Mel Brook's film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, was filmed in Munich, and included footage of this charming city, as well as the surrounding countryside. Many of the OOmpah-Lumpas were Germans (as were most of the extras), and they didn't know the text to their songs.
Right around the same time that French postcards
were predicting lots of aerial and aquatic activities in the year 2000
as part of the 1900 Paris World's Fair, a German chocolate company
decided to get in on the future-telling business with a crafty marketing
campaign. For a short time, Theodore Hildebrand and Son chocolate
company slipped colorful cards depicting theoretical life in the year
2000 into boxes of their sweets. Altogether, 12 such cards were
produced, predicting how a range of activities would get upgraded for
the 21st Century.
1. Police with X-Ray
It's unclear from the picture how an x-ray camera of sorts would
factor into crime-fighting. With both the legal and moral high ground,
couldn't the police apprehend the criminals face-to-face? Weigh in below
if you can make sense of it.
2. Flying Machines
What's a vision of the future without some personal flying machines?
This card features several different options that all look heinously
unsafe. Is that little girl even wearing a seat belt?!
3. Movable Houses
Alright, this one is just all wrong. They're still using horse-drawn
buggies and steam engines, having focused all the attention and effort
of their technological advancements on building portable rowhouses.
4. Airships
More air travel. And fashion stuck in the 1800s.
5. Undersea Ships
Perhaps even more tantalizing than the leisure submarine patrolling
the ocean floor are the sea bike, sea surrey, and sea wheeled-recliner
above.
6. North Pole Trip
It's true that air travel has made vacationing in remote locations
possible and even popular. But I haven't noticed a lot of hot air
balloon jaunts to the North Pole showing up on hip destination lists.
7. Water Walk
The genius here isn't the water-wheel unicycle or the
shoe-canoes—it's the artistic, elegant, and tech-free individual hot air
balloons that keep water-waders upright. Even the horse has one!
8. Ship Railway
So many questions. How is this better than a normal ship? Is it limited to shallow waters? WHY IS IT ON FIRE?!
9. Roofed City
This one seems like a great idea until you remember things like, you know, drought.
10. Theater
Things happening in one place will be able to be captured and viewed in an entirely different location in real time? Yup.
11. Moving Sidewalks
Scattered throughout the airport, these human conveyor belts are a
delightful respite that make you feel like you have super-speed compared
to the people on still ground. But in crowded cities? Now that just
sounds dangerous.
Christmas supermarket advertisements used to show a paper-hatted extended family, lashings of mince pies, copious tinsel, and an inordinately large turkey. But this year's Sainsbury's offering rewinds 100 years to dramatize the Christmas truce of 1914, writes Tom de Castella.
It starts with the boom of artillery. It's night and British soldiers huddle in the trenches. Snow is falling. A Tommy opens a parcel from home - out falls a woman's photo and a bar of chocolate. The Sainsbury's Tommy - for it is he - smiles. Silent Night rises eerily - at first in German and then in English. The Sainsbury's Tommy pokes his head above the trench and after momentary tension - will they shoot? - the two sets of soldiers are in No Man's Land playing football and chatting.
The protagonist hands his chocolate to a German called Otto and in return receives what looks like a piece of hardtack biscuit. In the distance the guns rumble, both sets of troops return to the trenches, and the rousing score morphs into meditative piano. "Christmas is for sharing," flashes up on screen, followed by the familiar orange Sainsbury's logo, and finally "Made in partnership with the Royal British Legion".
Some have seen it as a massive counter-offensive against John Lewis after their penguin and boy blockbuster. While John Lewis had opted for "a mawkish story about a lonely penguin" using CGI, Sainsbury's had created a moving memorial based on lots of historical research and austere production values, one newspaper review said. But foranother it was a "dangerous and disrespectful masterpiece".
Rory Sutherland, vice-chairman of Ogilvy Group UK, says Sainsbury's probably decided there was little point trying to outdo John Lewis. Instead it's opened up a new front in the ad wars. It's risky, Sutherland suggests. There's always going to be a certain number who feel you're using millions of deaths to "sell wrapping paper", he says. But most people will like it. "It's a healthily oblique way to do a Christmas advertisement" that sells "the spirit of Christmas".
There were powerful emotions on Twitter.
"I know, I know: capitalism etc but still: *sobs* #sainsburyschristmas" Angela Clarke tweets.
Matt Henry opined: "The Sainburys Christmas ad should win an award. Sorry John Lewis you don't even come close."
"Great ad, beautifully made AND doing good," says Chris Arnold - a reference to the £1 chocolate bar that will be sold in aid of military veterans.
There were plenty of naysayers too.
It "shamelessly exploits a moment of genuine humanity during #WorldWar1 to get us to buy more stuff" writes Chris Hudson.
Above a photo of the Tommy shaking Otto's hand, Gareth Dimelowwrites: "What say we put aside our differences and get every customer to spend an extra ten shillings?"
Tim Footman moves the Anglo-German struggle from the trenches to the supermarket aisles: "Subtext of the #sainsburyschristmas ad: poor Germans, they only have Lidl and Aldi."
As the guns fall silent incongruity appears to have won the day, Alison Dunn tweeting: "Yes, the ad is nicely made but horrid orange sign at the end makes me fear Jamie Oliver will pop up in the trench."
Yeah -- Das ist ein Lied über etwas, was ich ganz oft haben möchte,
aber immer nur von einer Person bekomme.
Ich esse jeden Tag Obst, mal weniger, mal mehr.
Bei uns zu hause ist der Obstteller niemals leer.
Und Mama sagt: “Iß die Äpfel und Bananen,
Birnen, Mandarinen und den ganzen anderen Kram.”
Und dann erzählt sie mir: Wie wicht die Termine sind.
‘Komm, iß deinen Teller auf, sei ein liebes Kind.”
Und ich bin lieb und der Liebste den es gibt.
Aber wenn ich aufgegessen hab’, dann sing ich dieses Lied:
REFRAIN: Obst und lecker Gemüse, ja, das macht mich groß und stark. Denn heute möcht’ ich zu Oma fahren, die gibt mir was ich mag. Oma gibt mir Schokolade Yeah Lecker Schokolade Oma holt mir Naschi aus dem Schrank Sie hat das in 'ne Schublade, voller Schokolade, voll, so wie im Schlaraffenland:/ -- Schlaraffenland = land of milk and honey
Ich will Schokolade.
Ich will so gerne Schokolade.
Ich will Schokolade.
Aber wisst ihr, was ich eden Tag ess’?
Ich esse jeden Tag Gemüse, mal weniger, mal mehr.
Bei uns zuhause ist Gemüse wirklich niemals leer.
Pappa sagt: “Iß die Gurken und Tomaten, von mir aus aus’m Supermarkt,
am liebsten aus’m Garten.”
Und dann erzählt er mir: Wie wichtig sein Termine sind.
“Iß dein Gemüse, komm, sei ein liebes Kind.”
Und ich bin lieb und der Liebste den es gibt.
Und wenn ich aufgegessen hab’, dann sing ich dieses Lied:
REFRAIN Schoko-Schoko - lade - lade Schal - la la - la la - la La, LA. (x)
