Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Tschitti Tschitti Bäng Bäng (English Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ) is the title of a children's book by the English writer Ian Fleming , who wrote the book for his son Caspar. It was illustrated by John Burningham and published by Jonathan Cape in 1964 by Random House . The German translation by Ursula von Wiese was published in 1965/1966 in two volumes under the titles Tschitti-tschitti-bäng-bäng. The adventures of a miracle car and chitty-chitty-bang-bang. The new adventures of the wonder car. These books also contained Burningham's illustrations. These were replaced in later editions by drawings by Dietrich Lange .
The inspiration for the book was written by the real Chitty-Bang-Bang - racing cars of Count Louis Zborowski , of these vehicles based on Mercedes - Chassis , with Maybach - or Mercedes aircraft engines and an engine capacity of 15-27 liters, constructed, built and with these real monsters around 1920 car race went. Starting the engine within city limits was prohibited due to the volume.
action
Caractacus Pott, an English- based inventor of all sorts of small things, but mostly not particularly profitable, has finally made some money selling the invention of a new type of lollipop that can also be used as a pipe. From this he buys a once very successful racing car from the scrap yard in order to rebuild it. In the course of the renovation it becomes clear that the green oldtimer that crashed in its last race has a will of its own and apparently also has the ability to heal itself .
After weeks of tinkering, the inventor Pott demonstrates the car to his family: The starter sound “Tschitti Tschitti” and two small “Bang! Bang! ”- Misfires are the first noises the car makes when it starts, and they immediately give it its name. Because of the fine weather, a picnic basket is packed and a trip to the sea begins. However, since countless other drivers had the same idea, they find themselves in a huge traffic jam that makes it impossible to arrive at the sea on time. In the dashboard a button lights up, pulls the Mr. Pott, what the car into a flying car turns with which it across the jam to a large sandbar on the English Channel flying. The picnic is eaten and then you lie down in the sun.
The incoming tide rudely wakes everyone: Since the remaining beach is not enough for the flight car to take off, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is again transformed, this time into a swimming car that takes the family across the canal to France . After landing, they find a storage room with weapons and explosives in a cave , which they blow up after a moment's thought, after which they make a run for it.
The gangsters , who obviously owned the camp, try to stop the refugees, but the Potts escape with the help of Chitti Chitti Bang Bang. At night in the hotel, the gangsters manage to kidnap the Potts' two children and escape with them to Paris . There they want to use the children to rob Monsieur Bon Bon's famous candy store. However, the children get wind of the matter and manage to warn the shopkeeper.
Meanwhile, the parents noticed the kidnapping and have already arrived in Paris thanks to Chitti Chitti Bang Bang's ability to follow traces. They just arrive when the gangsters try to escape from the crime scene in their car: Chitti Chitti Bang Bang rams the gangster car and the police collect the criminals.
As a reward, Monsieur Bon Bon reveals the top secret recipe for his famous sweets to the children . The Pott family flies off on new adventures in the wonder car with an unknown destination.
Adaptations
The novel was made into a musical adaptation in 1968 based on a script by Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes , in which Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts and Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious play the leading roles, while Gert Fröbe plays the child-hating Baron in a supporting role. Ken Hughes also directed it and Albert R. Broccoli , known as the producer of the James Bond series based on the novels by Ian Fleming, produced the film. The brothers Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman created songs and music ; Irwin Kostal was responsible for the musical direction .
In 2002 the film version, which in terms of content differs significantly from the original book, was converted into a stage musical by Jeremy Sams for the West End of London. The Sherman brothers contributed six new songs. The world premiere took place on April 16, 2002 at the London Palladium.
Following the London run, the production conquered New York Broadway in 2005, followed by touring productions in a version also edited by Ray Roderick through the USA (2008–2009) and Great Britain (2005–2013) with a running time in Singapore (2007) as well a new production in Sydney and Melbourne (2012).
On April 30, 2014, the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz Munich presented the German-language premiere with Peter Lesiak as Caractacus Potts , Nadine Zeintl as Truly Scrumptious , Frank Berg as Potts grandfather , Erwin Windegger as Baron Bomburst , Sigrid Hauser as Baroness Bomburst and Markus Meyer as the child catcher .
expenditure
- Ian Fleming : Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. The adventures of a wonder car (original title: Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, the Magical Car ). With drawings by Dietrich Lange . German by Ursula von Wiese . 10th edition. Maier, Ravensburg 1980, 139 pages, ISBN 3-473-39137-9
- Ian Fleming: Tschitti-tschitti-bäng-bäng (Original title: Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang ). Scherz, Bern and Munich. Illustrations by John Burningham . German by Ursula von Wiese.
- Volume 1: The Adventures of a Wonder Car . 1965, 64 pp.
- Volume 2: The new adventures of the wonder car . 1966, 71 pp.