A hapless inventor finally finds success with a flying car, which a dictator from a foreign government sets out to take for himself.
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CinemaSerf
7
By CinemaSerf
This was never my favourite musical as child, but as I get older I think I appreciate it more. Sure, it has it's cheesy moments, but there is genuine chemistry between the characters on display here and coupled with some superbly catchy - and often poignant - lyrics from the Sherman twins, we are presented with a really quite enjoyable fable. The Potts family live in a dilapidated farmhouse. Grandfather (Lionel Jeffries); the well meaning but hopeless inventor of a father "Caractacus" (Dick Van Dyke) and the two children "Jeremy" (Adrian Hall) and "Jemima" (Heather Ripley). Luckily, one day the youngsters are nearly run over by "Truly" (Sally Ann Howes) the daughter of the wealthy confectioner "Lord Scrumptious" (James Robertson Justice). She might just be able to help the father make a few quid from her father with his sweets that double up as pan pipes. Meantime, the family manage to rescue an old rust bucket from the local garage, and lo and behold, enter our eponymous vehicle. It can drive, it can become an aeroplane, an hovercraft - indeed it can do just about everything bar make the tea. It's a must-have prize for the megalomaniac child-hater "Baron Bomburst" (Gert Fröbe - who really does enter into the spirit of the story), so the family must fight tooth and nail to stop their car, and themselves, falling into his malevolent hands. Ian Fleming demonstrates great imagination with this and Van Dyke shows off his varied skills well and engagingly. Howes over-cooks her singing at times, but the almost 2½ hours this story takes really does fly by. The Oscar winning "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"; the delightful "Hushabye Mountain"; "Me Ol' Bamboo" and Jeffries' enjoyable rendition of "Posh!" as he is gradually drowned in his outhouse all add bundles to this colourful and joyous series of well photographed escapades. Maybe it is wasted on youngsters? It certainly was on me!
