Chitty. Caractacus, Truly, and the children see him being taken away by airship, and give chase. When they accidentally drive off a cliff, Chitty sprouts wings and propellers and begins to fly. They follow the airship to Vulgaria, where the Baroness Bomburst
Baroness Bomburst
Baroness Bomburst is a fictional character and one of the antagonists in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the later stage musical adaptation. The character was created by screenwriter Roald Dahl and did not appear in the original Ian Fleming novel....
(Anna Quayle
Anna Quayle
Anna Quayle is an English actress. Her father was the stage actor Douglas Quayle.She has appeared on film, on stage, and on television...
) has ordered the imprisonment of all children, whom she abhors. Grandpa the "inventor" has been ordered by the baron to make another floating car, and is bluffing to avoid being tortured. The Potts party is hidden by the local toymaker (Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
), who now works only for the baron. But while Caractacus and Truly go in search of Grandpa, the children are captured by the Baron's Child Catcher
Child Catcher
The Child Catcher is the supporting antagonist of the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the later stage musical adaptation. The character was created by the film's screenwriter, Roald Dahl, and did not appear in the original Ian Fleming book...
(Robert Helpmann
Robert Helpmann
Sir Robert Helpmann CBE was an Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer.-Early years:He was born Robert Murray Helpman in Mount Gambier, South Australia and also boarded at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. From childhood, Helpman had a strong desire to be a dancer...
), and Chitty is discovered and taken to the castle.
The toymaker takes Truly and Caractacus to a grotto far beneath the castle where the townspeople have been hiding their children, and they concoct a scheme to free the children and the village from the baron. The toymaker sneaks them into the castle disguised as life-size dolls, gifts for the baron's birthday. Caractacus snares the Baron and the town's children swarm the banquet hall. In the ensuing chaos, the baron, baroness, and Child Catcher are all captured. The family is freed and fly back with Truly to England. Jeremy and Jemima finish the story themselves: "And Daddy and Truly were married!" which Truly seems to find appealing, but Caractacus is evasive, believing that the class distance between them is too great. But when Lord Scrumptious surprises them with an offer to buy the Toot Sweet, Caractacus realizes that he has become wealthy, and rushes off to propose to Truly. As they drive off together in Chitty, the car takes to the air for real, this time without wings.
Cast
The cast includes:- Dick Van DykeDick Van DykeRichard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
as Caractacus PottsCaractacus PottsCaractacus Potts is one of the main characters in the family film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He is an eccentric inventor who lives with his twin eight-year-old children, Jeremy & Jemima, and Grandpa Potts, on the Potts' hilltop farm... - Sally Ann HowesSally Ann HowesSally Ann Howes is a British actress and singer, who currently holds dual British-American citizenship. Her career on stage, screen and television has spanned over six decades...
as Truly ScrumptiousTruly ScrumptiousTruly Scrumptious is a fictional character in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, based on the children's novel of the same name by Ian Fleming.She does not appear in the book. In the film the character is portrayed by singer/actress Sally Ann Howes.... - Adrian Hall as Jeremy
- Heather Ripley as Jemima
- Lionel JeffriesLionel JeffriesLionel Charles Jeffries was an English actor, screenwriter and film director.-Early life and career:Jeffries attended the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wimborne Minster, Dorset. In 1945, he received a commission in the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry...
as Grandpa Potts - Gert FröbeGert FröbeKarl Gerhart Fröbe, better known as Gert Fröbe was a German actor who starred in many films, including the James Bond film Goldfinger as Auric Goldfinger, The Threepenny Opera as Peachum, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as Baron Bomburst, and in Der Räuber Hotzenplotz as Hotzenplotz.-Life:Born in...
as Baron BomburstBaron BomburstBaron Bomburst is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The character did not appear in Ian Fleming's original novel; it was created by the film's screenwriter, Roald Dahl. Played by Gert Fröbe, Bomburst rules the Barony of Vulgaria together with his... - Anna QuayleAnna QuayleAnna Quayle is an English actress. Her father was the stage actor Douglas Quayle.She has appeared on film, on stage, and on television...
as Baroness BomburstBaroness BomburstBaroness Bomburst is a fictional character and one of the antagonists in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the later stage musical adaptation. The character was created by screenwriter Roald Dahl and did not appear in the original Ian Fleming novel.... - Benny HillBenny HillBenny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
as Toymaker - James Robertson JusticeJames Robertson JusticeJames Robertson Justice was a popular British character actor in British films of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.-Biography:...
