This is one of the first films I remember seeing in the theater,
away back in 1968--I would've been five or six. The friends I went
with afterwards named their new poodle "Truly Scrumptious!" Well,
some 30+ years later and it has not lost any of its charm--a fun
movie "for the entire family", as it were. In retrospect, it is quite a
dark tale, which may be explained by Roald Dahl's name as one of
the scriptwriters. Robert Helpmann's wonderfully oily turn as the
Child Catcher is still creepy and Benny Hill is, well, Benny Hill!
Gert Frobe is silly and malevolent as the Ruler of Vulgaria, and his
number with Anna Quayle is a sadistic treat. Funny, I did notice
that when I was five...The songs by the unstoppable Sherman
Bros. and the kinetic energy of Dick Van Dyke make this a real
treat. SADLY, the DVD has only been released in a PAN & SCAN
format, utterly destroying some of the nicest widescreen
compositions ever. If you can find it, grab the MGM/UA Laserdisc!!
away back in 1968--I would've been five or six. The friends I went
with afterwards named their new poodle "Truly Scrumptious!" Well,
some 30+ years later and it has not lost any of its charm--a fun
movie "for the entire family", as it were. In retrospect, it is quite a
dark tale, which may be explained by Roald Dahl's name as one of
the scriptwriters. Robert Helpmann's wonderfully oily turn as the
Child Catcher is still creepy and Benny Hill is, well, Benny Hill!
Gert Frobe is silly and malevolent as the Ruler of Vulgaria, and his
number with Anna Quayle is a sadistic treat. Funny, I did notice
that when I was five...The songs by the unstoppable Sherman
Bros. and the kinetic energy of Dick Van Dyke make this a real
treat. SADLY, the DVD has only been released in a PAN & SCAN
format, utterly destroying some of the nicest widescreen
compositions ever. If you can find it, grab the MGM/UA Laserdisc!!