Watch Alice in Wonderland For Free

Very well executed

Sadly Over-hyped

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This movie is almost legendary, with an alleged star studded cast of people who actually weren't quite stars. We had seen bits and pieces over the years, but never watched it from the beginning until it was on TV recently. The sad fact is, it's not nearly as good as it should be. Movies were supposedly entering into their golden age at this point, but maybe they weren't quite there yet in 1933. This version of Lewis Carroll's immortal tale is dull and leaden, without magic and without an ounce of charm. It starts out with an invented character, a sour-faced old aunt who sets the dark, scolding tone. Alice falls asleep and goes not only through the looking glass but also down the rabbit hole in a confusing set of sequences. Someone thought it was a good idea to try to replicate the famous John Tenniel illustrations from the book, resulting in a lot of grotesque, amateurish looking papier-mâché heads covering up all the characters. The tone shifts throughout, with stylized creatures like the frog and the fish mixed in with real life ducks. Scenes come and go in a hodgepodge, none of them very funny or light of touch. We wanted this to be better from beginning to end, but alas. Nobody has ever really captured "Alice in Wonderland" correctly except for Lewis Carroll himself.

I stumbled on this quite by chance in a Charity Shop and on the strength of the cast and technical credits I snapped it up for a peppercorn £2. Even as early as 1933 Mank had several screenplays under his belt and he allegedly made a point of adhering scrupulously to the Dodson text albeit he did combine Wonderland with Through The Looking Glass. Similarly the original Tenniel illustrations have been replicated as closely as possible. In twentieth century England there were several disparaging terms for homosexual men, one of which was brown hatter and I wondered if the term might have been known to the casting director who tapped Edward Everett Horton for the role of the Mad Hatter though it is, of course, probably pure coincidence. Charlotte Henry is clearly too old - she was 19/20 when the film was shot - for Alice and invites comparison with Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz but like Garland she is excellent in the part. The score marked the debut of Dimitri Tiomkin albeit not terribly distinguished. In most cases - just like The List of Adrian Messenger - it could be anyone under all that slap, for instance only the distinctive voice tells us that it is Cary Grant lurking inside the shell of the Mock Turtle, just as we recognize Humpty Dumpty via the unmistakable tones of Bill Fields. In a nice touch the segment covering The Walrus and the Carpenter is a self-contained animation sequence and none the worse for it. On the whole this is a delight for both survivors of its generation and younger film buffs who will know, if only by reputation, at least half the cast.shot in pure anima

I remember this movie fondly watching it as a young girl in the 60's and will never forget it...I'm obsessed with viewing this film again...I searched video stores in the Twin cities...searched the internet... talked to anyone who would listen...and finally, sadly, found out that Paramount and another corporation are fighting over the rights to the movie (read that on the internet)... Please resolve your differences so we can all enjoy the classic again..It was aired on TMC to honor W.C. Fields I was told by co-worker...which I didn't see my heart just sank at the thought I missed it...All the baby boomers would love to see it on DVD...HELP

I was lucky enough to watch this movie on television a couple of times. The first time was as a child in the early 60's. I was totally fascinated. I think it introduced me to the pleasures of black and white film. The second time I saw it was about 20 years later. I was traveling and had just checked into a wonderful old hotel. I turned on the vintage television to entertain myself as I unpacked. To my amazement there it was. The original Alice in Wonderland! What a marvelous afternoon treat to watch this classic in such a perfect setting.I am so enchanted with this film and so frustrated that such a classic seems to have disappeared entirely. Though I'm sure the animated versions are good, this version is fantastic. For as old as the film is the surreal settings were incredible! I can't imagine this gem is locked away, collecting dust. Its just a shame. It would become a cult classic like Wizard of Oz.