Ah...BBC... where we're you when I was younger and more impressionable. This solid black and white 1966 adaptation of the Lewis Carroll story may help wipe the 'meh taste out of your mouth from the last technicolor 3D one that screamed EAT MEEEEE. Every bit as surreal and far better realized than the Burton version this interweaving of innocent whimsy with solid social satire boasts a cast to die for including Peter Sellers , John Gielgud, Michael Redgrave, Peter Cook and Leo McKern and has original music from the legendary Ravi Shankar.
The extras on this disc are also outstanding and include directors commentary, the original 1903 silent version of Alice in Wonderland, Dennis Potters (The Singing Detetcive, Pennies From Heaven) biopic on Alice Liddell the real life inspiration for the character, a Terence Spencer photo gallery and extra Ravi Shankar footage.
Alice in Wonderland has seen a lot of decent adaptations and some truly forgettable ones. This one stands out, as all the really good ones do, for reasons above and beyond the power of the source material. Whether you are interested in the sixties and seventies counter culture, or the psychological underpinnings of Carrolls tale this will fascinate through many viewings.
BUY IT AND NOT ANOTHER TICKET TO YOU KNOW WHAT NOW
This dvd just shipped out from Netflix to me yesterday. So I'll have it today to watch for the first time. Seems like interesting timing for this post.
Makes me even more anxious to watch. Thanks!