as Lord Scrumptious - Robert HelpmannRobert HelpmannSir Robert Helpmann CBE was an Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer.-Early years:He was born Robert Murray Helpman in Mount Gambier, South Australia and also boarded at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. From childhood, Helpman had a strong desire to be a dancer...
as Child Catcher - Desmond LlewelynDesmond LlewelynDesmond Wilkinson Llewelyn was a Welsh actor, famous for playing Q in 17 of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1999.-Early life:...
as Mr. Coggins - Alexander DoréAlexander DoréAlexander Doré was a British actor, television director and screenwriter perhaps best known for his appearance as the First Spy in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang....
as First Spy - Bernard SpearBernard SpearBernard Spear was an English actor.He was born to a Polish father and Russian mother.Spears starred in the BAFTA TV Award-winning television play Bar Mitzvah Boy, and also appeared in the films Bedazzled and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...
as Second Spy - Peter ArnePeter ArnePeter Arne was a British character actor best known for various performances in British film and television, including supporting roles in the television series The Avengers, Danger Man, as well as villains in Blake Edwards' Pink Panther series, in a career that spanned 40 years...
as the Captain of Bomburst's Army - Victor MaddernVictor MaddernVictor Jack Maddern was an English actor.Born in Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex, Maddern was one of large group of dependable supporting actors that British film produced over the years....
as the Customer Junkman - Arthur MullardArthur MullardArthur Ernest Mullard, original surname Mullord was an English comedy actor.- Early life :...
as Cyril - Barbara WindsorBarbara WindsorBarbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....
as Blonde at Fair
The part of Truly Scrumptious had originally been offered to Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
, to reunite her with Van Dyke after their success in Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
. Andrews rejected the role specifically because she considered the part too close to the Poppins mould.
Musical numbers
- "Chitty Chitty Bang BangChitty Chitty Bang Bang (song)"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is the Academy Award nominated song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the 1968 musical motion picture. In the film it is sung by Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes...
" - "Truly ScrumptiousTruly Scrumptious (song)"Truly Scrumptious" is a song performed in the 2002/2005 stage musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as well as the original, 1968 motion picture. The song was written by Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman. It is about the lead female character, Truly....
" - "Hushabye MountainHushabye Mountain"Hushabye Mountain" is a ballad by the songwriting team Robert and Richard Sherman. It appears twice in the 1968 Albert R. Broccoli motion picture Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: first as an idyllic lullaby by Caractacus Potts to his children; and later when the children of Vulgaria have lost all hope of...
" - "Me Ol' BambooMe Ol' Bamboo"Me Ol' Bamboo" is a song written by the Sherman Brothers for the motion picture Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was originally written to be choreographed as a morris dance for the film by Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood and adapted for the stage by...
" - "Toot SweetsToot Sweets"Toot Sweets" is a song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the 1968 musical motion picture. In the film it is sung by Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes...
" - "The Roses of SuccessThe Roses Of Success"The Roses of Success" is an "up tempo" song and musical number from the popular 1968 Cubby Broccoli motion picture, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In the film it is sung when "Grandpa Potts" is caught in the Vulgarian inventors' workshop and is forced to modify a car that both floats and flies or face...
" - "Lovely Lonely ManLovely Lonely Man"Lovely Lonely Man" is a song from the 1968 musical film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was written by Richard & Robert Sherman and sung by Sally Ann Howes as "Truly Scrumptious"...
" - "You TwoYou Two"You Two" is a song from the 1968 film musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It also appears in the 2002–2005 stage musical version. It was written by Robert and Richard Sherman. The song is sung by a single–widower father to his two twin children...
" - "Chu-Chi FaceChu-Chi Face"Chu-Chi Face" is a song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the 1968 musical motion picture. In the film it is sung by Gert Fröbe as Baron Bomburst and Anna Quayle as Baroness Bomburst...
" - "Posh!Posh!"Posh!" is an up tempo song and musical number from the popular 1968 Albert R. Broccoli motion picture, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It is written by the songwriting team of Sherman & Sherman. It makes reference to the myth that the word "posh" is an acronym for "Port Out, Starboard Home"...
" - "Doll on a Music BoxDoll On A Music Box"Doll on a Music Box" is a song originally from the 1968 musical film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was subsequently performed in the 2002/2005 stage musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as well. It is both a musical and lyrical counterpoint to the more free flowing, legato song, "Truly Scrumptious"...
