Alice in Wonderland (1933) User Reviews (62)

Paramount on Parade, in costumes inspired by Lewis Carroll & Sir John Tenniel

[wmorrow59 · 7/10 · 24 March 2004]

Okay, right off the bat, Paramount's all-star costume party is no substitute for the Alice books. Perhaps the eccentric literary genius of Lewis Carroll simply can't be properly recreated in a screen adaptation. No one's managed it yet, at any rate (though I'd like to see the Brothers Quay take a crack at it). Nevertheless this curious film version is worth seeing, especially for animation & special effects buffs, fans of Hollywood stars from the early talkie era, and connoisseurs of offbeat cinema. Even fans of '30s horror flicks should take a look, because this film is closer to those works in spirit than you might expect. Although I haven't seen the Paramount ALICE IN WONDERLAND in years there are elements I recall vividly, and they tend to be the frightening or bizarre moments: Alice's blurry transformations in size; Humpty Dumpty's spindly legs flailing as he tumbles backward off his wall; a puppet-like Alice sailing down the stairs, out the door and landing on the walk; the Mock Turtle sobbing weirdly as he sings of Beautiful Soup; and, most vivid of all, that horrible-looking piece of mutton sprouting a face and complaining when Alice attempts to slice into him.

20 year-old Charlotte Henry is pretty and sweet as Alice, decidedly sweeter than the stubbornly logical Alice of the books. To play the denizens of Wonderland and the Looking Glass World (realms jumbled together into a single patchwork Crazy Quilt here) the studio trotted out most of its contract stars to don heavy disguises, and the result is kind of like seeing all your favorite teachers participate in a school Christmas pageant. Some of them pull it off better than others. Perhaps the best-remembered casting is W.C. Fields as an especially cantankerous Humpty Dumpty. It's a memorable sequence alright, but somehow unsatisfying and even a little disturbing; Fields was too constrained by his makeup and the necessity of following Carroll's famous dialog to make the character his own. Interestingly, according to James Curtis' recent biography, Fields thoroughly hated this assignment and performed his scene in an ugly humor.

The scenario is disjointed, but some scenes are unforgettable. Cartoon buffs will want to tune in for The Walrus and The Carpenter sequence, introduced by Tweedle-Dumm & Tweedle-Dee (i.e. actors Jack Oakie and Roscoe Karns) wearing such cumbersome-looking rubber masks that we worry about their ability to breathe properly. The animators responsible for this sequence received no screen credit, and for a long time I was under the impression it was the work of the Fleischer Studio (whose output was distributed by Paramount) but apparently it was produced by Hugh Harman & Rudolf Ising, who were affiliated with producer Leon Schlesinger prior to this period. It's interesting to speculate how ALICE IN WONDERLAND might have turned out if the entire film had been animated, with Paramount's contract stars simply supplying the voices. This was still several years prior to Disney's breakthrough feature SNOW WHITE, so the result could have been a groundbreaking milestone in animation, and perhaps more appealing than the adaptation Disney eventually released in the early '50s. As it stands, this live action version features masks and costumes clearly modeled on the books' original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel, and offers the amusing game of figuring out which actor is under which disguise. Some of the players (Edward Everett Horton, Edna May Oliver) are more recognizable than others (Cary Grant, Sterling Holloway). The casting doesn't always make sense, but Gary Cooper's befuddled White Knight comes off surprisingly well, and arguably steals the show.

The Paramount ALICE IN WONDERLAND has never been available in any official VHS or DVD release, although I believe collectors would snap it up if it were properly restored. One problem I recall from the TV viewings of my childhood was that the picture was badly cropped, cutting off significant amounts of image, a particular problem during the credits that identify the players. This was done in 'Storybook' fashion, with big leaves turning and matching each costumed Wonderland character with the actor playing that character, seen in street clothes. The actors' names are at the very bottom of the frame, and unfortunately when seen on TV the names are almost completely obscured. This isn't such a problem when the actor is well remembered, like W.C. Fields or Gary Cooper, but not many latter-day viewers are going to recognize the likes of Ford Sterling or Louise Fazenda. It would be delightful news for movie buffs if someone (Criterion, are you listening?) could release a fully restored, letter-boxed edition of this flawed but fascinating production.

