Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) User Reviews (234)

Now available as "special edition" DVD ... go get it.

[alembic · 7/10 · 5 June 2004]

Well it's been 2 years since I last posted a review for this movie... I have just purchased the "Special Edition" version mainly because at last there is a wide-screen DVD version now available! This was one movie that suffered very greatly from a standard T.V format transfer ..... Now in wide-screen,it is possible to see the cinematography as it was intended to be viewed from the original Super Panavision format,even though there is still some "enhanced" format alteration to bring it into line with 16:9 ratio and luckily it was shot in Technicolor,which was easily the best analogue colour system around. Perspectives can now be seen as intended and the beautiful sets and the dance routines look vastly better... you can actually see all the dancers ! Take for instance one scene in Caractacus Potts windmill laboratory,where he shows Truly Scrumptious one of his inventions with which he intends to transmit "pictures and sound".....in the standard format half of the shot is missing so the machine cannot be fully seen and it makes no sense.. however in wide-screen you can see the "picture" and also the whole machine; so now you can enjoy one of Emmet Rolands fantasy machine creations in full. All through the movie the scenery and sets are set up framed with objects in the foreground and back ground which lend to perspective and depth of the image. The sound track seems also to have been worked on .. in previous releases the children's voices seemed to "squeak" but now they sound much more natural. You can see how much we have been missing with previous releases and it is a lot. The Special Edition also has some featurettes on the making of the movie and other related information plus a lovely booklet as well.

As to the movie itself .... it has never lost it's magic for me. I see reviews which pan the musical numbers or say it's too long or that

after seeing it as an adult they were disappointed from what they remember as a child ... but is that not the point ? It is a movie for children and/or those adults who can still view it remembering the child in themselves. It has no coarse language , no mindless violence (except the pantomime variety).. no cynicism ...just fun. In short it is a type of movie that Hollywood can no longer make because they no longer know how ... so it should be treasured more for it. People criticize Dick Van Dykes "American" accent but I find it not intrusive at all ... in fact he would probably have been better off using his normal voice in "Mary Poppins" than attempting the cockney accent which he obviously had some difficulty with.

Kids love this movie .. let them be the judges.

Thank-you Cubby Broccoli ..we miss you. Thank-you Ian Fleming / Roald Dahl / Richard Maibaum and Ken Hughes. Thank-you Ken Adam ... a genius in design for Chitty.

50 years later and my kids love it

[TheMunkeyBoy · 8/10 · 22 June 2018]

It's fifty years-old this year and it still hit the mark. I watched this with my eldest son when he was about 6 and he loved it. But, I just forgot about it as time went by. He's 14 now. I put it on last night for my other two kids, who are 10 & 5, well they loved it. Watched it again the very next day. My teenage son even sat in and watched it too. They sing the theme song now while driving. The only bad point to me is that it's a very long movie and it can seem a little slow at times. Probably not a bad thing to a kid though, mine never complained. They asked questions about "the olden days" as it's onviously set even many years before it was made. I loved the questions and the insight into a different time of story telling. He movie was at least 25 years old when I saw it and it seemed old to me then. But I loved it. Great movie. Don't be turned off thinking kids won't like it compared to modern kid and family movies. It's dated but that's not a bad thing.

Really - How Can You Not Like This?

[sddavis63 · 8/10 · 26 February 2002]

A delightful fantasy for the whole family to watch. There really is something for everyone here. A cartoonish story with "comic book characters" like the "Child Catcher" (Robert Helpmann) and "Baron Bomburst" (Gert Frobe) that the kids will love, and some marvelous song and dance routines from Sally Ann Howe as "Truly Scrumptious" and Dick Van Dyke as the inventor "Caractacus Potts" that the grown ups will marvel at. I never realized until I watched this movie as an adult what a marvelously talented man Van Dyke is, but his dance scenes are absolutely amazing (particularly "The Old Bamboo" performance at the carnival.)

The story is imaginative. A flying car whisks Truly and Caractacus, along with the two Potts children Jeremy and Jemima (Adrian Hall and Heather Ripley respectively) off to the fictional kingdom of "Vulgaria" (where children are forbidden) to rescue eccentric Grandpa Potts (played absolutely perfectly by Lionel Jeffries), who has been kidnapped by Bomburst in the mistaken belief that he's the inventor of the car. This was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and you have to think like a child to watch it and appreciate it as an adult. Until today I had never actually seen the movie unedited, and I found it just a delight.

