This is probably the most superior of all the adaptations of 'Alice'. I didn't say the most fun or has the best gimmicks, but it's probably the most intelligent and erudite of them all.
Director Jonathan Miller hired cinematographer Dick Bush(yea i know,ha ha)to film this BBC TV production in 35mm B&W, using deep focus,wide angle cinematography, a technology that is usually associated with theatrical features. The result is probably the best filmed 'Alice' of them all.
The Mad Hatter's tea party is probably the best here out of the dozen or more versions I have seen. It's done without corny special effect gimmicks, no overt slapstick, and no cute little songs. It's just done with subtlety and understatement. The resulting effect is probably the maddest,craziest,and funniest of all the tea parties put on film. Peter Cook is without a doubt the funniest and best of all Hatters I have seen, and I've pretty much seen all of them. He really seems like a man gone mad. And not a sweet madness like Johnny Depp, but a very disturbing kind of madness.He is also the most sophisticated in his portrayal.
This is one of the most faithful adaptations. The only real flaw being that the Caterpillar is not smoking a hookah. The reason is obviously because it was made for TV at the time and that would have bothered censors.
As far as a work of cinema goes, it's beautiful and it's perfect. It has a offbeat sensibility about it that echoes the Richard Lester films of that period. This is a true masterpiece.
Director Jonathan Miller hired cinematographer Dick Bush(yea i know,ha ha)to film this BBC TV production in 35mm B&W, using deep focus,wide angle cinematography, a technology that is usually associated with theatrical features. The result is probably the best filmed 'Alice' of them all.
The Mad Hatter's tea party is probably the best here out of the dozen or more versions I have seen. It's done without corny special effect gimmicks, no overt slapstick, and no cute little songs. It's just done with subtlety and understatement. The resulting effect is probably the maddest,craziest,and funniest of all the tea parties put on film. Peter Cook is without a doubt the funniest and best of all Hatters I have seen, and I've pretty much seen all of them. He really seems like a man gone mad. And not a sweet madness like Johnny Depp, but a very disturbing kind of madness.He is also the most sophisticated in his portrayal.
This is one of the most faithful adaptations. The only real flaw being that the Caterpillar is not smoking a hookah. The reason is obviously because it was made for TV at the time and that would have bothered censors.
As far as a work of cinema goes, it's beautiful and it's perfect. It has a offbeat sensibility about it that echoes the Richard Lester films of that period. This is a true masterpiece.