Alice nel paese delle meraviglie

I remember this movie fondly watching it as a young girl in the 60's and will never forget it...I'm obsessed with viewing this film again...I searched video stores in the Twin cities...searched the internet... talked to anyone who would listen...and finally, sadly, found out that Paramount and another corporation are fighting over the rights to the movie (read that on the internet)... Please resolve your differences so we can all enjoy the classic again..It was aired on TMC to honor W.C. Fields I was told by co-worker...which I didn't see my heart just sank at the thought I missed it...All the baby boomers would love to see it on DVD...HELP

Okay, right off the bat, Paramount's all-star costume party is no substitute for the Alice books. Perhaps the eccentric literary genius of Lewis Carroll simply can't be properly recreated in a screen adaptation. No one's managed it yet, at any rate (though I'd like to see the Brothers Quay take a crack at it). Nevertheless this curious film version is worth seeing, especially for animation & special effects buffs, fans of Hollywood stars from the early talkie era, and connoisseurs of offbeat cinema. Even fans of '30s horror flicks should take a look, because this film is closer to those works in spirit than you might expect. Although I haven't seen the Paramount ALICE IN WONDERLAND in years there are elements I recall vividly, and they tend to be the frightening or bizarre moments: Alice's blurry transformations in size; Humpty Dumpty's spindly legs flailing as he tumbles backward off his wall; a puppet-like Alice sailing down the stairs, out the door and landing on the walk; the Mock Turtle sobbing weirdly as he sings of Beautiful Soup; and, most vivid of all, that horrible-looking piece of mutton sprouting a face and complaining when Alice attempts to slice into him.

20 year-old Charlotte Henry is pretty and sweet as Alice, decidedly sweeter than the stubbornly logical Alice of the books. To play the denizens of Wonderland and the Looking Glass World (realms jumbled together into a single patchwork Crazy Quilt here) the studio trotted out most of its contract stars to don heavy disguises, and the result is kind of like seeing all your favorite teachers participate in a school Christmas pageant. Some of them pull it off better than others. Perhaps the best-remembered casting is W.C. Fields as an especially cantankerous Humpty Dumpty. It's a memorable sequence alright, but somehow unsatisfying and even a little disturbing; Fields was too constrained by his makeup and the necessity of following Carroll's famous dialog to make the character his own. Interestingly, according to James Curtis' recent biography, Fields thoroughly hated this assignment and performed his scene in an ugly humor.

The scenario is disjointed, but some scenes are unforgettable. Cartoon buffs will want to tune in for The Walrus and The Carpenter sequence, introduced by Tweedle-Dumm & Tweedle-Dee (i.e. actors Jack Oakie and Roscoe Karns) wearing such cumbersome-looking rubber masks that we worry about their ability to breathe properly. The animators responsible for this sequence received no screen credit, and for a long time I was under the impression it was the work of the Fleischer Studio (whose output was distributed by Paramount) but apparently it was produced by Hugh Harman & Rudolf Ising, who were affiliated with producer Leon Schlesinger prior to this period. It's interesting to speculate how ALICE IN WONDERLAND might have turned out if the entire film had been animated, with Paramount's contract stars simply supplying the voices. This was still several years prior to Disney's breakthrough feature SNOW WHITE, so the result could have been a groundbreaking milestone in animation, and perhaps more appealing than the adaptation Disney eventually released in the early '50s. As it stands, this live action version features masks and costumes clearly modeled on the books' original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel, and offers the amusing game of figuring out which actor is under which disguise. Some of the players (Edward Everett Horton, Edna May Oliver) are more recognizable than others (Cary Grant, Sterling Holloway). The casting doesn't always make sense, but Gary Cooper's befuddled White Knight comes off surprisingly well, and arguably steals the show.

The Paramount ALICE IN WONDERLAND has never been available in any official VHS or DVD release, although I believe collectors would snap it up if it were properly restored. One problem I recall from the TV viewings of my childhood was that the picture was badly cropped, cutting off significant amounts of image, a particular problem during the credits that identify the players. This was done in 'Storybook' fashion, with big leaves turning and matching each costumed Wonderland character with the actor playing that character, seen in street clothes. The actors' names are at the very bottom of the frame, and unfortunately when seen on TV the names are almost completely obscured. This isn't such a problem when the actor is well remembered, like W.C. Fields or Gary Cooper, but not many latter-day viewers are going to recognize the likes of Ford Sterling or Louise Fazenda. It would be delightful news for movie buffs if someone (Criterion, are you listening?) could release a fully restored, letter-boxed edition of this flawed but fascinating production.

P.S. It's a pleasure to add that, as of March 2010, this film has finally received an official DVD release, concurrent with the new Tim Burton adaptation of the story. I look forward to renewing my acquaintance with the Paramount Alice.

The script combines "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass" and stays quite close to the original dialog. The sets and costumes are closely modeled on the Tenniel illustrations.

Charlotte Henry does remarkably well as Alice, but the other actors are heavily costumed and made up and rarely add anything distinctive to their roles. Best are W.C. Fields as Humpty-Dumpty and Ned Sparks as the Caterpillar.

It will be enjoyed most by those who have been through the original since some of the language and surrealistic happenings can be hard to follow in the Victorian English that is spoken and satirized.

I bought the video of this 1933 classic after hearing about it for years. Evidently, it hasn't been on TV since the 1960s. I really enjoyed the video copy I bought. Charlotte Henry was great as Alice, and the Paramount all-star cast was great too. The fun is spotting all the various stars under the various masks and guises. W.C. Fields and Baby LeRoy should've shared a scene somehow, though. At any rate, I really liked this version-it's probably the best filming of the Lewis Carroll story ever.

One of the most unusual projects ever undertaken by a studio was done by Paramount in 1933. Casting young Charlotte Henry in the title role of Lewis Carroll's beloved fantasy, Paramount then cast over 25 of their best known faces, apparently whoever was not working on another film at the moment, as the fantasy creatures she meets on her journey.

Today, these same people would just be called on to lend their voices for animation. In fact in the middle, there is an animated version of The Walrus and the Carpenter, showcased for Henry by Jack Oakie and Roscoe Karns as Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Walt Disney later took that easier route in the Fifties with his animated version. But these stars are mostly unrecognizable beneath all that makeup.

Yet the voices of such people as Ned Sparks, W.C. Fields, Gary Cooper, and Cary Grant are unmistakable. People like Edna May Oliver, May Robson, and Edward Everett Horton can be recognized. Quite frankly it was a stroke of genius to cast Horton as The Mad Hatter. It's a tossup between Horton and Ed Wynn in the Disney version as to who was the zanier.

Horton is probably my favorite from the film, but running a close second is Cary Grant, hidden underneath all that Mock Turtle makeup. This was at the beginning of his career when he was not an icon as of yet. Probably even five years later Paramount might have had trouble casting him that way. His Mock Turtle song and Mock Turtle crying are something to see and hear.

Paramount almost closed down during the early Thirties because of the Depression. Alice In Wonderland lost money badly at the box office and got tepid reviews. Seen today it's not as bad as all that and really kind of interesting in a way.