Favorite Alice Adaptation?
Favorite Alice Adaptation?
Favorite Alice Adaptation?#1
Posted: 12/28/11 at 2:08pm
Okay, so Alice in Wonderland has been retold many many times in various musical and theatrical forms. I was just wondering, what is everyone's favorite? There's a lot of notable versions out there - Wonderland (blech), Alice At The Palace, Alice Through The Looking Glass w/Carol Channing...
My favorite is actually a lesser known version done by the Children's Theatre Company in 1982. If anyone gets the chance to check it out, it's really unique.
Alice in Wonderland - 1982, CTC
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #2
Posted: 12/28/11 at 2:19pm
Disney. No question about it. They're the only version I've ever seen (and I've seen plenty) that got the tone and pacing right.
It never seems to work with live actors. Each one grandstands too much, and directors tend to revel in each of the cameos. You end up with a sluggish, indulgent mess that is completely void of wit or whimsy.
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #2
Posted: 12/28/11 at 2:34pm
I'm with Best12 -- the Disney version is the one that revels in the general plotlessness of the books. Basically weird stuff happens, then more weird stuff happens, then more weird stuff happens, then more weird stuff happens...
I do love the Mad Tea Party. The funny and oddly frightening scene where the timepiece threatens to explode, prompting the Jerry Colonna's March Hare to start screaming "MAD WATCH! MAD WATCH!" is one of the great anarchic pleasures of Disney animation.
I'll only mention Burton's disgraceful film because it had a very very cool Cheshire Cat.
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #3
Posted: 12/28/11 at 4:40pm
Disney is my favorite as far as the narrative and visuals, but the 1933 film with Richard Arlen, Gary Cooper, WC Fields and Cary Grant runs a close second. It strays as far from the books as most adaptations do, but it does a GREAT job at capturing the dark surrealism of the chaotic and episodic tales.
I hated the Burton version which was nothing more than another addition to his personal collection of Johnny Depp porn.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/07
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #4
Posted: 12/28/11 at 7:54pm
In no particular order these are my three favorite adaptations:
The Disney 1951 version - A very good introduction of this story for younger children. I also loved the voice cast and the animation and songs were terrific.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972 film) - I really enjoyed the acting in it, especially Fiona Fullerton (Alice), Michael Crawford (White Rabbit), and Flora Robson (Queen of Hearts)
The 1999 TV adaptation with Tina Majorino - It was a very creative and accurate adaptation of the story. Talented cast as well as excellent sets and costumes.
Updated On: 12/29/11 at 07:54 PM
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #5
Posted: 12/28/11 at 10:15pmBeauty, is that the one with Tina Majorino? I saw that again not too long ago and thought it was pretty good.
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #6
Posted: 12/28/11 at 10:39pmThat one scared the hell out of me when I was about ten. I watched it again a few nights ago and it still scared the hell out of me.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/5/04
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #7
Posted: 12/28/11 at 11:48pm
The '83 and '88 movies, and I loved Alice in the Palace. Streep, Jeter, Linn-Baker...a really great cast.
"Drink Me!"
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/5/04
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #8
Posted: 12/29/11 at 12:18am
Alice in the Palace again. Debbie Allen high-kicks, Michael Jeter does Dylan, Streep does Baez, and Betty Aberlin (Lady Aberlin of Mr Rogers fame) does her own thing.
Alice in the Palace
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/07
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #9
Posted: 12/29/11 at 12:38am
"Beauty, is that the one with Tina Majorino? I saw that again not too long ago and thought it was pretty good."
Yes it was.
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #10
Posted: 12/29/11 at 2:53am
It's funny, most critics and Walt himself felt they didn't get the tone right for Disney's Alice. I think many felt the humour was more slapstick than Caroll's use of wordplay, etc. It was one of the few of his animated films he allowed to be shown on TV, and of course was released for 16mm rental (and then apparently pulled when they realized that many colleges were renting it because they saw psychedelic/drug influences, similar to Fantasia--ironic because by the 70s both films had re-issues that had very psychedelic posters seemingly selling that point). I think Walt also said he felt Alice was never sympathetic.
