Alice in wonderland adaptation blog (Les Aventures d'Alice au pays des merveilles (1970))

Intro // i love alice in wonderland. There are countless adaptations of both alice books, in so many different formats.

This blog focuses on mostly one adaptation at a time, which today is "Les Aventures d'Alice au pays des merveilles"  (1970) //

This one is a low budget, more obscure live action adaptation. There's not alot of information on the production, or really anything. It uses alot of blue screen, animal heads, puppets, and collage and kaleidoscope effects. It has a 2d animation mixed with live action thing going on, which is a thing i really like actually.

In the comments on the upload of the movie, i saw it be referred to as really bad, and eyebleeding. Either that or its shrugged off. And when i read before watching it, i felt they might've been overreacting. A friend of mine had once suggested it as a genuine surrealist adaptation, because shockingly, thats extremely rare in alice adaptations.

Once the credits had started i could tell it was gonna be a very colorful adaptation. Which i was very excited about. As much as i love black and white films, i always crave a more colorful movie. Maybe im a toddler, but i sure do love a brightly colored movie.

Just about every scene in the movie is in front of a bluescreen, which isnt a critique. Its very interesting actually. There were almost no real sets, and it manages to make the use of still images interesting most of the time. 

The animal hats were very interesting, im always bias towards animal suits and costumes rather than completely humanized animals. 

This adaptation also fell victim to the trope in alice adaptations where the small door in the hall of doors scene isnt too small for alice to craw through. Which is more comedic than it is inherently bad or annoying. Its fun to point out

It was in the caucus race scene where i started to get the whole "eyebleeding" thing...

But by the time the white rabbits house scene i really got it, along with the "ear bleeding" part. There was a horrible almost unreasonable clashing of what sounded like phones ringing and silverware falling. It was easy to move on from tho, and honestly, the background art made up for it.

The art of this film was very interesting aswell. The weird stop motion - esc collage art was really fun and very eye catching. Every scene where they were just actors placed over tenniel illustrations was hilarious, loved that so much. 

One part i need to talk about is the pig and pepper chapter.

This is how the poem goes

It was satirical of another popular poem or nursery rhyme of the time, but that doesn't matter in the moment.

Its crude and violent enough to have the entire chapter stripped from most adaptations.

This adaptation kept it in, being a very word for word adaptation. Which is good and okay! I like when the chapter is included, because when it isnt, the footmen, my favorite characters, are cut out.

But this adaptation however, despite being word for word in every other aspect, adds in a second verse about.. cooking the baby??

Adding in lyrics like, bluntly 

"Put the babies head through a grinder!"

"Lets make sausage with his thighs!"

"Some juice with his ears!"

This may be a sort of reference i didnt understand, but wow it threw me off. 

Alice's dress changes color alot, which was a detail i loved.

The imagery was flashing, swirling, nonsense. Constantly switching between magazine collages, oil paintings, and toddler doodles. And this isn't a critique!! Yeah it's overwhelming at times, but God it was fun.

There were so many points while watching this that i was laughing really hard, or just completely dazed. And i think thats perfect. Alice in wonderland is a surrealist comedy. This movie really got that, even if it was executed strangely.

Along with this, it was very dreamlike. Jumping from place to place, often not being in a real space, but just the idea of a space. Thinking only in concepts. I found that really interesting.

Almost every conversation was accompanied by a sort of cut away, even in ways i never see in other adaptations.

For example You are old father william often gets a seperate little thing, tho rarely. But this chanted setting alot, which was really fun. Alot of adaptations drag due to predicability, so it sometimes feels like its just people sitting around and reciting the book. 

Its been a while since ive found myself feeling like id experienced a weird fever dream while watching a book accurate adaptation. But this was great

If this movie had a bigger budget or whatever, it would be much more well liked. It has the potential for it. Its a good movie. I feel like it captured the book quite well, despite being headache inducing.

A bad film is hard to define. There are many ways a movie can be bad. I think the worst kind of bad movie is a movie that causes harm to the real world. The second worst might be just a movie that's bad because its boring. But as a lover of horrible movies, i deeply enjoy films that are "so bad they're good" but that also has categories. Films that are bad, but it's charming. Films that are bad but it's hilarious. This one, was a very funny movie. 

If i had to rate it, I'd probably rate it 3½ stars? Out of 5. It was a good movie, not the best,but it was fun. 

But yeah if you wanna watch this one, beware of some eyestrain, but its not terrible.