Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie Finally in Widescreen!!!
Review: Theyve finally rleased this film in widescreen as they should have done years ago. And for the record this is NOT a DISNEY movie! It was made and released by UNITED ARTISTS. Don't you guys read the credits?

Rating:
Summary: Bang Bang at Last
Review: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on DVD is now in WIDESCREEN and at last we get a bang for our buck. "Why issue a classic widescreen epic on DVD if you are not going to present it in its original aspect ratio?" That was my original question along with many many more fans as this Ian Fleming tale. Count Zborowski is no longer as disapointed about this DVD as he must have been when he lost the original Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang in 1922. This is an outstanding DVD presentation with pleny of extras for the young and old alike.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, just as I remembered
Review: If you're just looking for a really neat movie to share with your kids, maybe one that you saw as a kid, then this is it. I saw this in the theater as a child and never forgot it. Just to see that car fly is something to a kid, especially when it lands on the water. When the king of Bulgaria (?) wants to steal it, all the mayhem breaks out and it's just plain funny. If you've ever wondered if Dick van Dyke is really a noodle, then this movie should settle that question once and for all. Yes he is! That bit where he dances like a doll is nothing short of amazing. Of course, Sally Ann Howes has a gorgeous singing voice and it's just worth it to hear her sing. The imagination that this movie has is just remarkable, especially with the child snatcher and the doll scene. And, how van Dyke goes about getting his children back. Of course, the car saves the day and he gets the girl in the end. Don't let the beginning surprise you, however. If you're buying this for young children, you'll need to spend the time explaining what's going on in the beginning. It's the car's story - how it was a wonderful race car until it was wrecked and caught fire during a race, trying to avoid hitting a child. It's a very good movie, one for a family movie night and one that your children will always remember.

Rating:
Summary: A bit better than a Mary Poppins wanna-be; cynics stay away!
Review: This film followed the recipe of the highly successful Mary Poppins, including the same songwriters (the Shermans) and the same cast (Dick Van Dyke). Although it's a fun film, it does not really measure up to its prototype.

The film has Disney-fied the charmingly eccentric family of Caractacus Potts, a wacky inventor who lives in a dilapidated windmill. In the book (believe it or not, by Ian Fleming, the writer of the James Bond books), Caractacus is truly and humorously eccentric, but Dick Van Dyke as Potts plays the part pretty much as as a Wonderbread romantic lead: all Caractacus' odd behaviors are pretty much erased, and with it a lot of the fun of the book. In 1968 I wanted to be his love interest, Miss Truly Scrumptious, an heiress with both a spunky attitude and lovely clothes, but in 2004 I wish she's been given more to do.

Finally, there is such a thing as a song being TOO singable - the title song - the heroine's song "Truly Scrumptious" - are so melodic they are unforgettable, although you are likely to wish you could get them out of your head.

I remember really liking this one when I was a kid, although it does not hold up as well as Mary Poppins herself. Nevertheless, watching it with small children was an entertaining evening at home.


Rating:
Summary: The Grandkids (3 & 5) seemed to like it a lot
Review: I bought the "cheap" DVD, because little kids don't care about wide-screen or interviews or extras. They like color, action, interesting characters, and lively songs. The next day, the girl (5) asked me to play specific scenes: the song "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and the "dancing dolls" routine. She even liked the name "Truly Scrumptious". The only problem with small children is "Why ..." and "How ..." every few minutes. I wasn't sure at first if the adventures in Vulgaria were part of the fantasy story or "real", so I just kept saying, "It's magic". Later, we pretended my Outback could float and fly.

As for me? I'm a big fan of Dick Van Dyke, so I kind of enjoyed it -- and having never watched films on DVD until recently, I guess I liked the color, action, interesting characters, and lively songs. How about that?

Rating:
Summary: I highly recomend it!
Review: I love this movie! It is great!. the colors are very vivid and has great music! good sound!

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Icarian Musical
Review: Heralded as a family favorite upon its release, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" delivers the appropriate subliminal musical tone that draws and cements the images of Icarus into the minds of children. This film could very well prevent Guajardian visions in the budding minds of children, who will no doubt grow up with shocking and pessimistic myths and legends in various comparative literature classes.

This film takes the myth of the flight of Icarus, but demolishes the bummer quotient. Dick Van Dyke, in control of the industrial age wings-of-wax, instead rides toward the sun without fear of CCBB's tires melting; and even if they do, the joke is on the sun, because you don't need wheels to fly! And when the family floating in the car sings about how much they love their artisan miracle, the flawed Icarus tale finally has the merry ending that the masses have, for centuries, cried out for!

Rating:
Summary: Great, In Spite Of The Title Song!
Review: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a real challenge. The problem with the film lies in the title song, which is probably the least inspired musical effort in the Canon of Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman. Just saying "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is a mouthful, but having to hear it performed SEVEN times during this film is taxing.

But once you get over the redundancy of that, you'll find a fine story performed by a wonderful cast. Dick Van Dyke turns in his typically wonderous work as the Crack Pot inventor Caractacus Potts, and Sally Ann Howes as Ian Fleming's Bond Girl named "Truly Scrumptious," his rival, then love interest.

But for kids it's all about the car that can fly in the air and sail on the sea. For a film made in the late 1960s, the special effects are remarkable, and the film is shot beautifully.

This DVD package is especially good because you get a bonus disc with some very interesting featurettes, including a press conference style interview with Van Dyke who had just started filming on location in Great Britain and other bits including a documentary piece on all of the Potts "inventions" for the film and an interview with the guy who is the caretaker of the film's famous vehicle.

Overall, the movie may not be quite as good as "Mary Poppins," but it's right there with "Willy Wonka!"

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A GREAT MOVIE!
Review: I LOVE THIS MOVIE!THE DVD IS ALSO MUCH BETTER THAN THE VHS,BECAUSE IT IS IN BETTER COLOR,AND YOU CAN CHOOSE WHICH LAUNGAGE YOU WANT IT TO BE!THIS IS SUCH A GREAT FILM!

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie Finally in Widescreen!!!
Review: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on DVD is now in WIDESCREEN and at last we get a bang for our buck. "Why issue a classic widescreen epic on DVD if you are not going to present it in its original aspect ratio?" That was my original question along with many many more fans as this Ian Fleming tale. Count Zborowski is no longer as disapointed about this DVD as he must have been when he lost the original Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang in 1922. This is an outstanding DVD presentation with pleny of extras for the young and old alike.