Baron's Review Of The Movie States example essay topic

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - He hated it John J. Puccio is a teacher of English and Film Studies and a Classical Music Editor as well as a Review Editor for dvdtown. com (Puccio, John, par. 1). Some of his favorite films include Casablanca, The wizard of Oz, and Star Trek (Puccio, John, par. 2).

He describes Himself as bright, quiet, loyal, and dependable (Puccio, John, par. 1). Puccio recently wrote a review of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for dvdtown. com that would make you think twice about seeing the movie. He states, "The temptation here is to express my critical opinion of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by substituting a different letter of the alphabet for the first word" (Puccio, John, par. 1). He hated everything about the movie.

Puccio accused the movie of trying hard to be another Mary Poppins (Puccio, John, par. 1). He says the saddest thing about the film is how good it should " ve been (Puccio, Chitty, par. 2). In the review he points out that the movie had to be terrible because the cast included some of the finest actors of their time, and they couldn't even make the film work (Puccio, Chitty, par.

2). Puccio tries to sway our opinion of the movie by denigrating the acting abilities of Dick Van Dyke. He states that, in Mary Poppins, Van Dyke had a silly but amusing English accent, and in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang he was the only British character that did not (Puccio, Chitty, par. 3). He tries to give credit to his statement by pointing out that Michael Palin, of Monty Python, said that his children loved Mary Poppins because Van Dyke talked so funny (Puccio, Chitty, par. 3).

As if this wasn't enough, Puccio thought the film had a meandering, unfocused storyline with uninspired choreography and the "un funniest" gags imaginable. He thought the world renowned Sherman Brothers show tunes were some of the most forgettable he had ever heard, and he felt the movie was simply too long (Puccio, Chitty, par. 4). I do agree with Mr. Puccio on a couple of points. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was a very Mary Poppins like movie. Both were written in the early 1960's, and both are musical comedies about childhood fantasies that starred Dick Van Dyke.

But that is where my view of the movie and his view of the movie part. Mr. Puccio's review was the only review that I read that had a completely negative tone. There were a few who didn't like certain aspects of the movie like the length. The Baron's review of the movie states, "The only negative to the movie is its length, coming in at almost 2 and 1/2 hours" (The Baron, par 1). There were many, like myself, which loved all the things that Puccio hated about the movie. A review written by The Spinning Image states, "the cast is talented (Van Dyke is at his most likeable) " (Chitty, par.

3). The Baron states, "I personally prefer this movie over Mary Poppins by a wide margin" (par 1). He also felt that the songs are wonderful and the score is one of the best ever written (The Baron, par 1). I have always liked Van Dykes movies, and I am a personal fan of musicals. I think the music in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ranks right up there with the all time greats like The Sound of Music, The wizard of Oz, and Grease. People who purchased the movies recent DVD release loved it too.

One customer wrote in to review index. com to say, "If you happen to love slightly bonkers children's films, you should definitely watch this one again" (Customer Review #2, par 1). He went on to state the film was perfect family viewing, and that the songs were "completely hummable" (Customer Review #2, par 1). I couldn't have said it better myself. I catch myself humming along to Truly Scrumptious for days every time I watch the film. Customers from pc buy. com wrote that they were captivated with its story-within-a-story narrative, and its blending of reality with fantasy (Customer Review #2, par 1). This reminds me of The Wizard of Oz which was one of Puccio's favorites.

The movie starts out in reality and moves to fantasy after the tornado knocks Dorothy unconscious. Several customers made reference to the allure of the villain characters like the hook wielding child catcher and the child hating Baron and Baroness of Vulgaris (Customer Review #2, par 1). Other great children's movies have the same villain like characters. The Wicked Witch, from that same Puccio favorite, and the hook wielding child catcher have a lot in common.

They both have the same crooked nose, piercing eyes, and mutual dislike for children. They were alluring to children in that they left the child watching from behind a pillow yet glued to the TV to see what was next. To me, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang had all of the elements of great movies of the past combined into one. It is a wonderful musical based on reality and fantasy. It has the evil allure and the quirky characters. It is a love story with a happy ending.

The kids get the car, the guy gets the girl, and everyone lives happily ever after. The only positive statement Mr. Puccio made in his entire review was his closing statement. He writes, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a musical comedy that contains little noteworthy music and even less comedy. But that as it may, it is colorful and energetic, and if children can stay awake long enough they will undoubtedly find parts of it entertaining. Maybe I should " ve gotten a child to write the review" (Puccio, Chitty, par. 9).

I agree - Maybe he should " ve.

Bibliography

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Customer Review #2, Puccio, John J. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, -- -. John J. Puccio, web The Baron. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), November 26, 2002,.