" - "Doll on a Music BoxDoll On A Music Box"Doll on a Music Box" is a song originally from the 1968 musical film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was subsequently performed in the 2002/2005 stage musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as well. It is both a musical and lyrical counterpoint to the more free flowing, legato song, "Truly Scrumptious"...
/Truly ScrumptiousTruly Scrumptious (song)"Truly Scrumptious" is a song performed in the 2002/2005 stage musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as well as the original, 1968 motion picture. The song was written by Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman. It is about the lead female character, Truly....
" - "Come to the FunfairCome To the Funfair"Come to the Funfair" is a song first written for the 1968 musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but was cut almost entirely from the final edit of the film. The musical theme is still heard in the soundtrack immediately after "Caractacus Potts" sings "Hushabye Mountain"...
"
"Doll on a Music Box" is sung near the end of the musical by Truly and is a musical counterpoint, also being sung simultaneously with Caractacus' rendition of the song "Truly Scrumptious". Two songs apparently intended for the film but ultimately relegated only to instrumental background music are "Come to the Funfair
Come To the Funfair
"Come to the Funfair" is a song first written for the 1968 musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but was cut almost entirely from the final edit of the film. The musical theme is still heard in the soundtrack immediately after "Caractacus Potts" sings "Hushabye Mountain"...
" and the "Vulgarian National Anthem
Vulgarian National Anthem
"Vulgarian National Anthem" was originally written for the 1968 musical film, produced by Cubby Broccoli called, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but was cut almost entirely from the final edit of the film. The musical theme is still heard in the film when the Vulgarian airship lands in Vulgaria. The song...
"; they were published with lyrics in the sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
along with the other film songs when the movie was released. The stage version restores these two as vocal numbers
Number (music)
A number in music is a self-contained piece that is combined with other such pieces in a performance. In a concert of popular music, for example, the individual songs or pieces performed are often referred to as "numbers." The term is applied also to sections of large vocal works when the...
. The Sherman Brothers
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
also were hired to write several new songs for the stage production including "Think Vulgar!" which was replaced in 2003 with "Act English
Act English
"Act English" is a song created especially for the stage musical production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was written by Robert and Richard Sherman in 2003 as a replacement song for "Think Vulgar". The song was first premiered at the London Palladium on March 15, 2003. It is an expositional...
", "Kiddy-Widdy-Winkies
Kiddy-Widdy-Winkies
"Kiddy-Widdy-Winkies" is an original song from the musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was first performed by actor Richard O'Brien as "The Child Catcher" while he is in search of children wandering the streets of Vulgaria. The song was written by Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman in fall of...
", "Teamwork
Teamwork (song)
"Teamwork" is a song created especially for the stage musical production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was written by Robert and Richard Sherman in 2001 and premiered at the London Palladium on April 16, 2002. It premiered on Broadway in 2005...
" and "The Bombie Samba
The Bombie Samba
"The Bombie Samba" is a song and big dance number created especially for the stage musical production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was written by Robert and Richard Sherman in 2002 and premiered at the London Palladium on April 16, 2002. It premiered on Broadway in 2005...
".
Two songs stand out for the use of musical instruments in the orchestra: "Toot Sweets" – especially in the motion picture – employs a multitude of flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s; and the subject of "Me Ol' Bamboo" is aurally suggested by the xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
(and accompanies Potts performing a Morris dance
Morris dance
Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers...
with a troupe).
Production
The Caractacus Potts inventions in the film were created by Rowland Emett; by 1976, TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine, describing Emett's work, said no term other than "Fantasticator...could remotely convey the diverse genius of the perky, pink-cheeked Englishman whose pixilations, in cartoon, watercolor and clanking 3-D reality, range from the celebrated Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway
Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway
The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway was the inspiration of Roland Emett. A fictional narrow-gauge railway with a whimsical view of British rural life and embodying Emett's typical fanciful mechanics, it echoed the similar works of Heath Robinson and Rube Goldberg.The railway began as...
to the demented thingamabobs that made the 1968 movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang a minuscule classic."
At a 1973 auction in Florida, one of the Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang cars sold for $37,000. The original "hero" car, in a condition described as fully functional and road-going, was offered at auction May 15, 2011 by a California-based auction house. The car sold for $805,000, far less than the $1–2 million it was expected to sell for.
Locations
- Scrumptious Sweet Co. factory (exterior) - Kempton Waterworks, Snakey Lane, HanworthHanworthHanworth lies to the south east of Feltham in the London Borough of Hounslow. The name is thought to come from the Anglo Saxon words “haen” and “worth”, meaning “small homestead”....
, MiddlesexMiddlesexMiddlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. This location now includes a steam museumKempton Park Steam EnginesThe Kempton Park Steam Engines are two large triple-expansion steam engines, dating from 1926–1929, at the Kempton Park waterworks, Middlesex, London. Each engine is of a similar size to that used in RMS Titanic and rated at about 1008 hp...
open to the public. - Scrumptious Mansion - Heatherden HallHeatherden HallHeatherden Hall is a grade II Victorian Country House located in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England. It stands in the grounds of Pinewood Studios and is used as offices, movie sets, and as a wedding venue....
at Pinewood StudiosPinewood StudiosPinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
in Iver Heath, BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England - Windmill/Cottage - Cobstone WindmillCobstone WindmillCobstone Mill was built around 1816 and is located in the civil parish of Ibstone in Buckinghamshire, England, and overlooks the village of Turville. It is sometimes referred to as Turville Windmill. It is a smock mill that replaced the original mill that had stood there since the 16th century...
in IbstoneIbstoneIbstone is a village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the Chiltern Hills on the border with Oxfordshire, about two miles south of Stokenchurch....
, near TurvilleTurvilleTurville is a village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about five miles west of High Wycombe and five miles north of Henley-on-Thames....
, Buckinghamshire, England - Duck Pond - Russell's WaterRussell's WaterRussell’s Water is a hamlet about north of Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire. It is in the Chiltern Hills about above sea level.There is 20th century and older housing, a village hall, an area of common land called Russell's Water Common to the east and a large duck pond that featured in the...
, OxfordshireOxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England - Beach - Cap Taillat in St. Tropez, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Baron Bomburst's castle - Neuschwanstein Castle, BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - Bridge where spies attempt to blow up Chitty - Iver Bridge, IverIverIver is in the south-east corner of the English county of Buckinghamshire and it forms one of the largest civil parishes in the South Bucks district.Iver railway station is in Richings Park.-Etymology:...
, Buckinghamshire, England - Bridge where spies kidnap Lord Scrumptious - Ilmer Bridge, IlmerIlmerIlmer is a village in Buckinghamshire at the foot of the Chiltern Hills about northwest of Princes Risborough, near the boundary with Oxfordshire.There are about 30 dwellings in Ilmer.-History:...
, Buckinghamshire, England - Vulgarian village - Rothenburg ob der TauberRothenburg ob der TauberRothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken , the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City...
, Germany - Lighthouse and white cliffs Beachy HeadBeachy HeadBeachy Head is a chalk headland on the south coast of England, close to the town of Eastbourne in the county of East Sussex, immediately east of the Seven Sisters. The cliff there is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, rising to 162 m above sea level. The peak allows views of the south...
, East SussexEast SussexEast Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England - Rock spires in the ocean - The NeedlesThe NeedlesThe Needles is a row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight, England, close to Alum Bay. The Needles lighthouse stands at the end of the formation...
stacks, Isle of WightIsle of WightThe Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, England - Train scene - The Longmoor Military RailwayLongmoor Military RailwayThe Longmoor Military Railway was a British military railway in Hampshire, built by the Royal Engineers from 1903 in order to train soldiers on railway construction and operations.-Route:...
Reception
The film went significantly over budget, but was a box office hit. TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine began its review saying the film is a "picture for the ages—the ages between five and twelve" and ends noting that "At a time when violence and sex are the dual sellers at the box office, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang looks better than it is simply because it's not not all all bad bad"; the film's "eleven songs have all the rich melodic variety of an automobile horn. Persistent syncopation
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
and some breathless choreography partly redeem it, but most of the film's sporadic success is due to Director Ken Hughes's fantasy scenes, which make up in imagination what they lack in technical facility." During her brief period as chief film critic for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Renata Adler
Renata Adler
Renata Adler is an American author, journalist and film critic.-Background and education:Adler was born in Milan, Italy, and grew up in Danbury, Connecticut. After gaining a B.A. in philosophy and German from Bryn Mawr, Adler studied for an M.A. in Comparative Literature at Harvard under I. A...
reviewed the film, saying: "in spite of the dreadful title, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, ...is a fast, dense, friendly children's musical, with something of the joys of singing together on a team bus on the way to a game"; Adler called the screenplay "remarkably good" and the film's "preoccupation with sweets and machinery seems ideal for children"; she ends her review on the same note as Time: "There is nothing coy, or stodgy or too frightening about the film; and this year, when it has seemed highly doubtful that children ought to go to the movies at all, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang sees to it that none of the audience's terrific eagerness to have a good time is betrayed or lost."
