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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

6.3

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Original title

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Year

1968

Running time

142 min.

Country

United Kingdom

Director

Ken Hughes

Screenwriter

Roald Dahl, Ken Hughes. Book: Ian Fleming

Cast

Music

Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman, Irwin Kostal

Cinematography

Christopher Challis

Producer

Warfield. Distributor: United Artists

Genre

Musical. Comedy. Fantasy. Kids. Adventure | Family Relationships. Family-friendly

Synopsis

In the early 20th century England, eccentric Caractacus Potts works as an inventor, a job which barely supports himself, his equally eccentric father, and his two adolescent children, Jeremy and Jemima. But they're all happy. When the children beg their father to buy for them their favorite plaything - a broken down jalopy of a car sitting at a local junk yard - Caractacus does whatever he can to make some money to buy it. One scheme to raise money involves the unexpected assistance of a pretty and wealthy young woman they have just met named Truly Scrumptious, the daughter of a candy factory owner. But Caractacus eventually comes into another one time only windfall of money, enough to buy the car. Using his inventing skills, Caractacus transforms the piece of junk into a beautiful working machine, which they name Chitty Chitty Bang Bang because of the noise the engine makes. At a seaside picnic with his children and Truly, Caractacus spins a fanciful tale of an eccentric inventor, his pretty girlfriend (who is the daughter of a candy factory owner), his two children, and a magical car named Chitty all in the faraway land of Vulgaria. The ruthless Baron Bomburst, the ruler of Vulgaria, will do whatever he can to get his hands on the magical car. But because of Baroness Bomburst's disdain for them, what are outlawed in Vulgaria are children, including the unsuspecting children of a foreign inventor of a magical car.

Rankings Position

#9 Best Live-Action Children's Movies

Awards: 1968: Nominated for Oscar: Best Song

1968: 2 Nominations Golden Globes: Best Original Score and Original Song

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Critics' reviews

"'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' contains about the best two-hour children's movie you could hope for, with a marvelous magical auto and lots of adventure (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"A fast, dense, friendly children's musical, with something of the joys of singing together on a team bus on the way to a game"

Renata Adler: The New York Times
"'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' was made in Britain for American consumption, but its magic works on kids and adults of any nationality."

TV Guide
"The film is too long at well over two hours, but the effects are impressive for the time"

Neil Jeffries: Empire
"Ken Adam's sets are inventive, but the special effects are shoddy, the songs instantly forgettable, and the leisurely length an exquisite torture

Tom Milne: Time Out

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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

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