While live-action feature film versions of Alice in Wonderland fell out of favor in America in 1933, England took another crack at it with this 1972 production. By now, sets, costumes, and special effects were all of better quality, and a handful of popular British actors (including Peter Sellers again) allowed for this film to do fairly well with critics and audiences in the UK. Director William Sterling adapted the story for film, mostly sticking to the original dialogue while also adding in music and songs composed by John Barry and Don Black to give the film his own unique spin.
Original Source Breakdown
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Chapter I: Down the Rabbit Hole - MOSTLY INTACT/ALTERED
Like the 1949 French adaptation, this version begins with the boat trip that Charles Dodgson and Alice Liddell went on where he first told the story that would become Wonderland. This one remains a bit more accurate as both of Alice's sisters as well as the Rev. Duckworth are present. Dodgson starts telling the story, seemingly taking inspiration by the setting around them as well as a sleepy Alice who nods off as he tells his tale.
Chapter II: The Pool of Tears - INTACT/ALTERED
Instead of reciting "How Doth the Little Crocodile," Alice sings a new song, "Curiouser and Curiouser" to herself. Alice also doesn't have her "Who am I?" moment until later in the film.
Chapter III: The Caucus-Race and a Long Tale - MOSTLY INTACT/ALTERED
Instead of reciting history, the Mouse sings "You've Got to Know When to Stop," to Alice. This also segues into the Caucus-Race as by the time the song is over, the race is also finished.
Chapter IV: The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill - MOSTLY INTACT/ALTERED
When the Rabbit confuses Alice for his housekeeper Mary Ann, he sings "The Last Word Is Mine" where he believes himself to always be right. The "Who am I?" moment from earlier folds into this song as Alice counters back with why she can't be Mary Ann or Mabel or anyone else. The Puppy scene is once again omitted.
Chapter V: Advice from a Caterpillar - MOSTLY INTACT/ALTERED
Before meeting the Caterpillar, Alice recites "How Doth the Little Crocodile" to herself, and then mentions this to the Caterpillar, but he doesn't have her sing "You Are Old, Father William" as a result. The Pigeon scene is also omitted again.
Chapter VI: Pig and Pepper - MOSTLY INTACT
The scene plays out like usual, but for some reason, Alice's conversation with the Cheshire Cat is cut (even though he reappears later in the film and she calls him an old friend, referring to this scene). It seems that this scene was included in the original version of the film but was cut for time.
Chapter VII: A Mad Tea Party - INTACT/ALTERED
One striking change was that the Hatter's riddle changed from "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" to "What's the difference between a raven and a writing desk?" I have no idea why this was altered. Other than that, the whole scene plays out in full, with an added song about riddles and puns and with the March Hare feeding the Dormouse words to help him tell his story.
Chapter VIII: The Queen's Croquet-Ground - INTACT
This version is so faithful that even all of the cards are represented correctly. The Clubs are soldiers, the Diamonds are courtiers, and the Hearts are the royal children.
Chapter IX: The Mock Turtle's Story - MOSTLY INTACT
The Duchess's conversation with Alice about morals doesn't get very far and the Gryphon cuts the Mock Turtle's description about lessons short.
Chapter X: The Lobster-Quadrille - MOSTLY INTACT
Once again, Alice's poems and recounting of what happened to her that day are omitted. "Beautiful Soup" is also cut short.
Chapter XI: Who Stole the Tarts? - INTACT
Alice doesn't mess with the jury as much, but she does start growing and bothering the creatures she sits next to during the trial.
Chapter XII: Alice's Evidence - MOSTLY INTACT/ALTERED
Because of the set up of Alice with her sisters on the picnic actually listening to Dodgson's story, there is no need for Alice to tell everyone about the dream she just had.
Through the Looking-Glass
Chapter IV: Tweedledum and Tweedledee - MOSTLY REMOVED
Tweedledum and Tweedledee appear after Alice's encounter with the Caterpillar. They go through their introduction and they have their battle over the rattle as Alice sings their nursery rhyme. They do not recite "The Walrus and the Carpenter" nor do they see the Red King (but seeing as how the chess game isn't in session in Wonderland, that omission makes sense).
Review:
This is, for lack of a better word, as basic an adaptation as you are likely to find. As you can see, the plot and dialogue stays mostly intact, with the only alterations begin the additions of some songs as well as the inclusion of Tweedledee and Tweedledum (who by this point, many people associate as being part of the Wonderland story anyway, thanks to the 1933 and 1951 adaptations).
Being made in the 1970s means that the quality is of much higher quality than the 1933 edition, allowing for more substantial special effects. Alice growing and shrinking actually looks natural thanks to the camera tricks and edits, so I was no longer taken out of the story during those moments. Still, we do have the common issue of human trying to portray animals, but at least it's mostly done through makeup and hoods rather than full-on masks, so the effect isn't as creepy or reminiscent of a grade school play.
The added songs I could have done without. The story is full of songs and poems anyway, and setting them to music worked just fine in this adaptation. They weren't as memorable as Disney's songs, but what is? However, all of the new songs just felt like pointless filler. Some of them made the scenes drag on while others seemed to go against character personalities, like the Mouse's song or the White Rabbit's song. The original film length ran at 105 min, so if they were looking to make it shorter, those songs should have been first on the chopping block.
(For some reason, images from this film are stock photos.)
Overall, everyone does a decent job. There aren't really any standout performances, although I did feel that Flora Robson as the Queen of Hearts did a nice job of portraying her character's intensity without always resorting to yelling. Peter Sellers as the March Hare is the selling point of this film, but he's very under utilized in that role. He was more fun as the King of Hearts, as he had more of an opportunity to stretch his comedic chops. And Fiona Fullerton as Alice is perfectly sweet and endearing the title role. She's able to carry the film, even during it's sillier moments.
I don't have too much else to say about this one. It is a perfectly serviceable adaptation of the story, if you aren't looking for anything too impressive. The quality is good for the 1970s and everyone does a coherent job.
3.5 out of 5 Needless Songs
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