DVD Corner

Alice In Wonderland-BBC

This 60’s black and white production from the BBC is a startling and original take on the children’s classic.  Led by an outstanding cast that includes Michael Redgrave, Peter Sellers, John Gielgud, Peter Cook and Leo McKern help this surreal production’s credibility. Instead of using costuming of the characters, most of the key players are portrayed in Victorian costume and assume their roles quite well.

Directed by Jonathan Miller, this adaptation uses satire of English manners and aristocracy as its driving fore as Alice (Ann-Marie Mallik) goes through Wonderland in a dreamlike state, set to Ravi Shankar music.  This is truly a 60’s Alice, and people originally probably enjoyed this a lot in an “altered state of being.”

Extras include the following:

Director’s commentary
Cecil Hepworth’s 1903 silent film version of Alice in Wonderland
Dennis Potter’s 1965 biopic, Alice, about the real-life Alice, the inspiration for Carroll’s creation
Ravi Shankar Plays for Alice
Behind-the-scenes photo gallery by photographer Terence Spencer

With Disney releasing Tim Burton’s interpretation of Alice, and the rerelease of the animated classic, this is a strange interpretation that is highly original and worth a few good viewings.  There is a lot going on in this 72 minute film and this disc is worth owning for that reason alone.

March 29, 2010 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Alice In Wonderland BBC review, British, John Geilgud, Jonathan Miller, Leo McKern, Michael Redgrave, Peter Cook, Peter Sellers, satire