Alice no País das Maravilhas

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.

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.

This film seems very obscure given its production values and amazing cast - I only came across it while scanning Cary Grant's filmography. It seems mostly lost to time.

The film edits together both Alice books into a single narrative (such as it is; the plot remains very episodic). The special effects are still impressive. It made me wonder what the reaction of the public was to this film in 1933 - seems like it would be a major spectacle like the "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings" is to present generations.

Part of the fun is seeing major stars together in the same movie (Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, W.C. Fields) and being exposed to many other actors who may have been stars in their day and have disappeared from modern memory.

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.

this 1933 Classic adaptation of Alice In wonderland is without a doubt the best screen version ever. The costumes and sets are magnificent, the casting is excellent, and the special effects are amazing especially for 1933. I'll admit I have a crush on Alice. I watched this movie recently and enjoyed it very much. It is funny to see Cary Grant as the mock turtle and W.C. Feilds as Humpty dumpty. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes movies My rating is 4 stars out of 4 stars.