Alice Through the Ages
by Francine Ruley
on March 10, 2010
Alice in Wonderland has been a part of pop culture long
before Tim Burton gave it his quirky touch. How many times have you heard
someone’s smile described as a “Cheshire Cat grin” or used the expression “I
fell down a rabbit hole” to explain getting lost? As Burton’s Alice enjoys a
blockbuster opening, we look back at a few other film interpretations of the
Lewis Carroll classic. P.S. Has this tale ever been just for kids?
- Alice in Wonderland (1903): This B&W silent barely
clocks in at nine minutes which was considered a “long” time for films back
then. The 107-year-old film is ravaged by scratches, but it’s still watchable
here.
Director Cecil M. Hepworth’s prehistoric special effects are interesting. Check
out when the camera pans back for Alice to “shrink” and the table next to her
is replaced with a larger one.
- Alice in Wonderland (1915): This silent seems to drag on at
51 minutes long but it’s worth a brief look-see if only to appreciate how
filmmaking matured in the 12 years since the first Alice. Costuming and sets
stepped up a notch, too.
- Alice in Wonderland (1933): Paramount regulars added some
star luster to this version with W.C. Fields as Humpty Dumpty, Cary Grant as
Mock Turtle and Gary Cooper as the White Knight. But the stars were barely
recognizable in their character makeup – alas, this didn’t help sell tickets.
The film’s original run time of 90 minutes was sliced in half and it was
redistributed as a series of
literary classics to be shown in ’50s and’60s classrooms. Oh, oh – that
means “educational.”
- Alice in Wonderland (1951): Alice received the Disney
animated touch, but the magic didn’t pay off with awards and box office
receipts. Earlier animated tales such as Dumbo (1941), Pinocchio (1940) and Fantasia (1940) resonated with
audiences and were hailed as instant classics. This Alice was re-released in
the’60s and became popular with the counterculture youth who reveled in the
wink-wink-nudge-nudge drug references. As Jefferson Airplane advised in their
1967 hit White Rabbit, “Tell ’em a hookah-smoking caterpillar has given you the
call.”
Alice in Wonderland (1985): Produced by Irwin Allen, aka
“Master of Disaster” thanks to his ’70s movie hits like The Towering Inferno
and The Poseidon Adventure. This two-part TV special married Carroll’s Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. The all-star cast
included Sammy Davis Jr. (again – but as the Caterpillar this time), Ringo
Starr, Sid Caesar, Martha Raye, Scott Baio and Sherman Helmsley.
- Alice in Wonderland (1999): This three-hour TV special was pure casting genius. Check it out: Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat, Miranda Richardson as the Queen of Hearts, Ben Kingsley as Major Caterpillar, George Wendt (Norm!) as Tweedledee, Martin Short as the Mad Hatter and Peter Ustinov as Walrus. It took home four Emmys, including a much-deserved one for special effects. See the trailer here.
Other notable Alice adaptations include:
- Alice in Wonderland (1966): Peter Sellers stars in this Alice filmed for the BBC along with John Gielgud. Music by Ravi Shankar.
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972): Some critics say this version is more faithful to the Carroll original than others. With Peter Sellers (again!) Dudley Moore, and Fiona Fullerton as Alice.
- Alice (2009): Harry Dean Stanton? Tim Curry? Yep, and add Kathy Bates to the mix in this miniseries from the Syfy cable network.
- Francine Ruley
Tim on March 11, 2010 at 10:23 AM
You've got to include the Jan Švankmajer's amazing stop-animation production of Alice (1988 film).
the dark one on March 12, 2010 at 12:22 PM
You should also include the 1950 stop motion/live action version by Lou Bunin, which is probably the most faithful adaptation of the original books.
Chris D. on March 12, 2010 at 12:47 PM
I know this is opinion only... but the recent Syfy version tells a very interesting story regarding Alice's adventures. While initially intriguing, I felt especially cheated by an extremely weak, incomplete, and hole-ridden plot. A mostly stellar cast to flesh out insane, over-the-top characters, saved this mini epic. Effects and scenery are beautiful, but can not excuse Syfy's approach: Let's take a public domain story, rewrite it without regards to logic, add a few characters to make it our own.
Their interpretation of Alice reminded me of Tinman (Wizard of Oz), which was a flop at best.
I did not expect cinema quality, but as far as made-for-TV, the 1999 version is WAY better and sets the bar in regards to plot and performances.
If I may add American McGee's Alice, a first-person 3D action-adventure game. It really changes the disneyfied approach of a children's tale to a nightmarish sequel. If memory serves correctly, Wes Craven was once attached to the moviefication of this specific version, to be a 3D animated feature. I would have liked to see that, knowing the story and conclusion(s).
Alas, Disney/Burton was quicker, and we now have to deal with that. Yay?
my 2 cents.
submandave on March 12, 2010 at 01:12 PM
How could you possibly have forgotten Bill Osco's clasic 1976 "Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Fantasy," staring Playboy model Kristine DeBell?
roger h on March 12, 2010 at 01:12 PM
How about the 1976 X -rated version?
Bob Hawkins on March 12, 2010 at 01:15 PM
I think there's a law in the UK requiring every pretty young actress to play Alice at least once. Kate Beckinsale put it off for a while but finally had to play Alice as an adult in "Alice through the Looking Glass." Emma Watson cleverly played a pretty young actress who played Alice on the stage in "Ballet Shoes," which probably technically satisfies the law.
Javert on March 12, 2010 at 01:26 PM
Thanks, now I can't get Grace Slick out of my head.
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John Dunshee on March 13, 2010 at 12:48 AM
Remember what the dormouse said.
JAS on April 20, 2010 at 08:57 AM
It's great that this story has been revisited so many times, but I wish the quality of the work was better.
There are a few cool ones made of Alice, but overall there is something missing in these. Too bad Burton disappointed. Especially since it sounded like a match made in Wonderland (I refuse to call it Underland).
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sensations on October 25, 2010 at 12:35 AM
Alice in Wonderland has been a part of pop culture long before Tim Burton gave it his quirky touch. How many times have you heard someone’s smile described as a “Cheshire Cat grin” or used the expression
xiao on November 14, 2010 at 05:16 PM
oo bad Burton disappointe
custom nfl jerseys on January 19, 2011 at 06:22 PM
missing in these. Too bad Burton disappointed. Especially since it sounded like a match made in Wonderland
custom football jerseys on January 19, 2011 at 06:23 PM
It's great that this story has been revisited so many times, but I wish the quality