P.S. It's a pleasure to add that, as of March 2010, this film has finally received an official DVD release, concurrent with the new Tim Burton adaptation of the story. I look forward to renewing my acquaintance with the Paramount Alice.

Good adaptation, amazing cast, special effects that hold up 70+ years later

[dbrown-77 · 7/10 · 2 September 2007]

This film seems very obscure given its production values and amazing cast - I only came across it while scanning Cary Grant's filmography. It seems mostly lost to time.

The film edits together both Alice books into a single narrative (such as it is; the plot remains very episodic). The special effects are still impressive. It made me wonder what the reaction of the public was to this film in 1933 - seems like it would be a major spectacle like the "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings" is to present generations.

Part of the fun is seeing major stars together in the same movie (Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, W.C. Fields) and being exposed to many other actors who may have been stars in their day and have disappeared from modern memory.

Don't see it for the stars

[psteier · 6/10 · 23 December 2001]

The script combines "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass" and stays quite close to the original dialog. The sets and costumes are closely modeled on the Tenniel illustrations.

Charlotte Henry does remarkably well as Alice, but the other actors are heavily costumed and made up and rarely add anything distinctive to their roles. Best are W.C. Fields as Humpty-Dumpty and Ned Sparks as the Caterpillar.

It will be enjoyed most by those who have been through the original since some of the language and surrealistic happenings can be hard to follow in the Victorian English that is spoken and satirized.

All Star Alice

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 14 January 2008]

One of the most unusual projects ever undertaken by a studio was done by Paramount in 1933. Casting young Charlotte Henry in the title role of Lewis Carroll's beloved fantasy, Paramount then cast over 25 of their best known faces, apparently whoever was not working on another film at the moment, as the fantasy creatures she meets on her journey.

Today, these same people would just be called on to lend their voices for animation. In fact in the middle, there is an animated version of The Walrus and the Carpenter, showcased for Henry by Jack Oakie and Roscoe Karns as Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Walt Disney later took that easier route in the Fifties with his animated version. But these stars are mostly unrecognizable beneath all that makeup.

Yet the voices of such people as Ned Sparks, W.C. Fields, Gary Cooper, and Cary Grant are unmistakable. People like Edna May Oliver, May Robson, and Edward Everett Horton can be recognized. Quite frankly it was a stroke of genius to cast Horton as The Mad Hatter. It's a tossup between Horton and Ed Wynn in the Disney version as to who was the zanier.

Horton is probably my favorite from the film, but running a close second is Cary Grant, hidden underneath all that Mock Turtle makeup. This was at the beginning of his career when he was not an icon as of yet. Probably even five years later Paramount might have had trouble casting him that way. His Mock Turtle song and Mock Turtle crying are something to see and hear.

Paramount almost closed down during the early Thirties because of the Depression. Alice In Wonderland lost money badly at the box office and got tepid reviews. Seen today it's not as bad as all that and really kind of interesting in a way.

An All-Star Spectacular Just Misses True Classic Status

[eschetic-2 · 6/10 · 13 August 2009]

In the depths of the Great Depression, Paramount mounted this spectacular fantasy with a galaxy of top flight stars and just missed creating a classic. Like the stage ALICE IN WONDERLAND Eva LeGallienne had mounted the year before at her Civic Repertory Theatre in New York - only just closed when the film opened - which appears to have inspired this production, the sets and costumes are drawn heavily from the classic and by then in public domain illustrations from the original book by John Tenniel.

