As a clever framing device, the film opens with the famed rowing excursion of Charles Dodgson, Duckworth, and the three Liddell sisters out rowing one golden afternoon, even paying homage to the poem that opens the book. The sisters, particularly Alice (Fiona Fullerton), are begging to hear a story that Dodgson's evidently told them before, and as they're enjoying a picnic, Dodgson commences. As Dodgson spins his tale, a sleepy Alice dreams that the tale is happening to her. It begins with the White Rabbit (Michael Crawford) drawing her curiosity. Her pursuit leads her to follow him down a deep, well-furnished rabbit-hole, which she can't get out of until she's swept out of it by a pool of her own tears. From them on, she explores a strange, illogical world populated by all sorts of bizarre characters. As her curiosity leads her further onward, she encounters a hookah-smoking caterpillar (Ralph Richardson), the twin brothers Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Fred and Frank Cox), and a mad tea party hosted by the Mad Hatter (Robert Helpman), the March Hare (Peter Sellers), and the Dormouse (Dudley Moore). Her travels lead her to a delightful garden, populated by playing cards and ruled over by the hot-tempered Queen of Hearts (Flora Robson).
Lewis Carroll's beloved classic gets its most faithful big-screen adaptation in this lavish British production. But how does it fare as a movie in and of itself? If Alice's Adventures in Wonderland wasn't my favorite book as a kid, it was definitely on the top 5 list, and I still enjoy reading it and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. In fact, I enjoy them even more now because I get a lot more of the humor, much of which parodies Victorian-era education, not to mention my greater appreciation of puns. (Plus, one of the things that drew me to the books was a childhood obsession with playing cards that I haven't completely gotten over.) I think it's even safe to say that Alice was my first real foray into hardcore fandom, which meant making my parents and grandparents sit through numerous film, television, and stage productions, even a ballet adaptation that my mom never remembers taking me to. I even had an Alice game for the Apple II that, much to my disappointment, I could never figure out how to play - and still haven't, courtesy of an emulator. I never had the chance to play American McGee's Alice games, but I remember being surprisingly intrigued by the darker, distorted take on the books. The man to whom I owe my favorite childhood story was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832 - 1898), better known by his pen name of Lewis Carroll. The third of twelve children and the Dodgson family's oldest son, Dodgson had a wide range of interests and skills, one of which was mathematics, and he earned himself a permanent position at Christ Church, Oxford, as a mathematical lecturer, a position he held for the rest of his life. (His position also required being ordained as a deacon, meaning he couldn't get married.) His other passions included photography, theater, and opera, but also writing and developing puzzles and games, which he did frequently as a child to entertain his younger siblings. Intimidated around adults, possibly a result of a stutter that only manifested in their company, he preferred the company of younger children, whom he befriended frequently. The Alice story was born on July 4, 1862, when Dodgson and Reverend Duckworth went on a rowing excursion with the three daughters of Henry Liddell, the dean of Oxford University at the time. The girls had requested a story with lots of nonsense in it, and Dodgson obliged them. At the insistence of Alice Liddell, the middle sister, Dodgson wrote it down, the result being Alice's Adventures Underground, which is mostly similar to the version we know today, although there are substantial differences. When it was finished, he was persuaded to publish it commercially, enlisting the services of Sir John Tenniel to illustrate it. (Dodgson had illustrated the original manuscript himself, but felt that a professional publication required a professional artist.) The book was a smash commercial success, although not a critical one. Dodgson followed it up with a sequel, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, which reviewers gave more favorable write-ups, and it boosted the popularity of the earlier book. His other works include The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits (one of my favorite poems, especially to read out loud), the social novel Sylvie and Bruno, and numerous essays and treatises about mathematics. Alice Liddell (1852 - 1934) The Alice stories stood out from other children's literature at the time by being pure escapist fun, not trying to impart any lessons on ethics or morality, and even including some bits of dark humor. There was also a lot of - pardon the pun - snarking on Victorian education, and many