Xmas music on the radio, egg nog, shopping for pressies, cards in the mail... while these may all be markers of the season, for me yuletide is not in full effect until the first viewing of Year Without a Santa Claus. Which happened last night. Too much!

We also watched the Gene Wilder version of Willie Wonka which I hadn't seen in a long time. If I ever knew, I'd long since forgotten that Roald Dahl had actually written the screenplay. But it's been even longer since I've read the book so I don't feel I can comment intelligently on Dahl's script v. John August's for the Tim Burton version. One thing that struck me immediately though is how much more horrible the 70s version of Veruca Salt was. I mean, the whole point of the character is that she's horrid, spoiled, etc. But the 70s version is all that and then some. It's a massive, scenery chewing performance. I suspect also that it's closer to Dahl's original vision in the book -- as he's typically a pretty bleak and misanthropic SOB (but again, I'll have to reread to say for sure)