Curiouser and Curiouser: Will the Real Alice Please Stand Up

Curiouser and Curiouser

Many critics have claimed that Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland isn’t loyal to the original book published in 1865 by Lewis Carol. The film displays the story of Alice in the  Under Ground and claims that it was Alice who called it  Wonderland in an earlier visit. Few of the critics seem to have noticed that Burton is winking at them and his audience  throughout. The original Alice was supposedly Alice Liddell, one  of three schoolgirl sisters, daughters of  Henry George Liddell, the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University,  who were lucky enough to listen to Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson’s nonsense stories while rowing in a boat. Alice persuaded Dodgson to put the stories to paper which he eventually did calling it Alice’s Adventures Under Ground. It was only when preparing it for publication that the title was changed to Alice in Wonderland and the author used the pen-name Lewis Caroll. Throughout the film all the characters inhabiting the Under Ground wonder whether this Alice is The Alice. In a similar fashion the critics have come out against Burton’s interpretation of Caroll’s classic books and poems.

Matt Lucas X 2

Alice in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass were hardly childrens’ books. To nineteenth century England they must have seemed rather weird and improper, in very much the way the film’s Alice’s behavior rebels against what society expected of her. Caroll invented a new style of literature often called Literary Nonsense. It wasn’t supposed to be taken seriously and was more an act of fun than an attempt for serious narrative. The attraction of Lewis’ novels, written almost 150 years ago, is in their wit, and memorable characters. Burton did well to take this into account in hs rendition. Johnny Depp shines as the Mad Hatter who wonders if he is really losing it, Helena Bonhar Carter equals his performance as the Red Queen with an ego as large as her head, but it is Tweedledum and Tweedledee  as portrayed by the hilarious Matt Lucas of Little Britain and the unmistakable  voice of Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat that make this homage to Alice stand out from all the movies preceding it.
In an earlier age, Burton whould probably have been a painter with a streak of Dali or Magritte. His Wonderland, or actually UnderGround, is pure beauty. If you venture into the theatre with the right intentions, you won’t be disappointed. The film,  dealing with beauty and vanity,  will make you come out smiling.

Interview with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton 

Here are a few glimpses at prevous adaptations.

The First Alice 1903