Alice in Wonderland, BBC version, 1966

The film has John Gielgud, Leo McKern (The Prisoner), and Peter Sellers, among others. The film is in black and white.

It's probably the most god-awful version of Alice in Wonderland that I've ever seen. It's bad as a film and it's worse as an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland itself.

First problem: the people playing the White Rabbit, the Dormouse and various other characters do not use any animal-like costume at all. The only animals that appear were some pigs. The entire film consists of humans who don't even act as the animals they portray (except for the dormouse.) This also counts for the various cards that she is supposed to run into. There's not a card in sight; just regular people.

Second problem: Alice herself in this film looks spaced out most of the time. Her acting is stiffer than a board. A lot of her lines are whispered rather than spoken normally. Sometimes she is talking but is not looking at the person she is supposed to be talking to.

Third problem: The film has a tendency to jump from scene to scene. For example, Alice may be in one area, then is suddenly in a totally different area without any indication of her actually moving from point A to point B. Teleportation in Wonderland?

Fourth problem: Anyone in the film ever heard of using special effects? Remember when Alice is in the first area and has the Drink Me bottle, forgets the key, then eats something that says Eat Me? Remember how she actually grows smaller and taller? In this film there is no transition at all between stages. For a moment she is at one size, then eats or drinks something, and is suddenly at a different size.

Fourth problem: There's also difficulties with the non-living elements of the film. Alice does not fall down any rabbit hole; she goes through a horizontal tunnel and ends up in a dilapidated building. She never meets a caterpillar; she instead meets a human in a library-type room. Saves on special effects, I guess.

Fifth problem:Then there's the flood from her crying. People are supposed to have been caught in the flood but when they are seen together there is not a drop of water on them at all.

Sixth problem: During the trial scene there is an incredibly annoying sound of a chicken clucking continually in the background. Talk about distracting and utterly unnecessary.

It seems to me that the film must be supposed to be some kind of psychedelic version of the film. Even that way I don't think it would make sense. Yes, I know Wonderland is not really a sensible place, but this film makes Wonderland seem normal.

Absolutely terrible.

Some captures from the movie:

Leo McKern as the Duchess.

Alice of the frizzy hair and the spaced-out stare.

The tea party.

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