It's true that there are weaknesses. Although Dick Van Dyke put on a marvellous performance, he ironically seems totally out of place with his American accent. I truly can't figure out how Caractacus' father can have a British accent, and Caractacus' children can have British accents, but Caractacus himself has an American accent? It's something you wouldn't notice as a kid, but as an adult I found it somewhat distracting. Also, Hall and Ripley didn't blow me away (I know - give them a break; they were just kids. Still, I've seen better performances from children that age.)

But why nitpick. Suspend disbelief, think like a kid, sit back and enjoy the ride.

8/10.

James Bond goes to Romper Room

[imddaveh · 22 June 2001]

I'm one of many thirty-somethings that grew up on this movie and later suffered nightmares featuring the Child Catcher. To this day, I still feel an uneasy chill when I hear the words "kiddie-winkies". Bit I still love this film on several levels. I loved it as a child because it's great cinema for children. I love it as a film student because it's a well-crafted, timeless fairytale. And I love it as an adult because it full of suggestive double meanings, much like the Warner Bros cartoons of the 1940s - the type of things that shoot straight over kids' heads and make adults snicker knowingly. With a screenplay penned by Ian Fleming, this should come as no surprise.

Dick Van Dyke is Caractacus Potts, a wacky inventor who inexplicably lives in England with his two inexplicably English children. Caractacus Potts...wacky inventor,,,get it? Hoo hah! Potts and his two children (whose pictures may be seen in the dictionary next to the word "moppet") live with the senior Mr. Potts in a windmill/labratory. Caractacus rescues a junked motorcar from rusting in a field and restores it to new - meet Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, named for the sounds the car makes. Soon thereafter in one of those Pipi Longstocking-esque child-arranged dates, Potts and his two children go on a picnic with local richgirl Truly Scrumptious - possibly the best Bond Girl name since Pussy Galore. As the day winds down, Potts tells the children a story, in which the foursome embark on a great adventure in the resplendent Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which Potts as rigged to fly, float, drive itself, and perform other turn-of-the-century Batmobile-like functions.

Our heroes end up in a far away kingdom ruled over by the Baron and Baroness Bomburst (Gert Frobe and Anna Quayle), a terribly sad place where children have been outlawed, rounded up, and kept in a dungeon. The gang and Chitty invade the kingdom to rescue Potts' father, who has mistakenly been identified as the inventor of the flying car and kidnapped. There, they befriend a toymaker (played by Benny Hill in one of his stock characters from his TV show) who hides the children while they attempt to spring grandpa Potts. Enter the Child Catcher, who lures the children with free lollipops and takes them away to the dungeon. Potts and the toymaker (who now only makes toys for the child-like king) hatch a plan to infiltrate the castle, rescue the elder Potts and the twin moppets, and free all the other children as well.

I have two favorite scenes in this film. One is the musical number in the castle, where Truly and Potts are disguised as huge toys for the Baron's birthday. Truly is a wind-up doll on a music box, and Potts is a marionette who does a dance number that not only convinces you that he really is on strings, but that Dick Van Dyke is one of the most talented performers ever to be caught on film. My other favorite scene, I admit with guilt, is the one where the Baron and Baroness are readying themselves for bedtime, and prancing around the room in nightclothes calling each other by ultra-gooey-cute pet names. However, whenever the Baroness isn't looking, Baron Goldfinger takes a swing at her with an axe. It's the most entertainingly erotic scene in a kiddie flick since Natalie Wood was covered in cream pies while wearing only frilly turn-of-the-century underwear in "The Great Race".

This film is a rare treat. It's a film that appeals to kids and keeps adults interested at the same time. Let your kids watch it, watch it with them, or just watch it yourself when you're in the mood for some pure, escapist fun.

And try not to think about the Child Catcher when you go to bed afterward.

Stunning and amusing tale about a flying car and the family owner with a sympathetic Dick Van Dyke

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 7 January 2012]

