Alex au pays des merveilles

Paul Mazursky co-wrote and directed this self-indulgent, though rarely boring, chronicle of an emerging movie director's quest to find a relevant, honest subject for his second picture. With reality and fantasy intermingling (often with a heavy hand), Mazursky is able to try out different filmmaking styles and techniques--some bold and some pretentious. This approach turns the picture into a series of vignettes, not all of which hold together, however there are wonderful individual moments amongst the dross. Donald Sutherland has a magical chance meeting with Jeanne Moreau in front of a book store, and there's an elaborate, surreal scene of war on Hollywood Boulevard (as seen through the jaundiced eye of a movie camera). A prickly bit of overstated authority on the U.S./Mexico border (with Sutherland singled out possibly because of his long hair and beard) is still topical today, however the circus folk and hippie longueurs probably looked embarrassing and dated only a year or so after the movie was released. An excursion to Rome seems included only to get a Federico Fellini cameo in the movie (Mazursky emulates Fellini's "8½" throughout, however the director's bit part is a gambit that fails to pay off). Everyday scenes of family life (house hunting, grocery shopping, etc.) are handled far too lackadaisically, although the depiction of Hollywood, California circa 1970 (wherein the Old Regime has been replaced with the avant garde New Wave) has a pointed preciseness which makes "Alex in Wonderland" an occasionally bracing document of its era. ** from ****

It is so blatantly obvious that Mazursky is gently parodying the self righteousness of the hippie movement. When discussing the black uprising movie, it's the black dude who tells him it's a rotten idea. In a more stern observation, his wife is clearly upset and his family life is clearly hitting the skids and he goes on about an acid trip he and his friend took. His wife makes the incredibly accurate observation that he wants her to do what he wants her to do not what she wants to do.

Look I fly a little to the left of the left wing but to blather on about Hollywood being left wing when they want nothing more than to do movies where "things blow up real good" is kind of ridiculous.

The movie is good. It's not great. But it is a keen and well observed characterization of a creative man who is trying to keep his personal and creative life together and vibrant but falls prey to his own self doubts.

Alex in Wonderland (1970)

** (out of 4)

Paul Mazursky's second feature has pretty much been forgotten about. It centers on a film director (Donald Sutherland) who scores a hit with his first film and is now struggling to make a follow-up. He has several people pitching him ideas but the director is wanting to do something personal and a film that has something to say. ALEX IN WONDERLAND is pretty much a hippie version of 8 1/2 and I guess it should come as no shock that the highlight of this picture is a cameo by Federico Fellini who plays himself. I think it's pretty obvious that Mazursky was basing this film around his own life since he had just scored his first hit the previous year and I guess this was his attempt to tell people that he wanted to say something important. Self indulgent is something that films get called whenever they try to be smart or pretend they have something to say. Well, sometimes films do have things to say and they come across as a piece of art. When film's say dumb things they become self indulgent, which is exactly what this film is. There are just so many problems with this thing but the biggest one is that we really don't care about the director, his films or his vision of what his films should be about. Nothing that he says is all that interesting and especially when he constantly asks people if they were on an island what three foods would they want. Is that really your great vision? Sutherland gives a good performance in the lead but he really doesn't have to do very much. He pretty much just hides behind his long hair and talks about race or various movie stars. Ellen Burstyn plays his wife and does a nice job but the role doesn't give her too much to do. Besides the Fellini cameo we get another one with Jeanne Moreau, which is strange to say the least. ALEX IN WONDERLAND starts off somewhat entertaining but the more it tries to say something the more boring it gets.

Alex in Wonderland is a great movie. As usual there are users on IMDb who are dissing this movie, telling: ooh, this is the worst D. Sutherland movie, it's so boring, this is not actually a movie (sic!)more short scenes bla bla bla...that's normal. They have a different taste, they've expected something else, who knows....some familiar people were dissing lot of other great directors, you know the ones which were categorized as unconventional, as if movies should been made conventional and well structured including dramaturgish suspense romance and being thrilling also and having "well written screenplayed executived characters"...or: they're knowledge in movies could fill a regular bean halfway....

Alex in Wonderland is a near to life movie. I've found myself in some scenes or better, my thoughts. D. Sutherland is bombing in his role playing really deep. He is a long-haired, bearded, free -soul director, who's trying to find a subject for his next movie...and then a lot of funny & strange things are taking place...(what a plot description)

It's a movie for your brain & eyes, it's colorful and chilling and warm and intimate and surreal and sad...and it also leaves room for your own thoughts.

For all you cine-dudes and D. Sutherland fans give this gem a try. (You can also catch it on TCM)

And don't give this dumb user any importance who was saying "And what's with the "pedofile" scene at the beginning of the movie"...What a jerking doh-doh! In this particularly scene Alex Morrison takes a bath with his child. Which loving father or mother on this holy earth wouldn't take a bath with their own beloved child...If you call that a "pedofile" scene, then there is no hope for you fella, you're just sick & rotten....you're head is empty.

Made in the aftermath of the sixties - and not without a hint of LSD - this view on the life, times and troubles of a young movie director, is also a must-see commentary on the relations between art and industry, independent film-makers and big-time producers, American cinema and European cinema. Glorious appearances by Federico Fellini (a hard-working man, whom Alex disturbs in Cinecittá while he's editing a TV special) and Jeanne Moreau serve as extra features that will attract every real movie-buff. At the same time, the movie owes much of its intensity (and/or intimacy) to a close-knit cast, where even the director and his wife are listed. And for very good reasons. If you still think at cinema as an adventure in the making, you won't be disappointed by this one.