Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

The credits on this film are a strange gathering. The source is the only children's book written by Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay; Dahl had worked with Fleming in wartime intelligence and had scripted You Only Live Twice the year before. Cubby Broccoli produced, having produced every Bond film between 1962 and 1989. Ken Hughes directed. So this is a children's musical made by a Bond crew, which is where its darkness comes from. Its most memorable creature is not in the book; Dahl added the Child Catcher. Played by Robert Helpmann, the character became famous for frightening generations of children, and the gap between him and the film's cheerful register is still discussed. The story: the inventor Caractacus Potts buys and restores a scrapped racing car, then invents a fairy tale around it to entertain his children. Dick Van Dyke plays Potts. Who it is for: viewers who like old-fashioned family musicals and long, elaborate set pieces. Who it is not for: parents watching with small children. It runs over two and a half hours, and the Child Catcher section is genuinely frightening.