This exciting children musical displays derring-do adventure, romance , thrills and spectacular frames with phenomenal production design . Imagination and fantasy with primitive but effective special effects galore including a mesmerizing photography with wonderful , marvelous landscapes . The flick gets lots of bombastic effects including flying machines , globes , romantic castles and numerous images have you on the edge of your seat . This is the most Fantasmagorical musical entertainment in the history of everything . In the early 20th century England, a weird inventor named Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke who steals the show as likable dancer and splendid player) works in his rare artifacts , he lives along with his equally rare father (Lionel Jeffries) , and his two little boys named Jeremy (Adrian) and Jemima (Heather). When the kiddies beg their daddy to buy for them thhe wished plaything , a broken car sitting at a local junkyard , a garage whose owner is George Coggings (Desmond Llewelyn) . Then eccentric Caractacus does whatever he can to make some money to buy it. One plan to raise money involves the unexpected help of a beautiful girl they have just met named Truly Scrumptious (a pretty young woman well performed by Sally Anne Howes), the daughter of a candy factory wealthy owner (James Robertson Justice) . Using his magic skills, inventive Caractacus turns the piece of junk into a marvelous working machine , an amazing flying car that also navigates which they name Chitty Chitty Bang Bang because of the noise the engine sounds . At a seaside picnic with his children and Truly , Caractacus and Co. spins a fanciful tale of an eccentric inventor, his gorgeous new friend , his two children, and his favorite car named Chitty all in the faraway country of Vulgaria. The nasty Baron Bomburst, the king of Vulgaria, will do whatever he can to get his hands on the magical car. Then the villain Baron Bomburst (Gert Frobe) married to Baroness Bomburst (Anna Quayle) robs the car of ours friends . The baron has made kiddies illegal, being pursued by the sinister child catcher (Robert Helpmann) including the unsuspecting children of a stranger inventor of a fabulous car . Later on ,Caractacus helped by a toymaker (Benny Hill) have to attempt and save the kiddies of Vulgaria.

This children motion picture mingles musical numbers , flat jokes , noisy action , flying car pursuits , humor with tongue-in-cheek, rip roaring and lots of amusement . This is an entertaining film loosely based on book by Ian Fleming and well adapted by Roal Dahl , it packs fantasy , musical numbers which both pastiche and subvert adventure and speculative fiction of the period ¨Belle Epoque . The picture incorporates contemporary action film as well as much use of adventure to portray its fanciful elements , furthermore visual effects within the form of the older-style films they have largely superseded . Riveting for its casting , but overall , roller-coaster spectacle . Most of the charm and wit remains from original story in this particular version . It results to be an amusing of somewhat aloof , storytelling of children classic with a magnificent star cast at its best . Stimulating adventures of ours protagonists are complemented by a breathtaking final attraction in the castle scenes . The film is a Dick Van Dyke recital , he sings , dances, stooges, makes acrobatics, tongue twister and pulls faces and grimaces . It's a farce with the master comic pretty amusing and with several choreography and musical numbers . Ideal main cast is completed by phenomenal secondary actors as Lionel Jeffries , James Robertson Justice , Benny Hill and Desmond Llewelin , among others. Atmospheric , lively score by Irwin Kostal , fitting splendidly to adventure and musical numbers , including the classic leitmotif . Colorful and glamorous cinematography by Christopher Challis in Super Panavision 7o with the fantastic château scenes filmed in Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau, Schwangau, Bavaria, Germany . The picture is lavishly produced by Albert R Broccoli ,James Bond's producer, and brilliantly directed by Ken Hughes . He's a good writer, producer and director, who achieved big time when made ¨Cromwell¨, ¨Trials of Oscar Wilde¨ , ¨Casino Royale¨ and of course with ¨Chitty , Chitty Bang Bang¨.

This is a highly amusing and frequently funny action-adventure romp with a witty script specifically aimed at a kiddies' audience , though excessive songs leave adult spectators a bit seasick . Picture is a vehicle Van Dyke , he's an authentic comic and real Farceur. If you like Dyke's crazy interpretation , you will most definitely enjoy this one . Well worth watching for passable special effects and an enjoyable performances from main cast as the children will like it.

Difficult to dislike

[grantss · 6/10 · 28 September 2015]

Charming, but incredibly unfocused. Starts very sweetly and promisingly. However, from a point it takes one bizarre random turn after another. Still very sweet and innocent, but devoid of a plot (surprising, considering the screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, based on an Ian Fleming book). The random scenes needn't have been so irritating if director Ken Hughes had just kept them to a minimum, as the remainder of the movie is great. However, the fairy tale sequence goes on for an eternity.

Good performances by Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes in the lead roles. The kids, Heather Ripley and Adrian Hall, are great too. Good support from James Robertson Justice. Interesting to see Benny Hill in the fairy tale sequence - one of the few highlights of that part.

Music is so-so. Some songs were downright cringeworthy.

Overall, the charm and innocence more than make up for the random plot, and it would be very difficult to dislike the movie. Kids will love it.

This is a timeless classic that out-Disneys Disney.

