Alice in Wonderland

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David B The Bad News: Of course, Lewis Carroll never wrote a book called Alice in Wonderland. His works include Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There. Except for Alice, they have different casts of characters; Wonderland has playing cards and Looking-Glass Land has chess pieces. Most readers feel they are different in tone, with Looking-Glass Land feeling darker. Carroll purists will be appalled to see the two conflated and the characters all a jumble in this or many other adaptations. It makes no sense for the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen and White Queen to all exist in the same universe. However, my hunch is that most people who don't like the film know none of this and have never read either book. The Good News: Despite the above the film manages to be the most faithful adaptation I have seen in both tone and look. The tone, quite suitably, is frustratingly anarchic, and almost devoid of inappropriate cuteness. The costumes, masks, makeup, and character designs look as if they have stepped out of Sir John Tenniel's illustrations. Tenniel's illustrations are not just the first and the best they are actually part of the text. Carroll and Tenniel worked in such close collaboration that Carroll even deleted an episode the artist felt he couldn't illustrate. Alice without the Tenniel characters isn't Alice and complaints that the characters in this film are ugly are just ignorant. The cast is wonderful but there are two standouts (with Honourable Mention going to Louis Fazenda's White Queen.) Edna May Oliver is so perfect and brilliant as the Red Queen (she was usually brilliant) that no sane actress should ever have accepted the part after her. Gary Cooper's White Knight is so dear he shreds my heart every time. My spies tell me that upon arriving at the Pearly Gates Cooper screened this film for Saint Peter and was granted immediate admittance. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/27/23 Full Review Monsol E This isn't the best Alice movie you can watch, but it has enough unique weirdness to make it worth a watch. What semblance of a plot other versions have, is traded here for even more ridiculous gibberish than usual...then again, I need to actually get around to reading the books, maybe this was all in them. I can tell they used elements from both books in this. Alice is very obnoxious in this one, but The White Knight was especially delightful. and I did love that they got Cary Grant to be the "Mock Turtle". The effects are pretty neat for the time, but the best part is definitely the oft-nightmarish costumes, which you absolutely should see if you want to lose the ability to sleep ever again! If you've got the time, and can find this to watch somewhere, you'll probably find something to enjoy. [or run screaming from!] Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/17/23 Full Review Steve D So so version. Many better options. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/03/23 Full Review Andre G Horrible movie. The only interesting thing to watch is how different of a time it was, and how far movies have come along. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/16/23 Full Review Audience Member The worst 01 hour: and 16 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member a movie which is the shadow of The Wizard of Oz (1939) Alice In Wonderland (1933) you feel the same essence of the book even recreating the original illustrations of the novel (despite the fact that Carroll did not like them) a movie that felt more entertaining and that was not valued at the time becoming a cult of cinema Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Alice in Wonderland

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