But... being a big Alice geek as a kid, I really love the Disney version too. I guess it is different in tone to the novels--there's no sense of any of the slower scenes on a golden afternoon, despite the song, etc, but as a film it's always been a favorite of mine, and it seems people have liked it more with time. Back in the 80s as a kid it was likewise one of the first Disney films you could always find on VHS and I watched it so much that I think I could still hum the entire background score (the Alice in Wonderland dark ride at Disneyland is also a must for me even if I've had friends balk at the idea of riding in those caterpillars...)
Much harder to defend but I also have a nostalgic soft spot for that "all star" Irwin Allen miniseries version--I must have been five when it aired but I remember what an event it felt like and I can probably sing most of the Steve Allen songs (of course it's hard to beat Carol Channing's Jam Tomorrow). Adding the Jaberwocky as a villain and not just a poem drove me crazy even as a kid, but it seems like a lot of adapter feel the need to give Alice some sort of story drive like that (I know even Disney contemplated using him as a character).
Which of course was IMHO disastrously handled in the awful Tim Burton version if you can even call it an adaptation, To turn it into some sort of quest fantasy just made no sense to me and I think it's a mess of a film (more annoying is how many people I know who somehow believe it's a faithful adaptation--to be fair Burton never claimed it was).
I've seen a number of others but not for a long time. I used to love the PBS filming of the stage version as a kid as well, but barely remember it (except that there was some behind the scenes thing where you saw one of the actresses smoking which shocked me as a kid who thought smoking was very bad indeed). And I've seen the 30s all star version which is slow but has great designs and some fun performances. I also remember a British version with songs and music inspired by Indian music (?) and the creepy stop motion one by Jan Svankmajer (as well as kinda Alice related, Dreamchild which I found interesting but flawed especially when it tried to be based on reality). It does seem to be one of those stories that's very hard to adapt to the screen, but people find hard to resist.
Oh and of course there's the brilliant Betty Boop in Blunderland! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZyErX_ZDO4
(I won't admit to seeing the horribly weird 70s musical porn version.... *ahem*)
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #11
Posted: 12/29/11 at 2:57am
And wow I had NEVER heard of Alice at the Palace before. How... bizarre. Wasn't Debbie Allen involved in some infamous flop disco (?) musical version of Alice? Or am I making that up...
I know the PBS version I mentioned earlier was filmed of the 80s revival with Nathan Lane of the old 30s stage hit, which was also the basis for the 30s film.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/5/04
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #12
Posted: 12/29/11 at 3:12amThanks for returning the favor. I'd never heard of Betty in Blunderland. What fun! Thanks for that link.
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #13
Posted: 12/29/11 at 3:48am
My pleasure, it's one of my favorite Betty Boop cartoons (just before the film code made her cover up more and the cartoons were toned down).
Alice at the Palace is a lot of fun--didn't realize it was by the composer of Runaways, Doonesbury, etc.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/5/04
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #14
Posted: 12/29/11 at 4:23am
I'm really well-versed in Betty Boop and Fleischer, hence my surprise at not knowing this one. Loved how Boop's dress morphed into the maid's uniform, and was fascinated by her long hair.
Alice in the Palace is available in its entirety on youtube, I think, and well worth the watch. Mark Linn-Baker has a fascinating physical sequence where he portrays an old man, as Streep sings a song describing him. He's also an hysterical Mock turtle. Jeter, well, he's Jeter. It's quirky as hell, but such a great cast.
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #15
Posted: 12/29/11 at 4:30am
It is all there--I'll have to watch the rest tomorrow but quirky with such a cast goes a long way with me...
Betty in Blunderland was on the first cheap public domain Betty video I bought as a kid when I got really into Fleischer, so I always thought it was fairly common. It's really a shame there *still* isn't a really decent Boop collection on DVD.
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #16
Posted: 12/29/11 at 9:36amGotta admit that I've always had a fondness for the Tom Petty video for "Don't Come Around Here No More." Mr. Petty in Mad Hatter drag is really disturbing.