The result is a dazzling world - starting with Alice's Victorian drawing room where she is waiting out a snow storm with her cat, Dinah and her aunt before beginning her explorations Through the Looking Glass (the film combines both of Lewis Carroll's most famous books) and continuing through most of the most famous incidents from the books in live action fantasy form.

Only "The Walrus and The Carpenter," delightfully rendered by Max Fleischer's cartoon studio (one would love to have seen the cut footage of the similarly popular "You Are Old Father William" poem!) was deemed too hard to portray with live actors - the baby oysters lured from their bed for culinary conversation - "Shoes and ships and sealing wax" and all that. You've probably seen this cartoon edited from the film and issued separately!

This was a separate Hollywood production, despite similarities with the Broadway play with music, and didn't use the any of that show's Richard Addinsell song score (recorded by RCA during the stage show's 1947 revival) but turned Dimitri Tiomkin loose on it, and it's nice to see that film's premiere composer could also turn out a nice enough song or two too. This was a first class production all the way - and like MGM's WIZARD OF OZ six years later, didn't make money in it's initial release - or initial RE-release in 1935. Lacking ...OZ's Technicolor and popular song score, this ALICE IN WONDERLAND didn't even carve out its classic niche when television came in, and is now almost lost - supplanted in the popular mind by the fine 1951 Disney animated version of the story, but is well worth seeking out for lovers of Lewis Carroll, classic fantasy or classic film.

Technicolor or not, songs or not, the film still has elements which dazzle and only a few serious drawbacks for the "short attention span" set. Charlotte Henry is a fine, natural Alice (in an all too brief career of only 31 films, before retiring during WWII, she also did the Laurel & Hardy BABES IN TOYALAND in 1934 and the best of all the Chans, CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA in 1936 as Boris Karloff's daughter!) and she is ably supported by a cast of great actors - not all of whom have the luxury of costumes revealing their faces like Ned Sparks' Caterpillar, Edward Everett Horton's Mad Hatter or Edna May Oliver's Red Queen, but the voices of rising stars like Cary Grant (a wonderful singing Mock Turtle) and old pro W.C. Fields (Humpty Dumpty) won't really require seeing the faces in their "Tenniel come-to-life" costumes.

The problem, if any, comes in the mad whirl of crazy fantasy that takes Alice deeper and deeper into Wonderland (and its sequel) and after a while can lose the audience's interest as they try clinging to a thru-story line. Stick around though, for Gary Cooper's appearance around an hour into the film as The White Knight (only the name is type casting)! It is one of the greatest treats in a motion picture packed with them - and arguably one of the crowning gems of Cooper's career. Quite wonderful.

Modern audiences may cringe a bit in the opening scene seeing Alice, in a highly starched - and highly FLAMMABLE - dress and apron climbing on the grate in front of a burning fireplace to look in the mirror over the hearth, but someone at the studio did notice (and probably hoped the audience wouldn't). When Alice returns, the fire is out.

After 75 years though, the fire is far from out on this fascinating extravaganza. If you get a chance to see it, grab it.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

[CHARLIE-89 · 17 January 2000]

I bought the video of this 1933 classic after hearing about it for years. Evidently, it hasn't been on TV since the 1960s. I really enjoyed the video copy I bought. Charlotte Henry was great as Alice, and the Paramount all-star cast was great too. The fun is spotting all the various stars under the various masks and guises. W.C. Fields and Baby LeRoy should've shared a scene somehow, though. At any rate, I really liked this version-it's probably the best filming of the Lewis Carroll story ever.

