DVD Reviews

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Special Edition)

There is certain innocence missing from today's venue of family entertainment. A carefree wonderment where family was all that mattered, judgement was not passed on a person's "eccentricities" and, heck yes, a car could fly. Full of catchy, toe-tapping songs, silent movie style villains and a flying motor car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang takes you to that world.

Picture quality has been completely re-mastered and right on the money (and the DVD is priced very affordably at that!). Both widescreen and Standard versions offer a grain free picture virtually free of all film artifacts. The widescreen side offers a transfer with vibrant colour reproduction and excellent black level. A gentle softness overall but this was an intentional production value which adds to the film's experience. The Standard side offers the same grain-free reproduction but the picture quality is rather fuzzy and disappointing. Ah, well. Isn't the new widescreen transfer the reason you're after this DVD anyway?

Sound track is, again, re-mastered and right on the money. The vocals have been cleaned up exceptionally well with little or no distortion. Surrounds could have been more active in parts but do not disappoint during the musical numbers. Low-end effects have an acceptable level but not exceptional. The overall clean response and spatial separation in the front speakers is a definite plus and must be commended.

Ah, the extras. It all starts with the packaging. A wonderfully presented "story-book" style package has a colourful representation of the stars, all embossed for a 3-D effect. Looks great so far. Open the outer "lid" to reveal a map of the world within, if it actually existed. Pretty cool. Within this outer packaging is an entire second package, a storybook of the film with colour photos from the movie and a double disc set. Wow! MGM, this looks great! The second disc has plenty to offer, the most interesting being the interview with Dick Van Dyke. Tons of stuff, a great offering and very fitting.

This happy-go-lucky musical is not for everyone it would appear. The secret here is to stop looking for dinosaurs eating people, drug lords causing a blood bath of people or a monster of sorts that feeds on people. It only asks for innocence to simply let go, be a kid, have some fun and sing along. In the extras interview, Dick Van Dyke really sums it up. "I guess this movie may be kind of square and corny by today's standards. But ya know what? Kids need that."

Review By Joey Chill