Down the Rabbit Hole with Alice

List creator: Saroz Created on: January 23, 2004 - 9:25 AM PST Description: Lewis Carroll's immortal Alice in Wonderland has been the basis for an astounding variety of film and TV projects. Which ones are on DVD, and are they worth your time?

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	movie title	related list	average rating	MPAA rating	watch	rent	buy
	Alice in Wonderland (Special Edition) (1951)
Everybody's seen this "Alice." Disney's version remains a joyful ride of color and music, if not a particularly great adaptation. Taken on its own, though, it's a wonderful family film, and the new 2-disc set looks super.
	Alice in Wonderland (1966)			Not Rated
Jonathan Miller's TV "Alice" is the polar opposite of Disney. A British cast (John Geilgud, Michael Redgrave, etc) with minimal costumes carry this somber, black-and-white BBC version like a piece of dramatic theater. Well worth seeing.
	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972)
My favorite "straight" version of "Alice." The cast of British character actors (including Peter Sellers and Michael Crawford) is exceptionally good, and the costumes are a treat. Even the songs are fun, although there's at least a couple too many.
	Alice in Wonderland (1983)
Richard Burton's Broadway production is ultimately a dud, but an interesting one at that. Among others, Maureen Stapleton and Nathan Lane co-star with Burton and his daughter. Give it a look if you're an "Alice" fan - if not, don't.
	Alice (1988)			Not Rated
Jan Svankmejer made what is possibly the most disturbing "Alice" ever, with scary stop-motion characters and a minimum of dialogue. It's very Eastern European in flavor (it's a Czech film), and quite bizarre. I don't recommend this one for kids.
	Alice In Wonderland (1999)			Not Rated
Despite great costumes, a well-known cast and a cavalcade of special effects, this version of Alice lacks any soul. It remains one of my least favorite adaptations.
	Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland (1995)			Not Rated
This anime (edited down to thirty minutes) features an all-female cast of characters, all of whom show remarkable interest in pretty young Alice. The art is great, and it's no worse than a PG-13 comedy, but still - this probably isn't one for the kids.
	Jabberwocky (1977)
Taking its inspiration from the famous poem (in the Alice sequel "Through the Looking Glass"), Terry Gilliam's story of an unlikely hero is strange, grotesque...and very funny.
	Alice at the Palace (1982)
Meryl Streep and Debbie Allen star in this Broadway-adapted TV production, which features the "Alice" story as the play within the play. It's not currently available on DVD, but I hope it is reprinted soon.