Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, albeit uneven.
Review: Fantasy movies are always a tricky sell to audiences- especially modern-day cynics, and that will probably never cease. But there are some green-lights to be mentioned in CCBB. I never read the book (which I imagine literary purists will hang me for), but what I found in the film was satisfying nevertheless. (I really only thought it to be too long when I was eight years old and when you're eight, fifteen minutes is too long.) On the other hand I was captivated with its story-within-a-story narrative- the blending of reality with fantasy. Some people here have complained about that blur, but that only enhances the fantasy of the film. The fantasy/reality blur reaches a pinnacle in the Act 1 finale with the Sally Ann Howes love song "Lonely Man." (Is this part of the regular movie or the beach picnic story? Hmmm.) Other musical plusses are "Old Bamboo," "Toot Sweets," "Music Box," "The Posh Life," and a sparkling gem: Dick Van Dyke's simple bedtime song "Hushabye Mountain." My only true complaint? The excessive, icky sweeteness of the two kids.
Rating: 
Summary: WHERE IS THE WIDESCREEN?!?!
Review: Why do the movie folks waste our time with these editions that are NOT of the same quality as the originals in the theatres? The vision for these movies is only captured fully in WIDESCREEN. Please, quit releasing old classics unless you offer it in widescreen.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing DVD fake
Review: Why are studios making DVDs like this one in regular 4:3 format when there is the alternative for a wide screen like in the case of this beautiful but mutilated movie? Why is not the market refusing to sell this kind of [stuff] to discourage the production of this consumer misleading fake? If I wanted an antique I would buy a videotape instead a DVD. After all, we are already in the 21st century, aren't we?
Rating:
Summary: EMBARRASING
Review: Watching this incredibly corny movie, I really feel embarrased for the poor CAR !....It's this movie's only redeeming feature. In my opinion, a great movie to watch with the sound turned off. But still, it's harmless enough and I guess there have been worse movies made.
Rating:
Summary: HELLLLOOOO: DVD = Widescreen, VHS Tape = Standard
Review: Why do some of these studios keep releasing movies on DVD that they have chopped up? If some demented editor thinks a Standard version is necessary for TV viewing, then offer BOTH Widescreen AND Standard on the DVD (some do)...I want to see and hear the movie as it was shown in the theater - not chopped up for the few viewers who are going to watch their movie on a 13" portable. Do the movie producers hate non-theater consumers so much that they refuse to create DVDs with BOTH Widescreen AND decent sound? Some of their products say, "YES, we do".
Rating: 
Summary: A genuinely Great Family Film
Review: "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" came out in 1968, and I can remember seeing it on t.v. when I was growing up in the 70's. It was on par with "The Wizard of Oz" as it was shown once or twice a year on television, and they are both perfect films for the entire family to watch together. You can't say that about many movies that come out these days.
Dick Van Dyke plays Caracatus Potts, a oddball inventor, who lives in England with his two blond children, Jemima and Jeremy.
He is raising them on his own, and when the children almost get run over by "Truly Scrumptious", played by Sally Ann Howes, he meets the woman who just may help him out in bringing the children up. The four of them embark on great adventure and song! There are a few creepy moments. I especially was always freaked out by the childnapper. Other than that, it is a pure joy to view this over and over.
There are a lot of songs in this movie such as the title song, "Truly Scrumptious", "Toot Sweets", "POSH", and "Hushabye Mountain". I really like all the music here as it all has it's place in this truly remarkable piece of family entertainment.You can even watch it in "sing a long" mode and sing along with the cast. I can only hope in a few years, in the days of "Harry Potter" and "Spy Kids", that he will still appreciate this classic endearing piece of cinema.
There aren't any extras aside from the theatrical trailer, but I love this movie so much that didn't bother me. One should purchase for the great movie that it is.
I am highly recommending you pick this movie up for your family's dvd collection!!
Rating:
Summary: Great Fun!
Review: I remember this movie from when I was still a child. It has some scary and sad moments, if you have a phobia of water or darkness that could be a problem at times. But overall it is just a fun story about an inventor and his family exploring other worlds so they can better appreciate their own. Yup, it has a message but the message is mixed with music and fantasy. Not as good as Mary Poppins or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory however.
Rating:
Summary: A lousy DVD - I want more
Review: First I have to say: I love this movie. That's why I would not touch this DVD with a ten foot pole. A trailer and a nice booklet is the best they can do? I don't think so. But what's worse: the movie is presented fullscreen, when in fact it should be the widest widescreen you've ever seen! I'm really glad I didn't throw away my good old faithful laserdisc collection. Otherwise Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a treat for the whole family. Dick Van Dyke is wonderful as always. Produced by Cubby Broccoli after a novel by Ian Fleming the movie features Desmond Llewelyn (James Bonds "Q") in a small role as a mechanic. Also look for Benny Hill and Lionel Jeffries. German Baddie Gert Fröbe (aka "Goldfinger") gives a wonderful over-the-top performance as evil Baron Bomburst. And the Child Catcher scared the living daylights out of me, when I saw the movie as a child. Dear MGM-Lion, what were you thinking when you put this great movie on such a lousy DVD? Please give it to the fans in the correct widescreen format and with a few extra treats. The movie deserves this - and I think we deserve it too.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie-poorly made DVD!!
