Neco z Alenky aka Alice (1988)

As with movies, my taste in books tend to favor the strange or nonsensical. That is why Alice's Adventure's In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There are probably my favorite books due to sheer craziness. While I adore the animated Disney version when it comes to my favorite adaptation of the story Alice is the winner. Jan Svankmajer creates an atmosphere that Carroll would be proud of. There are elements some people may not like in the CGI age we live in today since the majority of the action is done with glorious old school stop motion. To me it just adds to the surrealism of the events unfolding. My only objection is the constant need for Svankmajer to cut to Alice's lips whenever she recites for a character.

Her adventure to Wonderland begins this time after the White Rabbit ; a stuffed rabbit with huge bug eyes , comes to life in his case. He opens a secret panel in the case and quickly dresses himself . In the process he tears some of his stitches and begins to "leak" sawdust. After grabbing a trusty pair of scissors he breaks the glass of the case and leaves the room. Alice not sure what to make of it follows close behind. Instead of being led down a hole she is led to a writing desk in a field. She follows the rabbit inside the desk and makes her way to an elevator. On her way down she sees various jars of strange animals and concoctions. She reaches for a jar of what looks to be marmalade but when she sticks her finger in to sample it she discovers that it is filled with tacks.

From there she is led into stranger and stranger realms. We have the familar drinking and eating size change scene though whenever she is shrunk she is represented by a doll with her likeness. As well as the sea of tears. In this scene we have a mouse dressed as a sailor swim up to Alice and take residence on her head. She is fine with this until he decides he wants to start a fire to cook his meal. While there are several scenes loyal to the book there are also several additions created by Svankmajer that fit together perfectly with the original story. Normally I don't like when directors feel the need to add something new to a classic story but Svankmajer's vision is right on with Carroll's world. To get a sense of the his vision just view the scene below with some of his wonderful creations.

We see familiar faces in unfamiliar representations. The Caterpillar is a sock pocket with false teeth. The March Hare is a very creepy looking stuffed wind up toy whose eye falls out every time he needs to be wound up. And the Mad Hatter is a rather simple looking wooden puppet. Overall the film has a solid pace and you will be eager to see what Alice is about to get into even though you may have read the books or seen the other adaptations. This version reimagines everything creating a fresh and rather unique view of Carroll's story.