of the songs and poems in the book are parodies of real poems children had to memorize. If you're an Alice aficionado, or know someone who is, Martin Gardner's The Annotated Alice is a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes information about the stories' origins and evolution, not to mention all the inside jokes. (It also disputes some of the posthumous scandals and sordid whispers surrounding Carrol's fondness of children, something I only bring up to prevent anyone else from commenting about it.) Naturally, there have been movies and television shows adapting the Alice books for over a century, the first adaptation being produced in 1903, and results have been uneven across the board (which didn't stop me from watching the hell out of them when I was little). While many classic works are easily translated to the screen, filmmakers seem to struggle with this one, and I have to admit, I understand why. Alice spends a great deal of time talking to herself out loud, which in and of itself is tricky for any actor to pull off convincingly. Aside from a vaguely defined goal of wanting to find a garden she got a peek of early in the book, Alice just wanders around Wonderland (a name never actually used in the book) having a series of random encounters with bizarre characters. I don't think it's impossible to make this work on screen, but it takes serious effort that many filmmakers seem unwilling to put in. Walt Disney was a huge fan of the books, and even he couldn't pull it off without adding the thing about Alice just trying to return home and escape from a Wonderland she was clearly not happy to be stuck in. This may explain why most adaptations have been box office disappointments (or in the case of the 1933 version, disasters) - at least until Tim Burton's...version...came along. Burton followed a recent trend of deviating sharply from the source material, trying to give the Alice stories structure and character arcs they were never intended to have. Alice in Wonderland (1933) Alice in Wonderland (1951) So what do we end up with when we have an adaptation that's earnestly trying to be faithful to the original book? Let's find out! WARNING: Here be spoilers! Read further at your own risk! As a clever framing device, the film opens with the famed rowing excursion of Charles Dodgson, Duckworth, and the three Liddell sisters out rowing one golden afternoon, even paying homage to the poem that opens the book. The sisters, particularly Alice (Fiona Fullerton), are begging to hear a story that Dodgson's evidently told them before, and as they're enjoying a picnic, Dodgson commences. As Dodgson spins his tale, a sleepy Alice dreams that the tale is happening to her. It begins with the White Rabbit (Michael Crawford) drawing her curiosity. Her pursuit leads her to follow him down a deep, well-furnished rabbit-hole, which she can't get out of until she's swept out of it by a pool of her own tears. From them on, she explores a strange, illogical world populated by all sorts of bizarre characters. As her curiosity leads her further onward, she encounters a hookah-smoking caterpillar (Ralph Richardson), the twin brothers Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Fred and Frank Cox), and a mad tea party hosted by the Mad Hatter (Robert Helpman), the March Hare (Peter Sellers), and the Dormouse (Dudley Moore). Her travels lead her to a delightful garden, populated by playing cards and ruled over by the hot-tempered Queen of Hearts (Flora Robson). As I said earlier, this is one of the most faithful adaptations of Carroll's original story I've ever seen. The filmmakers are actually trying to tell Carroll's story instead of their own. This Alice isn't unhappily lost in a bizarre world and trying to get home (as she was in the animated Disney film and a pretty good two-part TV adaptation from 1985), or a bland Chosen One destined to vanquish a great evil (screw you, Tim Burton). She's a curious kid exploring her strange surroundings, and that's that. Not only that, but much of the dialogue is lifted straight from the original text. The biggest deviations are Alice being older than she was in the books, as the filmmakers recognized the difficulties involved in working with child actors, and the inclusion of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, who only appeared in Through the Looking-Glass. (I'm guessing they were considered such iconic characters that they couldn't be left out.) Even most of the songs are arrangements of the ones from the books, with a few original numbers by lyricist Don Black. I haven't been able to find out all that much about the director, William Sterling. Previously he'd worked in television as a producer, director (including for a couple episodes of a Sherlock Holmes series starring Peter Finch), and production coordinator. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland not only appears to be his one and only theatrical film credit, but the last production he worked on in any capacity. However, some of the other crew members will probably be a lot more recognizable to hardcore film fans. Stuart Freeborn, whose make-up designs for the characters successfully emulate John Tenniel's original illustrations, had previously worked on The Thief of Baghdad (1940), Dr. Strangelove (1964), and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). That's a respectable resume in and of itself, but he would later follow it up with the original Star Wars trilogy (including but certainly not limited to designing both Chewbacca and Yoda) and all four of the Christopher Reeve Superman films. And speaking of the cinematic Man of Steel, future Superman cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth does a stellar job here, capturing the storybook-come-to-life design of Michael Stringer's production design. In 1973, Unsworth won a BAFTA Award for his work on this film, as did costume designer Anthony Mendelson. Since this is a musical, the music should probably get some special mention here. John Barry's beautiful score is both whimsical and wistful, and is considered by many to be a highlight of the film. I also like Barry's musical arrangements of the songs and poems from the book. Black had collaborated with Barry previously for the Bond movies Thunderball (1965) and Diamonds are Forever (1971), and would do so again for The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) and the stage musical Billy. In the 1990s, Black worked with David Arnold on two more Bond themes, for Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough. (Fiona Fullerton herself was a Bond girl in View to a Kill, Roger Moore's last outing as James Bond.) The original songs by Don Black, however, are a mixed bag. Some of them are fun, and the best of them in my opinion is "You've Got to Know When to Stop," thanks to some clever lyrics and a jaunty tune, and "The Me I Never Knew" makes for pleasant listening. On the other hand, the "Curiouser and Curiouser" number misses the mark, although that has more to do with the way it's filmed than the song (which isn't bad by itself). Throughout the song, all we get is a continuous close-up shot of Fiona Fullerton's face as she sings, while the background behind her indicates that she's slowly shrinking. It's just not that interesting to watch. Speaking of which, as a heads-up to my readers, there are many sources out there claiming that Fiona Fullerton’s singing voice was dubbed by Natalie Farmer. However, according to Ms. Fullerton’s own representatives, who (courteously) reached out to me, this is apparently inaccurate, and she did her own singing. Since I pride myself on my accuracy, I’ve agreed to update my review, but I wanted to make this note in case anyone else comes across the Natalie Farmer thing. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, like its cinematic predecessors before it, didn't fare that well at the box office, despite an all-out promotional attempt and Queen Elizabeth II herself attending the premiere. Not only that, but aside from its BAFTA victories, the critical response was - and remains - "meh." With all this talent in front of and behind the camera, and such faithfulness to the source material, how did this film misfire? Sadly, the energy and whimsy of the book and the production design just didn't carry forward to other aspects of the movie. While it's faithful to the letter of Carroll's works, it lacks the spirit, with lines delivered with all the gusto of a table reading. Everyone looks the part, but by and large, there's not enough sense of investment or earnestness. The actors, all a talented bunch, feel constrained by their roles, rather than inhabiting them, rendering the celebrity cameos rather pointless. Oh, and in case anyone thinks these are the thoughts of a jaded adult looking back on a piece of childhood nostalgia, I kinda remember feeling this was about the movie as a kid. Even though I loved it when I was little, I still thought of sizable chunks of it as "the stuff I had to sit through to get to the playing card scenes." With a bit more energy put into it, this not only could have been the most faithful Alice we've ever gotten, but an enduring, beloved classic. I can't, and won't, call this a bad movie, because I honestly don't think it is. However, I do think that it missed its potential to be even better than it was and be more fondly remembered. It will still make for a good crowd-pleaser for younger audiences, especially fans of the book, and accompanying adults can still marvel at the stunning sets and costumes.
1 Comment
Janet
8/7/2020 10:47:32 pm
Fiona Fullerton did her own singing in the film. Not sure where the reports of someone named Natalie Farmer come from. Fullerton went on to star on stage in many musicals and is on the London cast recordings of CAMELOT and NYMPH ERRANT.
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