Review: I agree with the dozens of other viewers who have reviewed "CCBB" on DVD and commented on the "Pan and Scan" cropped TV format. Many people have gone out and spent much hard earned money on new large TV's even "Widescreen TV's" to share films like this with their families, especially their children. It seems many viewers and reviewers no less, are upset that this film had not been released in the SuperPanavision it was made in with a picture aspect ratio of at least 2:25:1. My two cents is, why can't we have "BOTH" widescreen and fullscreen formats on the same disc. It isn't expensive, I have several Warner Brothers and Columbia Tri-Star pictures with both formats on the same DVD. If they can do it and still sell the DVD for a modest price why can't MGM???? Actually, MGM has done this at least once for another title. So MGM get to work and give us both formats of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" on one DVD and give those people over at Twentieth Century Fox (Who released "The Sound of Music" in both formats on "two different" disks!!!) a run for their money and really show your quality and you will see deep appreciation from your customer base who really love MGM! Please NOTE!! This is a review of the DVD, you have it posted, incorrectly, under the VHS tape edition. thanks, cal
Rating:
Summary: Stop in the name of Glucose!
Review: The movie is so sugary sweet that one really needs a shower and an insulin shot. The Sherman Brothers are almost as shameful as Andrew Lloyd Weber when they play that incredibly annoying title song over and over and over again. As if we didn't hear it the first seven times. It is one of the annoying tunes you can't get out of your head. Please make them stop. I'm a musical lover. I saw the movie when I was 12 and thought it was pure nonsense. I remember everyone in school called it Pretty Sh-tty Bang Bang. So thirty years later is my reaction the same? Yea! It's way too long and much ado about nothing. It takes 14 minutes for the opening credits to give us the back history of the car which really has no bearing on the story whatsoever. Hadn't the producer or director heard of editing?? This is what killed the film musical. Dick Van Dyke is a ne'er do well inventor with two kids. Sally Anne Howes almost runs the kids over and come to talk to Dick Van Dyke. Van Dyke rescues a car his kids love that is scheduled for the junk heap. He rebuilds it and they all go for a ride in it. Van Dyke tells a fantasy story about Nasty Bulgarians wanting the car he has reconditioned. The fantasy story lasts two hours. Boy did they take a wrong turn. The fantasy story is not as interesting as the original story of the romance between Sally ann Howes and Dick Van Dyke and this fantasy story takes up about two hours of the three hour movie. About one hour and 45 minutes of the fantasy needed to be cut. But I guess they thought it was cute. I'm sure they also thought the title song was cute. I'm sure they thought those cute kids could sing. Sally Ann Howes has a perfectly annoying name--Truly Scrumptious. And those kids who can't sing (didn't anyone notice this?) croon the "Truly Scrumptious" song to her. It made this twelve year old roll his eyes. The adult me had the same reaction. Please make those kids stop singing that awful song. It's enought to make one stop loving musicals. Okay Dick Van Dyke is likeable enough but not as effective as in Mary Poppins. He shines with the song "The Old Bamboo" ( the best number) and his caring for the kids. Alas, he's railroaded by the insipid story and material. Someone also told him not to use an English accent although his kids and father have one. Sally Ann Howes is charming enough and perfectly cast in a part that Julie Andrews (the wise) probably turned down. She is railroaded by the material especially that awful ballad "Lonely Man" sung in an operatic style that can not be appreciated by Musical theatre buffs, opera buffs nor kids. Please make her stop singing it . Please make her stop twirling her skirt and running through the countryside. It isn't cute. I chuckled out loud at Lionel Jeffries' travelling song "Posh" which he sings suspended in his cabin from a zeppelin while kidnapped. An absolute highlight. There is also some over the top annoying buffonery from Gert Frobe, Anna Quayle, Benny Hill and the two kidnap men. The magical Dee dee Wood and Mark Breaux who wonderfully choreographed Mary Poppins and Sound of Music ( and recreated Michael Kidds Lil Abner) are apparently at a loss here as there work is almost entirely hack. The Sherman Brothers really needed to rewrite songs instead of the awful mish mash they have assembled here.
A spoonful of rewrites could have made the score go down!
Put that in your candy bar! There is too much bad candy here and not enough substance. It isn't truly scrumpttious. It isn't Toots Sweet. It isn't cute. Run for your insulin.
| 
