October 26, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • Page 17 Pay a visit to the Land of Chocolate Rivers tor, a new featurette on Roald Dahl, and the 144-page book, “Pure Imagination,” a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look at the movie with rare photographs. Director Mel Stuart reveals information about every stage in the making of the film, including the key script elements, how and why he chose shooting locations, how he made the chocolate river, and why the Oompa-Loompas have orange hair. Other extras include 14 pieces of Wonka Production correspondence and retro tin with scratch-n-sniff pencils and scented eraser. “A Little Help” (Image Entertainment) is a comedy about wanting something out of life and getting more than was asked for. Laura (Jenna Fischer of TV’s “The Office”) wants nothing more than to run her own life. However, it only seems to run her into the ground. This Long Island dental hygienist relies on guilty pleasures -- cigarettes and beer -- to help her cope with an unruly lifestyle. Dealing with Bob, her unfaithful husband (Chris O’Donnell), an overbearing family, and a brother-in-law (Rob Bene- Gene Wilder stars as the title character in 1971’s ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.’ by Dennis Seuling “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition” (Warner Home Video) is perfect for holiday gift-giving. For many people, this 1971 movie, based on the Roald Dahl novel (and scripted by Dahl), is the film of their childhood. It far outshines the Tim Burton “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” made 34 years later. In the 1971 version, Gene Wilder stars as the title character, who gives a tour of his mystery-shrouded candy factory to a group of kids who have found golden tickets in their Wonka Bars. The upbeat score by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse includes “Candy Man,” “The Oompa-Loompa Song” (reprised frequently), and “Pure Imagination.” The structure of the movie is similar to “The Wizard of Oz.” A young child embarks on a magical journey filled with adventure, songs, fantasy, and danger, and learns valuable lessons along the way. These lessons are evoked subtly as one wonder after another unfolds to young Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum). The film is divided into two distinct sections. The first shows Charlie living in a one-room shack with his parents and both sets of grandparents. The four grandparents occupy the same bed, which they haven’t gotten out of in years. The second half is the actual tour of the candy factory, complete with its panoply of mouth-watering wonders. Bluray is particularly striking here, as it gives the Technicolor photography spectacularly rich hues and sharp images. The elaborate box set contains both Bluray and DVD formats and over an hour of extras, including “Mel Stuart’s Wonkavision,” a brand new interview with the direc- dict) who has loved her since high school, Laura could use a little help. When Bob suddenly dies and her 12-year-old son tells an outrageous lie at school to impress his classmates, Laura’s life seems to twist out of her grasp in a crazy, downward spiral. Brooke Shields and Lesley Ann Warren try to out-shrew each other as Laura’s sister and mother, respectively. Fischer is a likable actress, but she is hampered by a script that keeps her passive in the face of all that happens to her. Extras on both Blu-ray and DVD editions of the movie include actor interviews and a music video. “The Robber” (Kino Lorber) is a thriller based on the real-life story of one of Austria’s most-wanted bank robbers. Johann Rettenberger leads a double life as a championship runner and a serial bank robber, committing heists and eluding police cars as often as three times a day. As portrayed by Andreas Lust (“Munich”), Rettenberger is an obsessive loner more concerned with his lap times than with other human beings. (continued on Crossword page)