[giblin · 10/10 · 27 August 2006]

Plain and simply, this is one of the best family films ever made. The fact that someone other than Disney made the film seems to have blinded some pundits (e.g., Disney scholar and film critic Leonard Maltin) to its many and varied charms. For "Chitty," in fact, originated in the book by James Bond creator Ian Fleming and, horror of horrors, was produced outside Hollywood by Albert Broccoli, the man behind the successful Bond film series. Yet, a closer look at the credits reveals the presence of the same musical composers, the much-heralded Sherman Brothers and Irwin Kostal, who could do no wrong when they wrote for Disney, but somehow left their talent behind when they signed on with Mr. Broccoli. (Note Maltin's comment in his 2007 film guide that the film's score is "forgettable.") The same apparently happened with the choreographers Dee Dee Wood and Marc Breaux, who are universally acclaimed for their work on "Mary Poppins," but ignored, at least by Maltin, for the snappy and often elaborate routines in "Chitty." In fact, the songs, background music and dances here are as good or better than anything in Disney and often actually advance the plot, rather than grinding it to a halt in the more customary way. A case in point is Caractacus' "Old Bamboo" song and dance routine, which provides not only an instantly memorable tune (and dance), but also the financial means to save Chitty from the scrap heap. The cast itself is nothing short of superb, with American comic actor Dick Van Dyke wisely eschewing any attempt at an English accent, something many of us wish he had done a few years earlier in "Poppins." (In a 1998 appearance on the Rosie O'Donnell show, the self-effacing Mr. Van Dyke acknowledged his limitation in the area of English accents.) The actors playing the children are a genuine delight, charming and sincere without being cloying, while the supporting cast is filled with more marvelous British character actors than one can count, not the least of them being Lionel Jeffries (actually six months younger than Van Dyke, whose father he was playing) and comedy legend Benny Hill in a rare straight role. And if that's not enough, there's always the scene in which Goldfinger himself (German actor Gert Frobe) sings and dances! Then there is the simply stunning cinematography by Christopher Challis, the marvelous costumes by Joan Bridge and Elizabeth Haffenden, and the fantastic production design by Oscar-winning designer Ken Adam, whose high ceilings and sloping walls are instantly identifiable from such classics as "Goldfinger" and "Dr. Strangelove." And unlike "Poppins," which is inexplicably praised for its obvious studio recreations of London streets, this film actually goes on location--and then some, showcasing truly magnificent settings in southern England, France and Germany (including the fabulous, fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle). Maltin and others have complained about the film's special effects, calling them "the shoddiest ever." What they are talking about is the blue screen traveling matte shots in which the magical car was optically placed in front of separately-shot film of a sky background. And I agree that several of these shots are "obvious" to film students who know how they are achieved. But, again, look at what is overlooked. The car itself, which undergoes several conversions for air and sea travel, is an amazing mechanical special effect designed and built by John Stears. Stears, of course, won an Oscar for the SFX on "Thunderball" and would go on to win another for a little film called "Star Wars." But never mind, what could he know about special effects? Oh, did I mention that the screenplay was co-written by Roal Dahl, someone who just might have known a thing or two about children's stories. But enough. This film is truly scrumptious from the first frame to the last, a timeless delight for anyone but Hollywood film critics.

As good as Any Disney film

[JR541 · 7/10 · 23 January 2003]

As good as any Disney film of that era. The Songs in the movie are full of catchy melodies. This film introduced America to the Comic talents of Benny Hill as the toymaker. I wish I had a toot sweet right now!

Surprised folks wouldn't like this delightful film!

[drkjedi1-2 · 9/10 · 12 May 2003]

It surprises me that some people think this is a horrible film. I was 3 when this film was released and for as long as I can remember I've loved it! The songs are fun, especially Hushabye Mountian, Chu-chi Face and Me Ole Bamboo. This movie is both light, cheery as well as dark and creepy, the Child Catcher to this day is one of the scariest villians I know! And know it is a fabulous musical in London! Hopefully someday it will come to Broadway, I'd love to see it on stage!.

Our fine four fendered friend

[jacobs-greenwood · 7/10 · 13 January 2018]

If a movie could be comfort food, this is it. It's delightful and beautiful to look at, it's funny, it has Dick Van Dyke, laughs, lots of eccentric characters, and a Sherman brothers (aka Walt Disney) soundtrack. They don't make 'em like this anymore, but they certainly made of lot of these in the 1960's.

