Zach Wilson--Outside Reading 1

One of my favorite books is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.  I grew up reading Dahl, and loved this book the most.  It was probably due to my gratuitous candy intake as a kid.  But I digress.  It is also twice a film.  There is the timeless classic version, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, featuring Gene Wilder as the title role.  There is also the more modern adaptation, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka.  The two films portray the same base story very differently, using film techniques.
Tim Burton, the director of the modern version, used his unique style to portray Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in a bit more of a creepy, morbid fashion.  I initially hated Burton's version, but after thinking about the purpose of the book, it began to make more sense.  The story was based upon Dahl's childhood experiences with the Cadbury chocolate company which sent children chocolate samples to try.  Children were placed in the crossfire between Cadbury and their rival competitor, Roundtree's.  The Burton version more effectively captures the way that corporations and capitalists often market towards children in fashions that are not healthy.  Burton more effectively preaches the moral of the story, which is moderation.  The classic version does not have the creepy edge of Burton's, and is more family friendly.  All in all, the classic version portrays the book without exaggerating the critique of capitalism, as where Burton's does accentuate that critique.