Movie critic and historian Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
considered the picture "one big Edsel
Edsel
The Edsel was an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company during the 1958, 1959, and 1960 model years. The Edsel never gained popularity with contemporary American car buyers and sold poorly. Consequently, the Ford Motor Company lost millions of dollars on the Edsel's development,...
, with totally forgettable score and some of the shoddiest special effects ever." In 2008, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called Helpmann's depiction of the Child Catcher
Child Catcher
The Child Catcher is the supporting antagonist of the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the later stage musical adaptation. The character was created by the film's screenwriter, Roald Dahl, and did not appear in the original Ian Fleming book...
one of the "50 Most Vile Movie Villains."
Soundtrack
The original soundtrack album, as was typical of soundtrack albums, presented mostly songs with very few instrumental tracks. The songs were also edited, with specially recorded intros and outros and most instrumental portions removed, both because of time limitations of the vinyl LP and the belief that listeners would not be interested in listening to long instrumental dance portions during the songs.The soundtrack has been released to CD twice, both releases using the original LP masters rather than going back to the original music masters to compile a more complete soundtrack album with underscoring and complete versions of songs. The 1997 Rykodisc
Rykodisc
Rykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
release included several quick bits of dialogue from the film between some of the tracks and has gone out of circulation. On February 24, 2004, a few short months after MGM released the movie on a 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
reissued a newly remastered soundtrack album without the dialogue tracks, restoring it to its original 1968 LP format.
List of tracks:
- "Chitty Chitty Bang BangChitty Chitty Bang Bang (song)"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is the Academy Award nominated song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the 1968 musical motion picture. In the film it is sung by Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes...
" ^ - "Elephant" +
- "You TwoYou Two"You Two" is a song from the 1968 film musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It also appears in the 2002–2005 stage musical version. It was written by Robert and Richard Sherman. The song is sung by a single–widower father to his two twin children...
" - "If I May" +
- "Toot SweetsToot Sweets"Toot Sweets" is a song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the 1968 musical motion picture. In the film it is sung by Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes...
" - "Hushabye MountainHushabye Mountain"Hushabye Mountain" is a ballad by the songwriting team Robert and Richard Sherman. It appears twice in the 1968 Albert R. Broccoli motion picture Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: first as an idyllic lullaby by Caractacus Potts to his children; and later when the children of Vulgaria have lost all hope of...
" - "Come to the FunfairCome To the Funfair"Come to the Funfair" is a song first written for the 1968 musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but was cut almost entirely from the final edit of the film. The musical theme is still heard in the soundtrack immediately after "Caractacus Potts" sings "Hushabye Mountain"...
" (the tune and background lyrics are here, not the entire song as it was cut from the movie) - "Me Ol' BambooMe Ol' Bamboo"Me Ol' Bamboo" is a song written by the Sherman Brothers for the motion picture Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was originally written to be choreographed as a morris dance for the film by Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood and adapted for the stage by...
" - "Potts the Optimist" +
- "Chitty Chitty Bang BangChitty Chitty Bang Bang (song)"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is the Academy Award nominated song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the 1968 musical motion picture. In the film it is sung by Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes...
" ^ - "Truly ScrumptiousTruly Scrumptious (song)"Truly Scrumptious" is a song performed in the 2002/2005 stage musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as well as the original, 1968 motion picture. The song was written by Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman. It is about the lead female character, Truly....
" - "All Engines" +
- "Chitty Chitty Bang BangChitty Chitty Bang Bang (song)"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is the Academy Award nominated song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the 1968 musical motion picture. In the film it is sung by Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes...
" ^ - "Lovely Lonely ManLovely Lonely Man"Lovely Lonely Man" is a song from the 1968 musical film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was written by Richard & Robert Sherman and sung by Sally Ann Howes as "Truly Scrumptious"...
" - "Posh!Posh!"Posh!" is an up tempo song and musical number from the popular 1968 Albert R. Broccoli motion picture, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It is written by the songwriting team of Sherman & Sherman. It makes reference to the myth that the word "posh" is an acronym for "Port Out, Starboard Home"...
" - "Hushabye MountainHushabye Mountain"Hushabye Mountain" is a ballad by the songwriting team Robert and Richard Sherman. It appears twice in the 1968 Albert R. Broccoli motion picture Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: first as an idyllic lullaby by Caractacus Potts to his children; and later when the children of Vulgaria have lost all hope of...
