Like the rest of the civilized universe, I was saddened to hear of Gene Wilder's death yesterday. Despite the fact that he hadn't appeared in a major motion picture for some 25 years, he left an enduring mark on the cinematic landscape. You don't really need me to tell you this, you just need to look at the titles associated with him: Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, The Producers, and, of course, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
You'll note that it's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, not Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl's original title. Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka is one of the indelible works of adaptation in cinema, period, and more or less the only reason the film has endured. It's a strikingly different version of the character than the one who appears in the books—Johnny Depp's gets closer to Dahl's original vision in the remake, albeit with an odd and unnecessary backstory—one that betrays a hint of hazard and weariness at the foolishness that surrounds him.
Wilder truly made the part his own. Here, for instance, was his biggest demand before taking on the role:
As reported by Letters of Note, Wilder told Stuart:
"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 asked why he wanted to do this, Wilder simply said, "Because from that time on, no one will know if I’m lying or telling the truth."
That inability to be sure of what's a lie and what's the truth is what gives Wonka the endearing menace that has made him such an enduring part of the pop culture landscape. Without it, the scene in which Wonka excoriates Charlie—and forces Charlie to choose between doing what's right and helping the evil Slugworth steal Willy's secrets—simply doesn't work:
That whole scene is a tour de force, but the subtler moments have probably had a larger impact on me, personally. For instance, this almost perfectly encapsulates how I feel basically all the time now while watching the news:
That withering sarcasm—along with the lack of energy or urgency that comes with watching people screw up in predictable ways over and over again, refusing to listen to anyone who might know better—really strikes a chord these days for some reason. RIP, Gene Wilder. Thank you for the good deeds in a weary world.