There are almost as many bells and whistles on the new Blu-ray release of classic children’s film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as there are on the fabulous flying car itself.
You can tinker under the bonnet with an array of special features including sing-along options, photo and vintage advertising galleres and such featurettes as star Dick Van Dyke’s reminiscences of the film and demos of the Sherman Brothers’ songs.
Co-scripted by Roald Dahl from Ian Fleming’s children’s book, the 1968 film may be over 40 years old now, but that “fine four-fendered friend” - created from the wreck of a derelict racing car by Van Dyke’s eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts – comes up gleaming on Blu-ray.
And if today's kids find the songs too soppy and the children overly twee, Lionel Jeffries’ dotty Grandpa remains a delight, while Robert Helpmann’s creepy Child Catcher is still the stuff of nightmares http://youtube.com/v/zUnhfvGdmmw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is released on Blu-ray, with accompanying DVD, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