" RepriseRepriseReprise is a fundamental device in the history of art. In literature, a reprise consists of the rewriting of another work; in music, a reprise is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the...
" - "The Roses of SuccessThe Roses Of Success"The Roses of Success" is an "up tempo" song and musical number from the popular 1968 Cubby Broccoli motion picture, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In the film it is sung when "Grandpa Potts" is caught in the Vulgarian inventors' workshop and is forced to modify a car that both floats and flies or face...
" - "Hang OnHang OnHang On is the debut studio album by Muncie-based American rock band The Goodnight Fields, released on April 30, 2011 in the United States.-Background:...
" + - "Chu-Chi FaceChu-Chi Face"Chu-Chi Face" is a song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the 1968 musical motion picture. In the film it is sung by Gert Fröbe as Baron Bomburst and Anna Quayle as Baroness Bomburst...
" - "Doll on a Music BoxDoll On A Music Box"Doll on a Music Box" is a song originally from the 1968 musical film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was subsequently performed in the 2002/2005 stage musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as well. It is both a musical and lyrical counterpoint to the more free flowing, legato song, "Truly Scrumptious"...
"/"Truly ScrumptiousTruly Scrumptious (song)"Truly Scrumptious" is a song performed in the 2002/2005 stage musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as well as the original, 1968 motion picture. The song was written by Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman. It is about the lead female character, Truly....
" - "Chitty Chitty Bang BangChitty Chitty Bang Bang (song)"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is the Academy Award nominated song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the 1968 musical motion picture. In the film it is sung by Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes...
" FinaleFinaleFinale may indicate the final movement of a sonata, symphony, or concerto or of another piece of non-vocal classical music which has several movements, or a prolonged final sequence at the end of an act of an opera or musical theatre work.... - "A Happy Ending" +
- "Chitty Chitty Bang BangChitty Chitty Bang Bang (song)"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is the Academy Award nominated song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the 1968 musical motion picture. In the film it is sung by Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes...
" Main titleMain TitleThe main title is the name given on soundtrack albums to the music that is heard in a film while the opening credits are rolling. It does not refer to music playing from on-screen sources such as radios, as in the original opening credits sequence in Touch of Evil.A main title can consist of a tune... - "ChittyChittyThe Chitty are a distinctive group of Tamil people found mainly in Malacca and Singapore , who are also known as the Indian Peranakans. As of today, their population stands at 2,000.-Language:...
Speaks" +
^ - instrumental used for the film's "exit music"
+ - dialogue track only included on the Rykodisc release
^+ - first vocal performance from the film
^++ - second vocal performance from the film
Home video releases
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was released numerous times in the VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
format. In 1998, the movie saw its first DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release. 2003 brought a two-disc "Special Edition" release. On November 2, 2010, 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
released a two-disc Blu-ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
and DVD combination set featuring the extras from the 2003 release as well as new features. The 2010 release is the first release to have the film in it's original 2.20:1 Technirama
Technirama
Technirama is a screen process that was used by some film production houses as an alternative to CinemaScope. It was first used in 1957 but fell into disuse in the mid 1960s...
aspect ratio
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...
.
Novelization of film
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
of the film was published at the time of the film's release. It basically followed film's story but with some differences of tone and emphasis, e.g. it mentioned that Caractacus Potts had had difficulty coping after the death of his wife, and it made it clearer that the sequences including Baron Bomburst were extended fantasy sequences. It was written by John Burke
John Burke (author)
John Burke was an English writer of novels and short stories.He had written under the names J. F...
, but was not clearly credited to him.
Cultural Influence on Novelization
The plot change in Roald Dahl's version to include the imprisonment of children may refer to the Child Migrants Programme (see Home ChildrenHome children
Home Children is a common term used to refer to the child migration scheme founded by Annie MacPherson in 1869, under which more than 100,000 children were sent to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa from the United Kingdom....
) in which impoverished or homeless children were sent to British colonies experiencing labor shortages throughout the 20th century until the late 1960s - thus making the topic a relevant one for Dahl. While it may be the thought that this practice existed because Queen Elizabeth II or the Queen Mother "hated kids" (ala Baroness Bomburst in the movie), the Home Children
Home children
Home Children is a common term used to refer to the child migration scheme founded by Annie MacPherson in 1869, under which more than 100,000 children were sent to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa from the United Kingdom....
page gives a starting date for British child migration as early as 1618. For a somewhat different set of dates see the Child Migration Timeline.