From an Ian Fleming (James Bond) novel with a screenplay treatment from Roald Dahl (Willy Wonka) and director Ken Hughes, it's a marvelous musical adventure, kids movie, 'love' story with "good guys" and comical "bad guys" (including Goldfinger Gert Fröbe) that runs a tad long with its 15+ songs, several of which are reprised including the Academy Award nominated title song.

Besides the indomitable Van Dyke as a "Rube Goldberg" inventor Caractacus Potts, there are so many enduring characters including Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious, Lionel Jeffries as the elder Potts, Anna Quayle as Baron Fröbe's Baroness, Benny Hill as the Toymaker, James Robertson Justice as Truly's wealthy industrialist father, Robert Helpmann as the scary villain Child Catcher, and Heather Ripley and Adrian Hall as Caractacus's adorable children Jemima and Jeremy. respectively.

Van Dyke plays one of the big screen's most endearing single fathers, which draws Truly to him as much as his children do. They have imaginations cultivated by their father who, although he may spoil them a bit, is very emotionally "connected" to them, putting them to bed with songs and regales them with stories he seemingly makes up spontaneously.

Mercy...

[onepotato2 · 1/10 · 22 December 2004]

I always wanted to see this as a kid, but whenever it was on my dad would start grousing about twenty minutes into it. It must have taken three viewings to see the whole thing (in pieces). I loved the car, the music box sequence and the kid-catcher scared the cr*p out of me.

Now that I'm an adult (and just attempted to view this) I offer my sympathies to my dad. This movie is just terrible. I could only get ten minutes into it; with shrill and wearying child actors, god-awful songs and hackneyed plot points as far as the eye can see. At any moment the writers and director are working to shoehorn more cornball into the frame. Utterly pointless musical production numbers show up regularly(toot sweets, me old bamboo, you two, etc.) and bring things to a complete standstill. Only about ten minutes into things, when the kids shriek a precious greeting to their dog "Edison," (ughh...) I reached my limit, and began an exhausting fast-forward workout. No matter where I stopped I couldn't bear more than a minute or so. It is unmercifully long. How could Rhoald Dahl have authored such a completely inept script?

Dick van Dyke is at his gratingly wholesome peak. Since he never learned what real charm is, he just amplifies his "Dick van Dyke" mannerisms into a sort of phony charm. Long before Barney, van Dyke was at least as saccharine.

The car is still stylish. Of all the burdens one has to bear as a parent, I'd be ready for all of them except sitting through movies like this with or without the grousing.

Exceptional film that's vastly under-appreciated

[Marta · 10/10 · 15 July 2001]

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is a 70mm film; a modern audience can't see it on TV today and truly understand why it was a hit in 1968, and remembered so fondly by us 40-50ish adults. If you saw it on a wide screen in 1968, like I did as an 11-year-old at the Astro Theatre in Omaha, it was delightful and overpowering. The dark theatre, the glow of the screen, the wonderful scenes of the English countryside during the day and as the sun set, the magnificence of the newly-refurbished old car as it is wheeled out of the dark garage accompanied by a swell of the evocative theme music, and the panoramic view of Neuschwanstein Castle, left an impression on me that lingers today. This is a film that cries out for wide screen theatre re-release, and if it were we'd have a whole generation of children who would fall in love with it again. Tiny, box-like megaplexes have stolen a lot of the grandeur from the film-going experience, which is a terrible loss to us, the film-going public.

While I usually agree with most of his reviews, I'm going to take violent exception to Leonard Maltin's review of this film (as I do with his inexplicably bad review of the fantastic 1980 film "Popeye"). This film has an outstanding score that I've remembered for 32 years, and excellent special effects that fit very much within the timeframe of the film, which is why they are done the way they are done. The score is by Richard and Robert Sherman, who create songs just as memorable as they did 4 years earlier in "Mary Poppins." The title song and main theme have stayed with me all these years, and I sometimes find myself singing it for no apparent reason. "Posh" is a comic masterpiece and Lionel Jeffries was a perfect choice to sing it. "Hushabye Mountain" is a lovely lullaby, and "Chu-chi Face" is hilarious. "Me Ol' Bamboo" is an wonderful, energetic production number akin to the Chimney Sweep song in Mary Poppins, and "The Roses of Success" has long been a favorite of mine. And the duet between Van Dyke and Howe when they posed as a marionette and music box dancer, respectively, is just about my favorite part of the film.

