Gaiam Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Fiona Fullerton is surrounded by a gallery of British character actors in this 1972 musical film adaptation of "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland." Yes, I will add my voice to the chorus of Amazon customers who rightfully say that the quality of the picture and sound on the DVD release leave much to be desired. The picture on this Screen Media release is clearer than my old VHS copy. Still, this version deserves a quality restoration. Having said that, having this "Alice" on DVD is better than not having it at all; and my review will now focus on the film itself: This version begins on that famous Summer's day in the 1860's when Charles Dodgson/Lewis Carroll (Michael Jayston) took Alice, Lorina, and Edith Liddell on a boat ride on the river. As he begins to tell the story we now know as "Alice In Wonderland", Alice falls asleep. Suddenly, the very real river-bank she was resting on is replaced by an environment of over-sized flowers. Thus, the fantasy begins shortly before Alice falls down the large rabbit-hole. By including this perfect preface scene with Charles Dodgson, director/screenwriter William Sterling clearly shows that his intention is to be faithful to the original book. For the most part, he is successful. Other film-makers have failed to recognize that, while Alice's adventures are a pointed satire on Victorian society, the point of the book is really to have no point at all. Therefore, they force Alice must learn a lesson or, as in the case of Tim Burton's disappointing 2010 film (which disregards Lewis Carroll almost completely) she must go on a life-saving mission. Sterling, on the other hand, is smartly content to let Alice's adventures be whatever they are; or whatever the viewer wants them to be. The film features appropriately surreal/theatrical sets. The tone of the film, like the book, alternates between being whimsical and weird, and murky and nightmarish. Nearly every chapter from the book is included; with the addition of the popular characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Frank and Freddie Cox) from the 1872 sequel "Through The Looking-Glass". The film runs 95 minutes, but still drags in spots. The scenes involving the Duchess (Peter Bull) and the Gryphon and The Mock Turtle (Spike Mulligan and Michael Horden) could, and should, have easily been omitted. Fifteen year old Fiona Fullerton makes Alice genuinely curious, and she more than holds her own on screen in a large cast that includes Michael Crawford ("Hello!, Dolly!", "Barnum," "The Phantom Of The Opera"), Ralph Richardson ("Long Day's Journey Into Night"), Robert Helpmann ("The Red Shoes," "Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang"), Peter Sellers ("Lolita," "The Pink Panther"), Dudley Moore ("10", "Arthur", "Santa Claus: The Movie") and Flora Robson ("Fire Over England," "Wuthering Heights").The songs by John Barry and Don Black (including "Curiouser And Curiouser", "You've Got To Know When", "The Last Word Is Mine", and "The Pun Song") may not find favor with all viewers, but they are completely in keeping with Carroll's whimsical word-play in the book. In the "Curiouser and Curiouser" department, the DVD cover picture shows Alice, seen from behind, as a womanly blonde. In the movie, Fiona Fullerton's Alice is a teen-age brunette. The DVD has NO extras, interactive menus, or booklet.

You can tell from the scene of a beautiful rowboat, on an english country stream, with Micheal Jayston (of Casino Royale, and Tinker, Tailor, Solder Spy fame) and Hywel Bennett (also of Tinker,Tailor) commandeared by 3 beautiful young ladies on a beautiful summer day. It becomes dreamlike. John Barry's score is enchanting and strange and dreamlike as well. The songs are short and never drag, but add to the mood, like something you might humm for a minute from a musical as you remember some scene or somebody you love. The sets are JUST RIGHT for the book and very much faithfull to the books original. Enchanting. And with greats of english cinema like Flora Robson, Roy Kinnear (remember "Help" and "I should have been in Vivisection"), Dudley Moore (10, Cook and Moore), Peter Sellers (pink panther,The goons show, Henry Orient), Micheal Hordern, Spike Milligan (The Goons Show, The Three musketeers), Peter Bull (captain of the Louisa in African Queen) on and on. Fiona Fullerton is very beautiful and sings very well and feelingly. But I would say that what dominates is an english sense of the absurd and love of puzzles and John Barry's score. I bought 3 versions (sad I know) of USA released DVD's and they were are garbage. I liked them in a way because the 4x3 blurry representation kind of felt dreamlike in a way. But when I bought the UK released widescreen version which is fairly clean and does show the very widescreen film version I was quit happy. Well the $100 USD DVD player I just bought at Walmart if very basic (cannot remember where it was on two DVD's and fails to talk to the TV without prodding) it does play all regions and so plays this (I thought I would only play on my laptop) at 720p (upscaled). This version will fade before the 2010 release, but will come back in 3 years to crush it into non-existance. Why is a story book still so good for children and adults? Because it has been perfected over 6000 years. Do you know what a doormouse is? It is large like a small squirrel. It has a long bushy tail. It has large eyes for night and you see it sleeping in the eves in Europe. But you cannot know. Why is CGI awful, because it is perfect for 13 year old boys and men who have minds that cannot grow further. I work with computers but I do not want them telling me stories. Great sense of the material, great actors, enchanting music, intelligence will win over cartoons every time.

