Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory released in the summer of 1971. In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
Gene Wilder kept his performance a secret
Gene Wilder intentionally kept his wacky performance a mystery to his castmates. Director Mel Stuart didn’t tell his stars how intense the tunnel scene would get because he wanted to capture a sense of realism. He figured Wonka’s monologue would feel more authentic if no one knew about it.
The chocolate river wasn’t chocolate
The chocolate river in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was actually brown-colored water. The river was filled with 192,000 gallons of fake chocolate in the 2005 remake. The crew of the 2005 film thought the 1971 river was disgusting.
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