Dick Van Dyke is perfect as the inventor; Sally Anne Howe is a lovely singer and a competent actress, but doesn't have the screen presence Julie Andrews does. That's the only detriment to the major casting of the film. Gert Frobe and Anna Quayle are delightful standouts as the evil and spoiled King and Queen Bomburst; their time on screen is far too short. My only quibble is that the film is a trifle too long, and one of the earlier musical numbers could have been cut. Other than that it's perfect.

This is a great film that deserves to be seen by everyone in the way it was intended - on a wide, wide screen in glowing 70mm with stereo sound. If you've never seen it in that fashion, you're missing an essential movie experience.

Good but it should have been great.

[pmtelefon · 7/10 · 24 May 2019]

Is "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" a classic? I don't know. It's almost a classic, I guess. I've been watching this movie all of my life. It is a beautiful movie to look at. It's filled with great songs. It has very solid performances (for the most part). Then what is keeping it from "classic" status? Its length. It's way too long. Come on, the opening credits go on over six minutes. Although "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is still a good movie, it's also the kind of movie that you remember being better than it actually is.

Strictly For Little Kids

[ccthemovieman-1 · 3/10 · 31 March 2007]

I really enjoyed the beginning of this film with a neat old-time auto race. Then the main characters in the movie were introduced and they were all likable and nice. The kids were cute and Dick Van Dyke's inventions were fun to view. (So is Van Dyke's name in here: "Caractacus Potts.")

About halfway into the film - maybe this was just me - but those high-pitched whiny-type voices on the kids ("Daddy this, Daddy that" constantly) got to me. By then, I also had the general flavor of the songs, which I did not find particularly good.

The special-effects with the flying car might have been passable in 1968 but they look really dated now. The humor, too, was too juvenile especially with the villains who weren't funny, just stupid.

However, I am writing this criticisms as an older adult and I am sure little kids would still like this movie, as they did 40 years ago, except even they are bound to get fidgety sitting through 144 minutes of this!

Truly Underrated. Wonderfully sweet and sentimental. Scary too.

[dev-24 · 24 February 2004]

Generally I respect the views of critics, if not agree with them. But... I read the reviews of CCBB after seeing the movie about 8 years ago. I was surprised at how scathing the critics were. So I watched it again and I am convinced that the critics totally blew this one. Yes, I know it's not "Trainspotting" or "Adaptation". Yes, yes, it's not "Fargo" or "Pulp Fiction." But it's not supposed to be!!! Here's a secret apparently the critics missed: It's meant for families. This is a sweet, sweet movie. This movie is unique in that it puts me in the most sentimental, loving mood. It puts me in the best mood. I love songs like "Truly Scrumptious." Perhaps you're past feeling if you hate this movie. And the scary child catcher is perfect. I still remember him from when I saw the movie decades ago as a kid. I unabashedly love this movie!

As with Sound of Music and Poppins...

[gazzo-2 · 7/10 · 12 January 2001]

We also used to sit and watch This as kids, with the whole family, would wind up staying up til 11:oo PM to the very end. We always enjoyed it, from Benny Hill to the whacky Dick Van Dyke inventions to the P-O-S-H POSH stuff to the baddies chasing after the kids. Plus flying cars and the perf. by Sally Ann Howe there were good added bonuses too!

Have NOT seen it in over 20 years, so maybe it hasn't stood the test of time as Poppins and etc have? I hope it has. I know we all enjoyed it.

*** outta ****, nostalgia.

Light, fluffy, fun

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 17 February 2014]

There's little to dislike about CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, a fun and colourful musical written by Ian Fleming, no less; it's packed with memorable music, has colourful cinematography, an imaginative script and a decent cast. Of the principal actors, it's fair to say that Dick Van Dyke puts memories of MARY POPPINS and dodgy accents behind him in his enthusiastic turn as madcap inventor Caractacus Potts.

It's rare to find a film which boasts decent performances from the child actors, but they're good here, as are the likes of Benny Hill and Lionel Jeffries in support. The songs are a lot of fun, particularly the titular one, of course.

My only complaint, which isn't too much of one, really, is that it grows more and more fantastic as it goes on, and the last third is more like a silly fantasy sequence; there's Roald Dahl to blame for that, I think. At least the writers saw this and put in an explanation of it being all a dream sequence so that it kind of makes sense.

Just not enough musicals like this anymore!

[tufftexan · 9/10 · 22 August 2004]

After 36 years this movie is still loved by young children who see it. My 8 and 3 year old girls just love this movie and it's songs. Dick Van Dyke has done an absolute wonderful job putting out great quality movies for Disney and others. Sally Ann Howe sounds great and personally I prefer her over Julie Andrews anyway.

