Wonka-quoting

For those of you out there that keep a blog (and you know who you are!) - do you ever go back through your archives and re-read your posts?

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I do, obviously, or I wouldn't be starting down this bloggie path, now would I?

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Anyhow, I went back into one post because someone did a websearch for a phrase that led them to a particular post I did a while back on allergies (Monday, April 10th, to be exact), in which was posted not only MY paean to Spring and all her wonderful allergens, but also was festooned with phraseology by Mr. Schprock (who outdid me, naturally) and also contained the "chocolate river" poem from the Gene Wilder version of "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (Which, BTW, is still my favorite movie of all time. I can't explain why, it just is) because Rennratt mentioned the simliarities between Mr S's contribution and that bit of verse.

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An aside - Did that make any sense at all? I'm not sure even I can follow the loops and whorls of verbiage...... Nevermind, let's forge on regardless of reason or logic. After all, you don't expect that from me anyway, now do you?

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Back to the matter at hand - From that exchange (see paragraph 3 for background) I did some research on the movie, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that it contains generous amounts of references to Shakespearean works (which brings around the circle nicely to Mr S's self-effacing remarks from the original post, I think). Curiously, though, the Chocolate River poem is not among those quotes credited to the Bard. To my mind it certainly SOUNDS like something that could have been uttered on the stage of the Rose by a portly man in tights and doublet! Therefore, in the spirit of global edification in all things Wonka, and to perhaps convince you that the the words are indeed from an ancient English playwright's pen, I present the poem to you here, complete and unabridged:

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There's no earthly way of knowing which direction we are going.

There's no knowing where we're rowing, or which way the river's flowing.

Is it raining? is it snowing? is a hurricane a-blowing?

Not a speck of light is showing, so the danger must be growing.

Are the fires of hell a-glowing?

Is the grisly reaper mowing?

YES! The danger must be growing, for the rowers keep on rowing

and they're certainly not showing any signs that they are slowing!

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Keep in mind that in the movie the oompah-loompas are madly rowing a rather unstable boat through tunnels that broadcast images of bugs and competing confectioners and other horrific images onto their walls. Now, doesn't that just make you want to go out and rent that movie to show your impressionable children? Isn't that sweet? Isn't that cute? How nice. How educational.

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As an FYI - the original Wonka movie is much darker than the new version (which is more faithful to the book, BTW); the undercurrent of something rotten is real, the threat of failure much more palpable. I think that edge is what makes it my favorite movie of all time. The juxtaposition (say it three times fast, y'all) of saccharine and sludge makes the tension of the adventure through the factory something in which one can get involved.

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Plus, learning Shakespeare by accident doesn't hurt, and the oompah-loompas rock the orange skin.

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Soooo.......

What's YOUR favorite movie of all time?