Through the Mirror of Dreams

[lugonian · 7/10 · 14 December 2008]

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (Paramount, 1933), directed by Norman McLeod, is an interesting screen adaptation to Lewis Carroll's immortal fairy tale mainly for its all-star casting headed by Charlotte Henry in the title role. Although regarded quite faithful to the book, ALICE IN WONDERLAND never achieved the reputation of an immortal motion picture classic as did the better known children's' stories transferred to film, namely Laurel and Hardy's BABES IN TOYLAND (Hal Roach/MGM, 1934) with Charlotte Henry as Bo-Peep; or THE WIZARD OF OZ (MGM, 1939) starring Judy Garland as Dorothy. ALICE IN WONDERLAND did contain more screen adaptations dating back to the silent era than either BABES IN TOYLAND and THE WIZARD OF OZ combined, with the best known "Alice" being the Walt Disney's 1951 animated version. Alice even was paid tribute in a production number scored by Irving Berlin in PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ (UA, 1930) featuring Joan Bennett. This Alice may be noteworthy to some extent but basically a missed opportunity of a great classic.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND gets off on a splendid start with its three and a half minute introduction of hand turning the pages of a book, "Alice in Wonderland" and displaying the sketches of characters on one page followed by the faces of actors who play them on another. Opening shot is at an undisclosed location of a two story house being covered by falling snow as Alice (Charlotte Henry), a 12-year-old girl with long blonde hair and ruffled dress, is seen sitting at home along with her governess, Miss Simpson (Ethel Griffies), and pet cat. Bored with nothing to do, she imagines herself going through the mirror, better known as "The looking glass," where she starts her fun-filled fantasy in Wonderland encountering a handful of characters along the way: Uncle Gilbert (Leon Errol) and her Aunt (Patsy O'Byrne); a talking clock (Colin Kenny); The White Rabbit (Richard "Skeets" Gallagher); Mouse (Raymond Hatton); Caterpillar (Ned Sparks); Dodo Bird (Polly Moran); a stuttering Fish (Roscoe Ates); Frog (Sterling Holloway); a cook (Lillian Harmer): the Duchess (Alison Skipworth); the Cheshire Cat (Richard Arlen); the Mad Hatter (Edward Everett Horton); the March Hare (Charles Ruggles); The Dormouse (Jackie Searle); walking play-cards, The Joker (Baby LeRoy); The Queen of Hearts (May Robson who commands "Off with their heads"); the Five of Spades (Charles McNaughton) and The King of Hearts (Alec B. Francis); The Gryphon (William Austin); the crying Mock Turtle (Cary Grant); The Red Queen (Edna May Oliver); Tweedledum (Jack Oakie); Tweedlum (Roscoe Karns); The White King (Ford Sterling), The White Queen (Louise Fazenda); Sheep (Mae Marsh); Humpty Dumpty (W.C. Fields); the accident prone White Knight (Gary Cooper); Plum Pudding (George Ovey); among others before awakening from her dream.

With such an impressive cast and imaginative production, how could ALICE IN WONDERLAND miss? The selection of Charlotte Henry was just right (better than Ida Lupino as originally intended at one point), as was W.C. Fields in his five minute segment as Humpty Dumpty. Possibly the weakness is somewhere in the script (by Joseph Mankiewicz) where some scenes hold interest while others do not. The special effects of Alice flying through the air, growing and shrinking in mirror-like effect, quite stunning for its time, while sets by William Cameron Menzies are still quite remarkable. One scene involving a crying baby (Billy Barty) being abused may come off as disturbing, followed by his change into a pig while still squirming in Alice's arms. ALICE IN WONDERLAND at 77 minutes is not an overlong production, though it has indications of being a much longer film since Jacqueline Wells, noted for her role as Alice's sister, is mentioned but not existent in the surviving print. Many top-name stars are virtually unrecognizable in their brief roles, though some of their voices, namely Fields, are unmistakable. While BABES IN TOYLAND and THE WIZARD OF OZ relied on song interludes, interestingly none by Miss Henry. Tunes selected include "Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat" (sung by Edward Everett Horton); "Beautiful Soup" (sung by Cary Grant) "The Warus and the Carpenter" (sung/recited during cartoon segment by Jack Oakie) and "Fill Up the Glasses" (sung by cast).

