Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

Fans of the scrumdiddlyumptious cult classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory can thank Madeline Stuart — an LA-based interior designer who, at 10, convinced her filmmaker father to adapt Roald Dahl’s 1964 masterpiece. Revered for his work on serious documentaries — including Four Days in November and The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich — Mel Stuart (1928-2012) rose to his daughter’s challenge by bringing Dahl’s deliciously dark tale of eccentric confectioner Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) and his heir apparent Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) to life on screen complete with insufferable brats, orange-faced Oompa Loompas, Everlasting Gobstoppers and a lifetime supply of chocolate. Shot in Munich in 1970, Willy Wonka earned an Oscar nomination for its schizophrenic score, which progresses from the innocent joy of “Pure Imagination” to the haunting anxiety of “The Rowing Song.” Main Plaza Conservancy closes out its pedal-powered Cycle-In Cinema series with an outdoor screening of the film that candy-coats some of the more sinister moments in the G-rated genre.