Alice Through the Looking Glass

In first place: Excuse me for my English; I don't speak this language.

While it is true that this film isn't a true reflection and exact of thread of events that get passed in measure that one go reading Lewis Carrll's book (as this film is an adaptation in form Musical) the film itself shows us another different perspective of this Story; but without distorting the essence present in Carroll's original version.

The film not only added some scenes or situations that are not originally present in the book; but also added brand new characters as is the case of "Lester", the Royal Jester, that within the plot of the film is a character who serves to be as an Alicia's assistant that appearing only when she needs him, exactly so, like what he is: A buffoon, Lester becomes for Alicia, something like the Joker that she needs when she is in trouble, he is the Ace that she has hided up her sleeve. The musical numbers in the film are also very nice and funny. In my opinion I think that this film should see any children aged 7 to 12 years old, which is the stage of their lives when they are a mix of children and teenagers.

We remember that the Alicia is in the book "Through the Looking Glass" she is much less child-girl, that another Alicia what we read in the book of "Wonderland", when Lewis Carroll wrote "Through the Looking Glass" he knows that true Alice soon be a woman and she will make her life as a woman married to another man, and most likely, what not be him.-

This "adaptation" of Lewis Carroll classic completely throws out his original story and dialogue and substitutes its own mish-mash. No Carroll in sight. Enough said.

This may not be the "Alice" adaptation for Carroll purists (You'd have to go to the TV production of earlier this year for that), but it IS entertaining, and the cast DOES seem to be having a good time with it. Judi Rollin, just 20 at the time, is a terrific Alice, with a fine singing voice. One wonders why her career never went beyond the early '70's. Ricardo Montalban brings his usual effortless charm to the White King, and Nanette Fabray is hilarious as his scatterbrained Queen (Her number, "I Wasn't Meant to Be a Queen," is a howl). Agnes Moorehead is her usual imperious self as the Red Queen, and Jimmy Durante is, well, Jimmy Durante as Humpty Dumpty. Most delightfully over-the-top performance is Jack Palance, wearing this spangled Bob Mackie concoction, as the Jabberwock. Composer Moose Charlap was obviously hoping to repeat his "Peter Pan" success with his songs here, and, if they don't have the charm of the ones he wrote for Mary Martin, et. al., they come pretty close, as arranged by the great Don Costa. An Emmy nominee for Best Children's Special, and a Grammy-winner for Best Children's Album, this is an overlooked treasure. As I say, not for Carroll purists, but not bad!

I have very fond memories of this TV movie. I remember seeing it as a small child on VHS and loving it. I just saw it again recently, and it still holds up well, even as an adult. It's a stage play adaptation of Lewis Carroll's famous sequel to "Alice in Wonderland". But the focus is more on the songs than it is on the adaptation. This is a good thing, because the songs are quite good and very catchy. It's also wonderfully performed by a cast who you could tell had a lot of fun making it.

A word of caution, the stage play feel of this movie is quite apparent. It was made for TV, so don't expect high production values. In fact, it feels more like a variety show than a movie. Nevertheless, the sets and costumes are quite imaginative, and little kids will be drawn in by the children show look of the movie.

The best part of this movie are the songs themselves. They are very memorable and some are classics in their own right. Decades after seeing it for the first time I could still sing along to many of the songs. You could tell they were influenced by 1939's "The Wizard of Oz", because the songs, pacing, and overall feel is very similar to that movie, albeit on a smaller scale. There are several cameos by prominent performers (Jimmy Durante, the Smothers Brothers, Ricardo Montalbon, Jack Palance and Roy Castle among others). The performances are very upbeat and delightful ... another reason why little kids will love this movie.

The most important role is, of course, Alice herself. Alice is portrayed by the adorable Judi Rolin. Judi Rolin was 20 when they filmed this, so Alice is a bit older than she was in the book, but they definitely made a wise choice in casting her. Judi Rolin's beautiful smile, childlike innocence, energy, and gleeful singing definitely make this movie. Had it not been for Rolin, I'm not sure this film would have worked at all. It's a shame she wasn't cast in more roles after this.

All of that being said, this film is not for everybody. I admit that I am viewing it with rose tinted glasses as I did love the movie as a kid. It strays very far from the source text, and, in a way, is almost a whole new story. At its worst, it can be quite corny, and the almost overly optimistic atmosphere, low budget costumes, scenery and camera tricks will probably make more than a few people roll their eyes. But most kids will not care. They will love the songs and the happy atmosphere. And those of us who are not yet completely jaded in our adulthood will still enjoy it.

I searched for years for a copy of this wonderful show, it is just as good as I remembered it! Judi Rolin is a magical Alice-she relates to the residences of Looking Glass Land as if they were everyday people and it really makes the story! (I really wish I knew what happened to her-she should have been a star!) Ricardo Montalban is funny but tender as the really brave White King, while the musical numbers with Agnes Moorhead and Nanette Fabray just "sing". A real treat is a rare American appearance of Roy Lester, whose chemistry with Judi Rolin in both a fantastic acrobatic number and the fight scenes with a hysterical Jack Palance really make this a memorable family show! To those who remember the great shows and films that used to air after the Thanksgiving Parades-this show will bring back such memories (especially Sabastian Cabot hosting "Alice" and singing a beautiful Thanksgiving Hymn)! If you can find a copy-share it with your loved ones!