Rarely televised in recent years, there are notable exceptions such as New York City's July 1983 presentation on WNET, Channel 13 (PBS), and June 4, 2001 showing on Turner Classic Movies as part of its star of the month tribute to W.C. Fields. An interesting bit of trivia by TCM host Bob Osborne noting that Mary Pickford was slated to play Alice supported by animated characters. What a worth while Wonderland this might have been! (***)

Alice in Blunderland

[sobaok · 3/10 · 11 August 2006]

This is one of those films that I could only sit through once. Charlotte Henry is fine -- in fact, all the actors were fine. The problem was in the script, the dialog, the direction, the editing, the sets and the special effects. Granted, this was 1933, but it really creaked. Part of the problem is that actors like Richard Arlen, Gary Cooper, W.C. Fields and Cary Grant are not recognizable (there faces cried for a recognition that was not forthcoming). The movie just clumped along with no cohesion. Much of Lewis Carrols spirit, humor and continuity are missing. What a pity! It's such a great book. I would recommend Disney's 1951 version.

Lewis Carroll's Creation Comes Alive

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 1 August 2001]

A young girl in Victorian England suddenly finds herself drawn into a kingdom where absurdity rules & illogic is the theme of the day. Bemused by the antics of the strange inhabitants of the place, ALICE IN WONDERLAND continues to keep her dignity & wits about her.

This movie has received a great deal of criticism down through the decades, mainly because it was considered to be a travesty of Lewis Carroll's classic books. But this is to miss the point of the film. It was never meant to be Art. Pure & simple, it was the chance for Paramount to showcase as many of its stars as possible in a light, enjoyable 1933 Christmas release, giving each their moment to shine in front of the cameras . In this it succeeds quite nicely. The Carroll stories, with their colorful, bizarre characters, have always been a favorite for celebrity cameos: the short, vivid roles are real attention grabbers, but require only a minimum investment of time from the majority of the actors.

Great care was taken to be faithful to Carroll's original works and a certain demarcation was respected between Wonderland & the Looking-Glass Country (although the transition between the two, with the Gryphon metamorphosing into the Red Queen, is rather awkward.) The elaborate make-up, costumes, masks, puppets & animation strives to resemble Sir John Tenniel's famous drawings. Paramount at least deserves high marks for their visual display.

In a role difficult by any stretch of the imagination, young Charlotte Henry does very well as Alice, utilizing the character's spunk & determination in holding her own against a supporting cast of seasoned veterans and inveterate scene stealers. Spirited & charming, with few hints visible of Victorian decorum, she is never boring. (Ida Lupino was first slated to play Alice, but upon arrival in Hollywood from England the nabobs at Paramount decided she was too mature for the role. Stardom would have to wait for Miss Lupino.)

W. C. Fields has received much acclaim for his performance as Humpty Dumpty, and, indeed, his raspy voice & personality fit the character perfectly, but Edward Everett Horton's Mad Hatter and May Robson's Queen of Hearts are equally enjoyable - perhaps more so, as we can see their facial expressions. (Listen closely during the penultimate banquet scene to hear Fields' voice again.)

Several of the stars - Leon Errol, Louise Fazenda, Ford Sterling for example - are all but forgotten now, while others (Ned Sparks, Roscoe Ates, Roscoe Karns) are in danger of obscurement, but that shouldn't diminish from their contribution to the overall fun. And where else will you find the likes of Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Richard Arlen, Edna May Oliver, Polly Moran & Alison Skipworth all gathered for one grand romp? This was a once-in-a-lifetime cast.

Movie mavens will recognize the shamefully uncredited Ethel Griffies as Alice's governess and tiny Billy Barty as both the White Pawn and the Duchess's baby. And although he receives cast credit, Baby Le Roy's turn as the Joker lasts only a few scant seconds.

For children of all ages & those with an uncritical appreciation of old films, ALICE IN WONDERLAND has much to offer.