This is one of the absolute best musical film versions of the classic tale. Fiona Fullerton's Alice is delightful and believable and very true to the Alice envisioned by Lewis Carrol. The sets are beautifully done and are truly reminiscent of John Tenniels original illustrations. The adaptation does pull in Tweedle Dee and Dum - originally from the "looking Glass" sequel - and it rather curiously does away with the Cheshire Cat in the tree scene (which actually was shot but for some reason wound up on the floor of the edit booth!!) but all in all it is very true to the original text of the book and even incorporates some of the original poems into songs that work wonderfully! The bad news is that the colors in the master this was taken from have obviously started to deteriorate- a common problem with films of the late 60's and early 70's - and it is grainy like an overused videocassette version!- Most companies spend a bit of time digitally repairing these problems before mastering them to a DVD -- this was aparently a BARE BONES "digital remastering" -- still -- the fading colors and sometimes blurry focus add an additional dreamlike aura if you can get past the idea that DIGIVIEW REALLY CHEAPED OUT!! Still, it is a very inexpensive DVD so don't pass up this chance to see the movie now - then write to Universal - who is the current owner of this film and start crying for a TRUE REMASTER!!! Who knows, maybe someone will actually realize what a GEM they have here and give it the treatment it deserves! I am purchasing the new Universal DVD release to see if that is any better( I hear it is the same!) - I will be reviewing on that version as well and hopefully they will have made some improvements! You might want to check my review on that version before deciding which to purchase.

This is the fourth version of the Classic I have watched, - the best being the Johnny Depp version. However, Fiona Fullerton is excellent as Alice, ably supported by a star cast - if you can spot them. Apart from a disappointing Cheshire Cat I enjoyed it, although I am not too keen on the singing - but there was nothing wrong with it. Considering the age of this version the special effects were believable and they enhanced the story. The script followed the book more closely than other DVD versions, and altogether it was a colourful and enjoyable. Come to think of it, the best version is the royal ballet version, and the Red Queen is superb. If the price is right I quite like buying different versions of the same thing because making a comparison makes me more critical.

This review is specifically concerning the Oracle Home Entertainment DVD released in 2010. Since there are so many different releases available for this film, it's important to specify.I grew up watching this version of Lewis Carroll's classic story. While the pacing can be a bit languid, I've always enjoyed John Barry's haunting melodies, the wonderful cast, the imaginative makeup and costume design, and the theatrical sets. Sadly, most people seem to have forgotten about the film these days, which likely accounts for its dreadful treatment on home video. Although beautifully shot in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, all but this release has severely cropped the image to fit old 4x3 television sets. Sadly, although the full image is visible on this release, the transfer is an utter mess. It was obviously taken from an interlaced and letterboxed 4x3 video transfer made in the 1980s. It *IS NOT* enhanced for 16x9 televisions, no matter what the product description says. Saturation has been boosted beyond reason, leading to smeary colors and loss of what little detail was there. The sound seems to have been taken from a battered print, with no dynamic range and frequent distortion.As of the writing of this review, this is the best release of the film that is available; though it's kind of like saying, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

I watched this repeatedly when I was young and got it to share with my daughter. Was so excited when it arrived and was delighted with the presentation box that it came in along with the a Lewis Carol book and cast booklet. Getting it to 'visually' fit my screen (without elongating the picture or cutting bits off) was a bit of try and error. But we settled for a slightly smaller (than my screen) picture. (sorry not a very technical description). It was just as I remembered it, quality not as crystal clear as the videos of today but still clear enough to enjoy. My 5 year old enjoyed it and sat spellbound throughout. I suppose it is so unusual and different compare to today's movies. It a real treat for those who want to experience a bit of nostalgia. Love it and so glad I found it on here.

Purchased for Alice in Wonderland , adding Cinderella makes better value , I admit Alice is growing on me , initially hated it's liberal interpretion but admiration now tends to dispel any previous doubts

Two ballets that can be watched many times and still find something fresh. Outstanding performances and terrific staging make this a must for ballet fans, and for those who are learning to appreciate the art form. Highly recommend.