Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (reloaded)

[remember]

I must have seen this 1968 film twice a year for every year of my childhood. It was always on at Christmas, but it could crop up any bank holiday (along with Mary Poppins and the Sound of Music).

It's songs are indelibly seared upon my brain, along with Dick Van Dyke giving his all as "Caractacus Potts" a crack pot inventor who invents the flying car, the whole family were charming along with the nutty Grandpa Potts.

Amazingly, (to my 6 year old brain) The car flew off to another land, "Vulgaria", where the Queen is trying to imprison all children, because she hates them (She obviously wasn't great on strategic thinking regarding the future of her country) and there was a very very scary child-catcher. A real hide-behind-the-sofa character.

The songs from the film really are trapped in my head, and even just hearing the show's title starts the "ai, o, chitty chitty bang bang" main song rattling round my brain.

Unsurprisingly, the film was written by some titans of storytelling, Roald Dahl write the script, which was based on an Ian Fleming story. It was produced by Albert "James Bond" Broccoli.

The good news for all those who have this film seared into their consciousness is that the writer Frank Cottrell Boyce has been asked to write a sequel! Mr Boyce who has written childens films like "Millions" and more serious drama like "Welcome to Sarajevo"

The writer, unlike myself, is old enough to have seen it in the cinema:

"I can remember everything. We took a Tupperware bucket full of pick'n'mix and cartons of Kia-Ora. Howls of anguish shook the building when the car drove off the edge of a cliff, followed by roars of frustration when the image froze mid-plummet and the word "Intermission" blazed across the screen."

He wants to create as strong a script for the new one. I'm looking forward to it already. Although I'll be happy if the songs aren't quite as catchy, the old ones are still driving me slowly insane.Subscribe in a reader


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[RetroAEROSMITH]

Re: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (reloaded)

I honestly think that if there is a sequal it will never re imagine the charm and innocence of the original.

Films from that era (when Britain was still Great) always had the britishness impounded on them even as far as using mostly british actors...it wouldnt happen now and it would all be CGI or 3D gimmicks.

Part of Chittys enjoyment through the years is that the warm nostalgic feeling it gives you everytime you watch it or a film like it. You remember all the easter eggs you munched on that bank holiday or the presents you were waiting to buy batteries for during the christmas shutdown...these days there is no feeling like that anymore and its sad.

Days when there were only 3 channels and you would look forward to special films, these days chitty is more likely to be on the same time as mary poppins on gold while the sound of music is half way through on itv2 or something while the BBc would now show a repeat of the weakest link.

It would be like a mary poppins sequal without julie andrews.

[shilton dipper]

Re: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (reloaded)

omg!.........i saw this film when it was being shown at the cinema when it was released........im feeling soooooooo oldddddddddd lol