An 85 year old curiosity that has more heart and art than either of the Tim Burton remakes.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 7 January 2019]

Those who can only deal with modern technology will not appreciate the Paramount version of the Lewis Carroll classic. It is an all-star cast treat of popular stars at the time lovingly taking on the various characters whom the heroine, Alice (Charlotte Henry) meets beyond the looking glass. Most of the films follow Carroll's narrative of Alice simply following a rabbit into the hole, but this takes Alice behind the Looking-Glass and when she leaves the house which is still backwards, ends up following the rabbit into the hole anyway so that she meets the characters from both of Carroll's books.

Certainly some of the special effects and costumes will seem garish by today's standards, and for those of us who know the actors providing these voices, it's a bit disconcerting to see the costume rather than the actor and hear them only briefly. but the importance in casting any version of Alice in Wonderland is putting the right actor with the right part, and here they do just that. Who better to play the Mad Hatter than Edward Everett Horton or Humpty Dumpty than W.C. Fields? Alison Skipworth and May Robson, awesome compared to each other, get to work together as the duchess and the Queen of Hearts, with Edna May Oliver and Louise Fazenda as the Red and White Queen's.

Ned Sparks as the caterpillar, Cary Grant as the mock turtle and Gary Cooper as the White Knight are among the other major players. Some players are far more obscure than others, but if you listen very carefully you'll hear Winnie the Pooh (AKA Sterling Holloway) as the frog and Roscoe Karns and Jack Oakie as Tweedledum and Tweedledee. There are a few attempts to put this together with some musical numbers, making me wonder if it was originally meant to be a full-scale musical. I don't recall seeing Alice's ancestor in a portrait in the looking glass room coming to life, but here, he's voiced by Leon Errol, a very popular comic of the time whom only the most devoted of film students know about. Stage legend Ethel Griffies, mainly remembered as the wise old woman in "The Birds" (and always seemed to be playing someone in her 80's), is seen in the opening scene (unbilled) as Alice's stern companion.

At the conclusion, all the characters seem to be rushing towards Alice in a nightmarish sort of dream, making this too realistic and paying tribute to some of the ideals that have come out of studying Carroll's original children's novel. I don't think there can ever be a perfect adaption of Alice in Wonderland simply because there is far too much going on and other than the mid-1980s TV movies, it seems rather incomplete and rushed. But for what this tries to do it succeeds even if parts that audiences hoped would be there are left out.

Down the rabbit hole we go...

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 12 January 2020]

Bored twelve year old Alice (played by nineteen year old Charlotte Henry, undoubtedly making some viewers feel a little uncomfortable for finding her hot) risks going up in ball of flames by climbing up to the mirror above her fireplace and passing through it into another world. Having made her acquaintance with a talking clock and several living chess pieces, the girl follows a white rabbit down a hole into an even more unorthodox land, home to such strange inhabitants as the Cheshire Cat, a pipe-smoking caterpillar, twins Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Mock Turtle (Cary Grant), Humpty Dumpty (W.C. Fields) and a knight who can't stop falling off his horse (Gary Cooper).

Shot during the Great Depression, Alice In Wonderland is an attempt at a feel-good fantasy for the whole family, showcasing much of Paramount Pictures' talent at the time. However, with characters closely fashioned after the original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel, certain scenes in the film are pure nightmare fuel, the grotesque facial features and bizarre costumery making for some truly disturbing imagery. As if Lewis Carroll's classic wasn't freaky enough already...

Employing elements from both Alice Through the Looking Glass and Alice in Wonderland, this version of Alice's adventures suffers from an extremely muddled narrative, and with many of its performers' remaining unrecognisable behind the heavy make-up and masks, it's far from the star-studded success that Paramount was banking on (the studio was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time).

On the other hand, the film's total lack of cohesion and unusual aesthetic do qualify it as a unique and strangely compelling cinematic curio, worth a watch just to experience movie-making at its most eccentric. Alice floating down some stairs and around a corner, a baby turning into a pig, a mouse with a sail on his tail, and a trippy animated segment called The Walrus and the Carpenter are among some of the more crazy moments, while The Duchess, Humpty Dumpty, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee boast the most disturbing make-up.

