Dreamchild (1985)
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100% of critics liked it
(10 reviews) -
83% of users liked it
(389 ratings)
Irreverent British writer Dennis Potter speaks aloud what many literary historians have only postulated in whispers in Dreamchild. The film is set in 1932, on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alice in Wonderland creator Lewis Carroll. The guest of honor at the New York-based celebration is… More Irreverent British writer Dennis Potter speaks aloud what many literary historians have only postulated in whispers in Dreamchild. The film is set in 1932, on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alice in Wonderland creator Lewis Carroll. The guest of honor at the New York-based celebration is 80-year-old Alice Liddell (Coral Browne), who as a child inspired Carroll's whimsical novels. Amidst the cajoling of both devoted fans and fast-buck hustlers, the grim-faced Alice tries to remain calm and dignified. What none of the idolaters suspect is that Alice harbors a long-suppressed secret concerning her "very special" relationship with Carroll -- a secret revealed in an extremely tasteful fashion during a flashback sequence, featuring Amelia Shankley as young Alice and Ian Holm as Charles Dodgson, the virginal, child-obsessed clergyman whom the world knew as Lewis Carroll. The darkness of Dennis Potter's vision is lightened by Muppeteer Jim Henson's marvelous three-dimensional renditions of the Wonderland and Looking Glass characters. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Gavin Millar
- Genres
- Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy
- In Theaters
- Oct 4, 1985 Wide
- Studio
- HBO Video
Critic Reviews
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Joe Leydon, San Francisco Examiner
A marvelously inventive mix of fantasy and fanciful speculation.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
The Jim Henson fabrications of the Wonderland characters are more horrific than whimsical and the direction feels like a TV film, but the attempt is noteworthy.
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Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Wistful and warm ... and just a little bit dull.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Coral Browne
as Alice Hargreaves
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Ian Holm
as Rev. Charles Dodgson
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Peter Gallagher
as Jack Dolan
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Nicola Cowper
as Lucy
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Caris Corfman
as Sally Mackeson
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Jane Asher
as Mrs. Liddell
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Amelia Shankley
as Little Alice
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Imogen Boorman
as Loriona
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Emma King
as Edith
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Shane Rimmer
as Mr. Marl
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William Hootkins
as Radio Actor
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Ron Mueck
as Gryphon
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Steve Whitmire
as Mock Turtle
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Karen Prell
as Dormouse
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Michael Sundin
as March Hare
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Fulton Mackay
as Gryphon
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Alan Bennett
as Mock Turtle
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Julie Walters
as Dormouse
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Anthony Haygarth
as Mad Hatter
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Frank Middlemass
as Caterpillar
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Roger Ashton-Griffiths
as Rev. Duckworth
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Ron Berglas
as Editor
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Danny Brainin
as Reporter/Photographer
- Nigel Hawthorne
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Pierre Olivier Bardet
as President of University
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Alan Sherman
as Reporter
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Pat Starr
as Radio Actress
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Ron Travis
as Editor
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James Wilby
as Baker
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Rupert Wainwright
as Hargreaves
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Peter Banks
as Editor
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Sam Douglas
as Reporter
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Big Mick
as Mad Hatter
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Jeffrey Chiswick
as Radio Actor
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Thomasine Heiner
as Announcer/Chairman
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Derek Hoxby
as Editor
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Johnny M.
as 1st Crooner
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Tony Mansell
as Waldorf Astoria Crooner
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Peter Whitman
as Radio Producer
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Ken Hudson Campbell
as March Hare, Radio Sound Effects Man