Anyway, if you have not ever seen this film and even if you don't have kids, it's very entertaining! My favorite part is when Caracus Potts and Truly Scrumptious pretend to be toys for the Baron and do a nice song and dance. The tune is just great!

I remember as a kid the Child Catcher scared the crap out of me. Robert Helpmann played this part very well. Who needs Freddy Kruger and all that gore anyway!

That was one cool car

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 10 June 2001]

Good musical highlighting the talents of Dick Van Dyke. I especially enjoyed the segment dealing with the family going off to the mysterious land populated with a bizarre assortment of strange folks with even more odd customs. A good one for all lovers of musicals.

Bring Back the Musicals!!

[joliefille411 · 10/10 · 30 April 2007]

I wrote earlier about Willy Wonka being one of the films I watched thin at my grandparents' house. Chitty was the other. I really wish the musicals would come back. So what if they were unrealistic and kitsch and blah blah blah? They were also beautiful and uplifting, unlike all the apocalyptic, chainsaw-slashing trash today. Call me nostalgic, but I miss the innocence and just outright FUN. People sneer at naivety today, but I cannot honestly remember a happier time than that. But I digress....

Chitty was a spectacular fantasy about a poor family lead by an insanely inventive patriarch, Caractacus Potts (crackpot- get it? haha). The inventions are really fun to watch, the songs are catchy and well sung (Toot Sweets is my favorite) and I always wanted a car just like Chitty. I thought Sally Anne Howes was lovely as Truly (thought i never got she was truly scrumptious until much later). Dick Van Dyke is a fav., though I was always wierded out since everyone but him had British accents. I guess he got raked too hard for his whole Burt-accent-disaster. The Rat Catcher was great! "And all free today..." what a fabulously creepy guy.

Great songs, great acting, beautiful scenery, fancy and fun- what more could you possibly want from a movie?

Uneven and a tad too long, but the stuff that works, works brilliantly

[IonicBreezeMachine · 7/10 · 9 April 2022]

Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke) is a struggling eccentric inventor who lives with his two children, Jeremy (Adrian Hall) and Jemima (Heather Ripley) father "Grandpa Potts" (Lionel Jeffries) in rural pre-World War I England. After acquiring an old motorcar at the request of his two children, Caractacus restores the car to working order, he and his two children go on a picnic along with candy heiress Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes) where Caractacus tells the story of how they and their car, known as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, outwitted the cruel Baron Bomburst (Gert Frobe) of Vulgaria.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is an adaptation of the Children's novel by author Ian Fleming, better known for the James Bond novels, based on stories about a flying car he would tell his son as an infant. Fleming regrettably never saw publication of the book, which would end up being his final finished work, and it was published posthumously two months after his death. The book became one of the highest selling children's books of 1964. Bond series producer Albert R. Broccoli had read the book and was initially not enthusiastic about an adaptation, but after the success of Disney's Mary Poppins, Broccoli changed his mind. The movie was directed by Ken Hughes who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Roald Dahl, who himself is no stranger to Fleming adaptations having what (at the time) was the final Connery Bond film, You Only Live Twice. There was a conscious effort by the producers to ape the success of Mary Poppins from having the film be a musical written by Poppins' songwriters The Sherman Brothers, and even in the casting for Truly and Caractacus with the producers attempting to get both Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke only for Andrews to turn down the role due to the perceived similarities in the character to Mary Poppins. While the movie was popular upon initial release, its high budget resulted in a net loss which was becoming increasingly common in big budget musical epics with other films like Darling Lily, Happiest Millionaire, and Paint Your Wagon going over budget and yielding increasingly thin margins contributing to many studios leaving behind such productions in the 70s. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has gone on to have second life and its songs and iconography remain ingrained in popular consciousness, and while the movie is better than many later era musicals it does feel a little disjointed.

As usual Dick Van Dyke fits well into the role of an eccentric inventor and the movements he does during elaborately choreographed stunt sequences, comedic sequences, and musical numbers is a sight to behold. There's a certain "animation" to Dick Van Dyke that you just can't help but gravitate towards and that's fully on display here. Sally Ann Howes is a fun foil as Van Dyke's grounded and level headed counterpart Truly Scrumptious, Lionel Jefferies is lovably eccentric as Grandpa Potts, and Adrian Hall and Heather Ripley are both endearing as the children. The songs as expected by the Sherman Brothers are earworms with some memorable songs that refuse to leave your mind when you here them like "Me Ol' Bamboo", "Toot Sweets", or "Chu-Chi Face" featuring some catchy melodies, engaging and often humorous lyrics, and elaborate choreography that's exhilarating to look at.