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #17
Posted: 12/29/11 at 10:54am
Debbie Allen did indeed do a show called "Alice" in 1978 that closed out of town in Philadelphia. It was a Black-disco-dance version of the story and the audio I have makes it sound like a lot of fun.
Interestingly enough it was directed by Vinnette Carroll who went on to direct another Black Alice on Broadway in 1979 called "But Never Jam Today." Cleavant Derricks played Tweedledee (among other parts) in both versions. The songs in "But Never Jam Today" are tons of fun and I would love to see the MUFTIs take on both scores in an Alice-themed series.
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/9/04
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #18
Posted: 12/29/11 at 12:05pm
No love for Svankmejer's ALICE? The only film adaptation to acknowlege the trippy, druggy, surreal side of the stories. One of the great original visions of the eighties.
Excerpt from ALICE
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/5/04
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #19
Posted: 12/29/11 at 12:40pmAside from the books, maybe my favorite, borstal, though I only mentioned it by year.
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #20
Posted: 12/29/11 at 1:46pm
Gotta admit that I've always had a fondness for the Tom Petty video for "Don't Come Around Here No More."
One of my favorite music videos! I was obsessed with it when it first aired. The final scene is what creeps me out the most.
Don't Come Around Here No More
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #21
Posted: 12/29/11 at 1:50pm
Oh Never Jam Today... what a painfully bad adaptation of anything Alice. But almost in a so-bad-it-works way.
I will admit the '99 version with Tina Majorino is pretty accurate - its one of few versions to depict Alice with a yellow dress, which I think was the original color intended for Alice (I think it's in Through The Looking Glass where the blue dress appeared). But moreover than that, it's very accurate to the book other than the few parts that borrow from Through The Looking Glass (The Tweedle's, White Knight) and the whole plotline of Alice learning how to sing and people from real life doubling as characters from Wonderland.
My problem with a lot of adaptations out there (including the recent Tim Burton travesty, and the recent musical Wonderland) is that they try to make Alice in Wonderland have a moral value that simply isn't there. A lot of adaptations that are family-oriented and aimed towards children have tried to illustrate themes about conquering fears/growing up etc that I don't think Lewis Carroll intended while writing those books. Granted, there ARE themes of maturation and growing up specifically in Through The Looking Glass, but in my opinion, the books are a commentary on the ridiculousness hierarchy of Victorian society, and to an extent, the idea of Victorian literature of having a "moral". To those who have read the books, they're quite absurdist in nature.
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #22
Posted: 12/29/11 at 1:58pmLOOKINGGLASS ALICE...which toured. I saw it in Princeton and found it very nifty to be seated onstage as the mirror image of the audience. Great costumes, sets, acrobatics...sort of like Alice joins Cirque du Soleil.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/07
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #23
Posted: 12/29/11 at 8:07pm
"I will admit the '99 version with Tina Majorino is pretty accurate - its one of few versions to depict Alice with a yellow dress, which I think was the original color intended for Alice (I think it's in Through The Looking Glass where the blue dress appeared). But moreover than that, it's very accurate to the book other than the few parts that borrow from Through The Looking Glass (The Tweedle's, White Knight) and the whole plotline of Alice learning how to sing and people from real life doubling as characters from Wonderland."
That's something I forgot to mention in my original post. It was a very accurate adaptation of the story.
Favorite Alice Adaptation? #24
Posted: 12/29/11 at 8:14pm
I definitely showed some love for Svankmeje's version but I really need to see it again, as a kid it freaked me out more than anything else...
I only kinda remember the Tina Majorino version--at the time I thought it wasn't too accurate but I probably judged it unfairly (although the colour of Alice's dress never bothered me much). Its director Nick Willing has now made a career of doing those Sci Fi TV miniseries based very loosely on Children's classics--so far he's done Neverland, Tin Man and... Alice as well. Though all I remember from it is Kathy Bates played someone based on the Queen of Hearts I believe.
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