Lewis Carroll's Alice books are probably two of the most frequently adapted books in cinema. What separates this 1988 adaptation from the rest? Well let's get the important information out of the way: this film is a loose interpretation of Alice's Adventures in… More
Lewis Carroll's Alice books are probably two of the most frequently adapted books in cinema. What separates this 1988 adaptation from the rest? Well let's get the important information out of the way: this film is a loose interpretation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; Czech surrealist filmmaker Jan vankmajer directs it; and it's the creepiest damn thing I've ever seen in my life.
The film is a fairly direct adaptation of the first Alice book. Alice follows a white rabbit, ends up in wonderland, and meets an assortment of bizarre characters. It keeps the books minimalist narrative, and unlike many adaptations it doesn't try to be anything more than a series of strange events. Some might find that boring, and it definitely worked better in the book, but it is refreshing to see an Alice movie that doesn't try to create an epic story of rebellion or something (even though I do enjoy those adaptations as well). At the same time, it's drastically different from the book in its visual presentation. Alice doesn't fall down a rabbit hole but goes down an elevator, wonderland itself is nothing more than a large desolate looking house, and the white rabbit is a taxidermy rabbit from Alice's bedroom. Alice herself is also the only character who is portrayed by an actual actress, the rest of the characters being portrayed by various stop motion creations. This leads to the creepy part of the film.
The stop motion is quite impressive, especially for its time. However, it also feels a little jumpy, and the creatures used are often grotesque. The white rabbit has a hole in his chest that is constantly leaking woodchips; the caterpillar is a tube sock that sews in its own eyeballs; and the mad hatter...I don't even want to talk about the mad hatter. The only imagery that isn't disturbing in some manner is the card soldiers, who are constantly dueling in an impressive feat of animation. However, since this adaptation actually shows the Queen of Hearts follow through with her declaration of "off with their heads," they still manage to be disturbing in their own way. This is a surrealist film, and that's the imagery you are going to get.
Even Alice herself is a little creepy. The Alice of Lewis Carroll's stories wasn't that in depth, but she still had a personality. This Alice is completely flat and emotionless, and her face is a blank slate. She also narrates the whole story, and whenever she speaks for another character, there is an extreme close up of her lips moving in a style that vaguely reminded me of the opening to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
I didn't like this movie. Watching it was an almost painful experience. However, I still respect it as a work of cinema. Alice's journey is one that is open to endless interpretations, and that's one of the things I love about it. I didn't enjoy this adaptation, but I still think it holds a place in cinematic history as both an interesting interpretation of the classic story, as well as a work of surrealism.
Highlights
Directed by: Jan vankmajer
Screenplay by: Jan vankmajer, based on the stories by Lewis Carroll
Starring: Kristýna Kohoutová
Pros: Impressive stop-motion
Cons: Grotesque imagery that becomes unbearable
Rated: Not Rated, contains no outright violence but much of the imagery is grotesque and disturbing
Should You See it?: While I didn't personally like it, fans of surrealist cinema might enjoy it.