And don't even get me started on that talking leg of mutton that I am sure will haunt my dreams for years to come...

5/10. Not great, but certainly unforgettable.

One of my favourite film adaptations of the story

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 30 January 2011]

I love Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, and for me my personal favourite film adaptations of this great story are the 1951 Disney animated film and this. This film is really quite interesting especially for its wonderful cast.

This 1933 film also is to me one of the more faithful adaptations of the story, still maintaining the strange but colourful characters and episodic, oddball yet bewitching story structure while having a surrealistic and somewhat nightmarish element to it. The film does look great for its time, the costumes are quite wonderful and the scenery looks as though a lot of care has gotten into making it look good and presentable. Also the cinematography has a warm feeling to it.

I also like the music very much. The incidental music is memorable and doesn't feel intrusive, while the songs are like little bon-bons. I am especially fond of Beautiful Soup. The characters are still fun and colourful, especially the White Knight, the writing is still nonsensical and witty and the story is delightfully strange and has many unforgettable scenes, Walrus and the Carpenter I am looking at you.

The acting is fine too. Charlotte Henry is good and appealing as Alice, but she is overshadowed by the supporting cast who range from very good to just wonderful. Richard Arlen is a witty Cheshire cat and Mary Robson is a suitably shrill Queen of Hearts. The scene stealers though for me were Cary Grant(almost unrecognisable except for the voice) as the melancholy Mock Turtle and especially Gary Cooper who is amazing as the White Knight.

All in all, while there may be parts of the beginning that feel slightly laboured, this is an enchanting and warm film adaptation of a fine story. 9/10 Bethany Cox

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (Norman Z. McLeod, 1933) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 28 December 2008]

To begin with, this is another title I'd always read about but, frankly, had little hope of ever catching; though its reputation stands more on imposing credentials rather than actual artistic merit, I have to say that I was generally impressed with the results (special mention goes to the beautiful sets). That said, even at a mere 76 minutes (actually reduced from the 90-minute original), the film slightly overstays its welcome following Gary Cooper's belated appearance as the quixotic White Knight. At this stage, I ought to catalogue the other versions I've watched of the Lewis Carroll perennial: 1903 Silent short, 1951 animated Disney feature, 1966 all-star British TV-movie, 1972 musical (with another fine cast) and, soon after the film under review, Jan Svankmajer's celebrated 1988 surreal reworking (review coming up).

Charlotte Henry is O.K. in the title role – incidentally, she'd follow this adaptation of a children's classic with the heroine role in another popular fantasy, the Laurel & Hardy version of BABES IN TOYLAND (1934). Here, too, the array of weird characters Alice meets in her dreamworld are played by a roster of Paramount stars from the early Talkie era, a few of whom are forgotten today – most are, in any case, largely obscured by masks. The most notable, of course, are Cary Grant (who even gets to sing and bawl a lot!) – positively weird as the heartbroken Mock Turtle (really a cow in a tortoise shell!), W.C. Fields – grandiose and pompous as ever, thus making for a great Humpty-Dumpty, and Gary Cooper – his trademark handsome features and heroic persona are hidden behind an ageing, balding make-up and an amusingly gawky countenance. Other stars include: Richard Arlen as The Cheshire Cat(!), Sterling Holloway – interestingly, he played The Frog here while providing the voice for The Cheshire Cat itself in the subsequent Disney adaptation, Edward Everett Horton – an ideal Mad Hatter, Roscoe Karns and Jack Oakie as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, May Robson as The Queen Of Hearts, Charlie Ruggles as The March Hare, and Alison Skipworth as The Duchess. It's worth noting that, along with director McLeod and co-scriptwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the film has some nine cast and crew members in common with the famous (and equally rare) compendium IF I HAD A MILLION (1932) and which I actually watched a day previously!

