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| Where's she gone? |
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| Emphasis on 'mad' |
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| Lobster Quadrille |
Title: Alice In Wonderland
Year: 1966
Director: Jonathan Miller
Format: DVD
Label: Danann
Notes: I was drawn to watching this after reading Rob Chapman's exhaustive music history 'Psychedelia and Other Colours'. In the chapters on the English psychedelic experience of 1966 he relates this famous BBC production to the whimsical and nostalgic affection for Victorian Britain that was so prevalent in psychedelic aesthetics. It sounded like a must see and was fascinating to finally see.
Another confession - beyond vague memories of the Disney adaption of Alice, I'm not very clued-up on the satire and wit of the original 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' novel. Fortunately it's at the forefront in this adaptation and the dialogue is clever and amusing throughout. Using Victorian locations and design adds an authenticity to the surrealism that really works. Ravi Shankar's soundtrack doesn't jar with this and adds a bit of (forgive me) mysticism.
Performances are great throughout but special credit has to go to Peter Cook's extraordinary Mad Hatter. If you are irritated by comic characters with odd voices and exaggerated nervous ticks, this may not be the tea party for you! I've never really seen much of Cook's work but his performance here helps a lot in understanding why he was considered such a talent.
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