Alice (1988)

Alice: Directed by Jan Svankmajer. With Kristýna Kohoutová, Camilla Power. A surrealistic revision of Alice in Wonderland.

“This movie may be labeled frustratingly plotless by some, and thatu0026#39;s fair, but the imagery in this strange combination of stop-motion animation and live footage is so hauntingly rich and evocative that you get the feeling that someone has secretly filmed your own childhood dreams and translated them into Czech – perhaps for the viewing pleasure of the former commissars. The basic idea is that all of ALICE IN WONDERLAND is occurring in Aliceu0026#39;s house, and a staggering variety of household items are animated into jerky sort of life, while all the character voices – Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, White Rabbit – are spoken by Alice. Aliceu0026#39;s house, however, is a Czech house, and the items are old even by Soviet bloc standards. Itu0026#39;s as if an antique rummage sale suddenly sprang to life to act out a monstrous little comedy for one girl. And the architecture is simultaneously comforting and frightening. Windows, for example, merely open onto other rooms, all lit by bare light bulbs. What keeps the thing tied to Lewis Carroll is the performance of the little girl playing Alice. She appears to be about six or seven, and despite the disturbing events going on around her, she never appears frightened, and always investigates events as they grow curiouser and curiouser with a determined pluck. This little girl is always in control. What this adaptation lacks in forward momentum or narrative drive it makes up for with a surreal poetry of the domestic space as dreamed by a child.”