This night is winding down, but time means nothing

guernica322:

Wilder was initially hesitant, but finally accepted the role under one condition:

When I make my first entrance, I’d like to come out of the door carrying a cane and then walk toward the crowd with a limp. After the crowd sees Willy Wonka is a cripple, they all whisper to themselves and then become deathly quiet. As I walk toward them, my cane sinks into one of the cobblestones I’m walking on and stands straight up, by itself… but I keep on walking, until I realize that I no longer have my cane. I start to fall forward, and just before I hit the ground, I do a beautiful forward somersault and bounce back up, to great applause.

When Stuart asked why, Wilder replied, “because from that time on, no one will know if I’m lying or telling the truth.”

And this is why Gene Wilder is instantly the best, most perfect Willy Wonka you could ever hope to see.

Anyone who thinks Johnny Depp was better is either lying, has never seen the original movie, or has no eyes/ears/soul.

Or is just a myopic fanperson.

Seriously, though, I am a total Johnny Depp fangirl, and even I can see that Gene Wilder was the superior Wonka.  I mean, sure, Johnny Depp kind of had the not-quite-sure-this-guy-isn’t-going-to-kill-us-at-any-second vibe that Book-Wonka had, but Gene Wilder had a better handle on the character as a whole.  And let’s face it, you just like him better.  His eccentricity is as endearing as it is unnerving; with Johnny Depp you just feel uncomfortable and want to lean away from him whenever he talks.