I will make an announcement to the newspaper, as if I lost the dog: "Lost name, nicknamed ...", here, of course, there will be a pass ... "At the neck, a copper collar." And everyone I meet, I'll call out: "Alice!" - "Suddenly someone will respond."
Alice in Wonderland is one of those fairy tales I love to read and quote from time to time. Therefore, at the moment I am trying to catch up and watch a variety of adaptations of this fairy tale. So this film, which I saw about two or three years ago (but not completely) on television, has undergone revision and my evaluation. Naturally, the film adaptation of fairy tales, often, thankless work, and about such an incredible phantasmagoria and the question is not, so when evaluating the film adaptations, I try to be extremely tolerant. But here’s the problem, if the film is not a kind of phantasmagoria, although not completely repeating the book, I simply do not raise my hand to evaluate it well, because then Alice turns into an ordinary extraordinary fairy tale. To be honest, memories from past years gave me great hope for a good film, but, alas, then I had very different ideas and priorities, so after the revision I formed a clear, I must admit, not quite good, decision.
The plot was originally modified, which he did not need. But the writers decided that to let the film without meaning somehow not very good. They invented a ridiculous morality worthy of the Duchess herself - Alice the whole film somehow suffers because of the fact that she has to sing for the audience, and naturally, in the end she understands that everything is not so scary. There has to be a happy ending, not a normal return to reality. There are also several flaws inherent in the American versions of the film. Such as, for example, the ideal of Alice is a blonde girl with long hair, despite the fact that the prototype of the heroine was a girl with dark hair.
Well, of course, each film adaptation rakes two completely different stories into a bunch, I am talking about “Alice in Wonderland” and “Alice in the Looking Glass”, but this oversight is rather the logo of such adaptations, so I no longer pay attention to this detail when watching. However, I consider it necessary to note that there are quite a lot of moments from the “Looking Glass”, such as Trulal and Tralal, the White Knight. But I can not help noticing that this film is the first adaptation (which I saw, and maybe even the first) of such a moment as the conversation of Alice with the Griffin and the Sea Delicacy (Turtle As By, Turtle Quasi or Under-Shot - depends on the translation), which could not but please me. But the more I watch these films, the deeper the idea creeps into me that Americans don’t like Humpty Dumpty’s character. Interesting, isn't it?
Nothing innovative, for television in principle, do not do, so this film from the quality of unremarkable, and to talk about the work of the Director and cameramen is extremely difficult. As well as music that I don’t remember.
There is a detail that confuses and embarrasses me. Mechanical dolls, and probably their subsequent replacement by humans. Personally, I do not understand why do a rather primitive look and, you can even say, terrible sketches (you can not call them otherwise), so that later they are still replaced by people (with no less successful makeup and costumes), but, sometimes, they “please” the eye until the end of the episode.
And, as usual, at the end of the day.
Firstly, I want to note that Tina Majorino, quite coped with the role, which can be roughly called Alice. Nevertheless, all the shortcomings of her game I transfer to the writers with their wisdom and the director with his meticulousness to these mysteries.
I mean, Whoopi Goldberg really pissed me off about the Cheshire cat. Perhaps this, of course, the quality of the graphics influenced my vision, but her voice and some overzealous smile definitely finished me off.
I didn’t expect Christopher Lloyd to like it, I can’t say I won’t like his White Knight, but I still vote for our Soviet Knight.
Miranda Richardson. This actress causes me conflicting feelings: I like her, as it was in “Sleepy Hollow” by Tim Burton, then I want to turn away from her, as in “The Great Merlin”, which, by the way, was also made for television. In the role of Lady of Hearts, she was downright terrible (I even began to trace the trend). Apparently, the entire crew of the film decided that such an “ordinary” character was too much stuff, shifted half of her duties to the strong-willed Red King, and secondly, they were told only to shout at everyone and everything if you still need to say something. It was this aspect of the film that very “hurt” me and, quite well, spoiled my attitude to this film.
I would also like to focus on Martin Short. He managed to play the Hatter so that he, one of my favorite characters in the book, I frankly did not like him. Of course, this actor is not “first class”, if I may say so, but still such a terrible result I could not expect.
I remember Gene Wilder. I’ve only seen two movies with this actor (Alice is one of them) and they’re both fairy tales, but I didn’t like him in the first or second film. I suspect he's only taken for vocals.
And also, without turning to personalities. This is not how I imagined the mouse and the caterpillar. The Duchess and her cook were pleased.
In general, the script and idea were very good (not counting the revisions), but let down the performance and, most likely, limited capabilities. Therefore, the film looks very average and almost leaves no feelings after watching.
5 out of 10
Original