Alice in Wonderland (1955)

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Movie
Original title Alice in Wonderland
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1955
length 90 minutes
Rod
Director George Schaefer
script Florida Friebus
Eva Le Gallienne
production Maurice Evans
music Richard Addinsell
occupation

Alice in Wonderland is a 1955 American fantasy film directed by George Schaefer . It is based on a play by Eva Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus based on Lewis Carroll's book Alice in Wonderland , which Friebus himself adapted for television. The imaginative young Alice, played by Gillian Barber , embarks on a magical journey through the illogical and bizarre world on the other side of the mirror. With a white rabbit ( White Rabbit ) as leader Alice discovered fantastic creatures like the Mad Hatter (Mad Hatter) , the hookah smoking caterpillar (Caterpillar) and the common Queen of Hearts (Queen of Hearts) .

It is the first film about Alice in color that is not a cartoon.
The fantasy film shot for American television was first broadcast on October 23, 1955 under the full title Hallmark Hall of Fame: Alice in Wonderland .

action

In the 19th century in England: The young Alice is in the company of her cat while she reads a book that she quickly gets bored. So she climbs on the fireplace, on which there is a mirror. No sooner has she looked than she falls into a haunted land where chess pieces have come to life, which arouses great astonishment in Alice. When she follows a white rabbit, she falls even deeper and almost drowns in a puddle of mouse tears before entering a wondrous garden. There she meets the bird Dodo , who tells a story until Alice is dry again. A hookah-smoking caterpillar then shows Alice how to change its size by tasting a certain mushroom.

When Alice comes across a duchess and a cook who are fighting with each other, she takes the child from the duchess, which she is carrying in her arms, which then turns into a pig. Alice walks on through the garden in the direction of the cat Cheshire , which confuses her and shortly afterwards disappears into thin air. Her further path leads her to a tea party, which she joins, where she meets the March Hare, the Hatter (Mad Hatter) and the Dormouse.

Some time later, Alice has been chosen by the Queen of Hearts to be executed, she only escapes this fate because the executioner has his day off. Suddenly the Duchess is back and walks through the garden with Alice, preaching morality. During this walk Alice gets to know the griffin (Gryphon) and the turtle (Mock Turtle). The twin brothers Tweedledee and Tweedledum tell the story "The Carpenter and the Walrus", but are interrupted by a fight over a broken rattle that comes to an abrupt end when those involved are startled by the screaming of a crow.

When Alice buys an egg, it turns into the human-like egg, Humpty Dumpty , from which Lewis Carroll's poem " Jabberwocky " from the book Alice is recited behind the mirrors , until the shell suddenly breaks and falls off. The bumbling White Knight instructs his men to put Humpty Dumpty back together so he can accompany Alice to the edge of the forest. There the girl falls down a slope and becomes a queen. A feast is given in her honor, with all prepared dishes rising into the air and starting to dance. When the Red Queen suddenly begins to choke Alice, she wakes up and is at home on her chair with her cat Dinah and is amazed to find that the Red Queen from her dream was her cat.

Production and Background

The film, made for American television in 1955, in which the 14-year-old Gillian Barber played the lead role, is hardly available anymore. There are copies of this television production that have survived in various archives, such as the UCLA Film & Television Archive at the University of California, Los Angeles , but since it is no longer traded, a copy is a rarity.

The version adapted by the actresses Florida Friebus and Eva Le Gallienne based on Lewis Carroll's book is based on the play of the same name performed on Broadway in 1932. One of the highlights of the television film is Le Gallienne's appearance as the White Queen, as well as on the theater stage. Various adjustments make the mistake of jumping back and forth arbitrarily in the action. In this adaptation, Alice enters Wonderland through her mirror, as this is an easier transition on stage than falling into a rabbit hole. The first third of the film sticks pretty closely to the stage play, albeit shortened.

Marc Breaux, who played the walrus, later made a remarkable career as a choreographer.

reception

The film was appreciated by both the audience and the press. The lead performances and the breakthrough technology of color film insertions (highlighted Color Video Insert ). The Billboard Magazine praised the production quality: "Everything the eye saw was fantastic and enchanting [...] the visual effects were carried out excellent." The industry magazine Variety judged the film as "majestic production" and referred to the "lovingly detailed costumes Noel Taylor, the sets by Jan Scott ”and the“ lively, powerful film music ”by Richard Addinsell . The portrayal of the 14-year-old English actress Gillian Barber is also remarkable. For her age she possesses a lot of “authority and charm” and contributes to the success of the production with her graceful presence.

Award

  • Nomination for a Primetime Emmy in the category "Best Artistic Equipment" (Jan Scott, Production Designer)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hallmark Hall of Fame: Alice in Wonderland at comicvine.gamespot.com (English)
  2. ↑ a b Alice in Wonderland Review in the IMDb
  3. ^ Alice in Wonderland ( Memento November 21, 2008 on the Internet Archive ), UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved September 24, 2010.