The thing that holds Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from greatness is unfortunately in its length, which was at the time also seen as a drag on the film. Structurally speaking there's really two plots to this movie with the first half being about Caractacus saving the old car from a scrap dealer with plans to crush it and let it down, and when that plot is over and done with it becomes an elaborate fantasy sequence with Caractacus telling this story of a Kaiser Wilhelm esque villain trying to steal the car to his land of Vulgaria where children are illegal and there's something of a disconnect between the relatively grounded first half and the almost Wizard of Oz like second half complete with its own equivalent of The Flying Monkeys or Wicked Witch in Robert Helpmann as the Child Catcher. While the stuff in the second half is really good with elaborate sequences with hundreds of extras, ambitious effects, and some of Roald Dahl's macabre but family friendly sense of humor on display, by the 60 minute mark it feels like our movie abruptly paused only to take a left turn into a strange fantasy adventure. It would be like if in The Wizard of Oz, the sequence in Kansas was 60 minutes long and about Dorothy getting Toto back only for us to even get to Oz at after an hour's already gone by.

While Chitty Chitty Bang Bang doesn't reach the levels of Mary Poppins the producers clearly had their sights on, it's an elaborately produced and memorable film with engaging leads and memorable songs. The movie does feel a bit long at almost two and a half hours and the second more fantastical half feels a little detached from the relatively more grounded first half. But despite these issues there is a good reason people remember this movie which makes it worth viewing.

Perhaps the worst movie ever made

[edwin-57 · 1/10 · 31 August 2014]

I read this book as a child in the 60s. While it was a story of fantasy, it did not talk down to the reader and was full of wit and subtlety. When the movie came out, I was very excited to see the wonderful tale of imagination come to the screen. What resulted was so insulting to my intelligence that it horrified me. Dick van Dyke's moronic mugging, the idiotic songs, the over the top portrayal of the title character, and general treacly smarm and cheese completely destroyed an amazing book. You think I'm being harsh? Read the book. Skip this movie. If it isn't the worst movie ever made, it is without a doubt the worst adaptation of a book ever perpetrated. It destroyed my faith in humanity and my opinion has not changed as this movie has not improved with age, whereas the book retains all its integrity and charm. Roald Dahl should have known better.

One of the best children's movies ever made

[garethnutt · 10/10 · 3 October 2004]

My two sons (now 4 and 2) have been obsessed with this movie for over a year now. They sing along to the songs and dance too - when old bamboo comes on, they pick up their sticks and hats and copy the routine. This is like an extended pantomime, with the scariest pantomime baddie in the history of movies. My brother couldn't sleep for a week after first seeing the childcatcher when he was 8. Anyway, this movie has everything - humour, pathos, great acting (and great casting), great songs and a great script (thank you Roald Dahl). I cannot fault this movie apart from the fact that it is a little long and the bit where they go off to vulgaria is a bit overextended. My family has now been to see the stage show twice too, and we are all firm "bang bang" nuts. If your kids have not seen this movie, then they haven't had a proper childhood!

Slight disappointment.

[plan99 · 7/10 · 24 January 2022]

I first saw this film in 2022 so I was probably far to old to enjoy it as much as I would have had I seen it when I was a lot younger. The songs were a bit of a let down with very few sticking in the mind. The budget for extras and their costumes must have been enormous, the sets must also have cost a fortune to build, so no wonder it has yet to show a profit. It was a bit like Mary Poppins in a car.

Truly Dreadful

[Green-Irish-Eyes · 2/10 · 8 April 2022]

I may be the only reviewer who's actually read the book this film is (very VERY loosely) based on. The author? The one and only Ian Fleming, most famous for inventing James Bond.

His children's book is a classic -- a spy story, in which the parents ( Caractacus and Mimsie) are married, the children are kidnapped by gangsters and prevent a crime, and the car gradually reveals its secrets to the entire family. It's a wonderful tale, masterfully told.

And then there's the film.

Unlikeable characters + un-hummable songs + an inane storyline = two hours of your life wasted.

I first saw the film as a child back in the late 1960's, and then again a few nights ago. I thought perhaps I'd mis-remembered how bad it is, but unfortunately it's still truly dreadful.