Alice (Neco z Alenky)
Alice (or Neco z Alenky) is the 1988 retelling of Lewis Carroll's novel Alice in Wonderland. Directed by Czech stop motion legend Jan Svankmajer, Alice is a visually stunning journey into mind of a lost child. At the mention of stop motion animation, many Americans immediately think of Ray Harryhausen or Willis O'Brien. Jan Svankmajer is usually sadly overlooked, and yet his work from the late 1950's onward has influenced artists from Tim Burton to the Brothers Quay, and media from music videos to Disney movies. The imagery found in his films can certainly be placed into a distinctively gothic aesthetic, in a time before that aesthetic could even be defined. The film begins with the main character skipping stones by a brook. Alice is the only character portrayed by a live actress, surrounded by a supporting cast of stop motion creatures. Alice also serves as the narrator with all dialect presented in a voice over fashion. This style works will to both remind us that the film is referencing a book, and to overcome the problem of over-dubbing a film not recorded in English. However, it is not the story here that is really important; as many people already are familiar with the series of adventures Alice embarks upon. It is Svankmajer's unique and disturbing portrayal of the story and its characters that makes this version something special. For example, in a dusty and dimly lit room Alice discovers a stuffed white rabbit (a Victorian anthropomorphic grotesque) in a glass case. The rabbit suddenly comes to life, pulling his nailed feet out of the floor, breaking the case, and running off. After Alice follows the rabbit through a desk drawer her nightmarish journey begins.I don't want to go into too much detail, just to say that the rest of the film is about an hour and a half of surreal landscapes, characters composed of junk and animal skeletons, sinister domestic objects, and all the dark humor of the original novel. The animation of the creatures throughout the film is just detailed enough to convince the viewer they are indeed alive, and yet something in their jerky motions remains decidedly off and creepy. The film quality is grainy but not cheap, with a keen attention placed on color, light, and shadow.If you're looking for a concrete narrative with a definite resolution, then Alice probably isn't for you. However, if you're at all a fan of Carroll, stop motion, or gothic aesthetics, then you should take the time to check Alice out. Besides being entertaining in its own right, Alice also serves as a decent primer into Svankmayer's other work. Alice is available on DVD, or look for it on video at your local library.
Added: Friday, July 11, 2003 Reviewer: kira Score: Hits: 1160
|