A very surreal retelling of Alice in Wonderland using puppets and stop-action is by Jan Svankmajer (Netherlands). The film takes place in a grotesque Victorian multiroomed decaying mansion filled with stairs, rotting walls, and all sorts of Victoriana props.
We first see Alice sitting by a stream throwing rocks into it while her governess sleeps with a book open. Later in the house, Alice pitches more rocks into a teacup. Looking up, Alice sees the white rabbit in a display case and as he comes to live in stop-action, he pulls the nails which hold him down out of his feet and dresses himself in a red jacket and top hat. He is constantly trying to fill his gaping front fur with the sawdust that falls out.
Alice begins her journey following him and shows herself to be willfull and unsympathetic. She breaks things and throws objects. When she shrinks in size she becomes a Victorian googly- eyed doll. All of the creatures she encounters are threatening looking. Several have animal skulls and menacing appearances. In the room of the caterpillar, for example, there are countless holes in the floor. Through them, and creating them, are moving socks. One sock eventually grabs a set of false teeth and an eye ball and transforms itself into a talking sock caterpillar. In the world of Queen of Hearts, when the Queen calls, "Off with their head," the white rabbit uses his giant scissors to cut off the card heads.
The feel of the adventure is of someone being trapped in the surrealistic world of Joseph Cornell boxes.
Alice, originally titled Neco z Alenky (1988) ***
We first see Alice sitting by a stream throwing rocks into it while her governess sleeps with a book open. Later in the house, Alice pitches more rocks into a teacup. Looking up, Alice sees the white rabbit in a display case and as he comes to live in stop-action, he pulls the nails which hold him down out of his feet and dresses himself in a red jacket and top hat. He is constantly trying to fill his gaping front fur with the sawdust that falls out.
Alice begins her journey following him and shows herself to be willfull and unsympathetic. She breaks things and throws objects. When she shrinks in size she becomes a Victorian googly- eyed doll. All of the creatures she encounters are threatening looking. Several have animal skulls and menacing appearances. In the room of the caterpillar, for example, there are countless holes in the floor. Through them, and creating them, are moving socks. One sock eventually grabs a set of false teeth and an eye ball and transforms itself into a talking sock caterpillar. In the world of Queen of Hearts, when the Queen calls, "Off with their head," the white rabbit uses his giant scissors to cut off the card heads.
The feel of the adventure is of someone being trapped in the surrealistic world of Joseph Cornell boxes.
Alice, originally titled Neco z Alenky (1988) ***
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