Curiously enough, this version of Carroll's children's classic also proved distinguished production designer and occasional director William Cameron Menzies' sole screen writing credit; actually, it combines elements from both "Alice In Wonderland" and "Through The Looking-Glass": for instance, the appearance of the White Rabbit (which introduces the fantasy element in most versions of the tale is moved forward into the narrative here, preferring to use a mirror as passageway into the dreamworld – this change may well have been influenced by Jean Cocteau's THE BLOOD OF A POET [1930]); similarly, the climactic trial is replaced by a wacky banquet scene. By the way, the cartoon story-within-a-story which appears during the Tweedledee and Tweedledum scenes were reportedly made by the Fleischer studio; equally nice are the effects by which Alice is made to shrink (and then grow back) in size in order to get through a very small door – even if the follow-up scene, set inside one of the houses in Wonderland, involving such a device is missing from this particular version. The DivX copy I acquired regrettably suffered from lip-synch problems, so that I had to rewind the film every so often to get it back on track (despite the sheer amount of rare stuff I'm getting via this format, the frustration that goes with it is so great that I'm seriously contemplating giving it up for good…especially since I've still got heaps of these titles to check out).

Down the Rabbit Hole into Looking Glass House

[sneedsnood · 3/10 · 8 January 2016]

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.

An excellent movie

[JamesBondNow · 22 April 2003]

this 1933 Classic adaptation of Alice In wonderland is without a doubt the best screen version ever. The costumes and sets are magnificent, the casting is excellent, and the special effects are amazing especially for 1933. I'll admit I have a crush on Alice. I watched this movie recently and enjoyed it very much. It is funny to see Cary Grant as the mock turtle and W.C. Feilds as Humpty dumpty. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes movies My rating is 4 stars out of 4 stars.

Lots of Fun...Not Deserving of All the Venom

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 12 February 2017]

You've got Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, W. C. Fields, and on and on. Granted, they are hidden in costumes, but sometimes it's nice that someone at least try a film like this. This is the classic story of the trip into Wonderland by a bored little girl. I really liked her character. The Lewis Carrol Alice wasn't a beauty. She had real character in her face. The costumers put together a literal obstacle course of figure for Alice to conquer. I was enthralled as she made her way from one adventure to the next, one verbal joust after another. We know that much of the book and the movies are nonsensical, at least in a conventional way. So words become so important. I've not seen this film since I was in middle school in the early sixties and it's availability is always in question. But I was able to do a little construction on You Tube to regain the flavor of it.

What a great version!

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 2 July 2020]

When you watch the 1933 version of Alice in Wonderland, you'll get to see so many treats. After Disney's beloved cartoon, this is my favorite one to watch. You'll see a host of cameos from famous stars, but if some of them don't seem happy to wear their ridiculous costumes, don't worry. Paramount Studios forced all their star players to collaborate, and some of them probably would have rather skipped it. Cary Grant looks pretty miserable singing about being a mock turtle, and Gary Cooper looks as ill at ease as he usually does playing the White Knight.

There are other who really get into their parts, though, like Edward Everett Horton as the Mad Hatter, Charles Ruggles as the March Hare, May Robson as the Queen of Hearts, and Edna May Oliver as the Red Queen. The two queens seem to have a blast with their tempers and odd requests. You'll also see Sterling Holloway playing a frog, which is quite funny, since he immortalized the Cheshire Cat in Disney's version. But, as it should be, the person who steals the show is Alice, played by Charlotte Henry in her first leading role. I watch her every Christmas playing Little Bo Peep in March of the Wooden Soldiers, so this was a great treat to see her in another classic. She's as sweet, innocent, and curious as Alice is supposed to be, and she's cute as a button, too!

The costumes are really outrageous, but the special effects are even more impressive. Alice shrinks and grows, sees everything backwards through the looking glass, interacts with chess pieces, bugs, and flowers, and swims in an ocean of her tears alongside a rat. It's no great surprise that Walt Disney had his eye on creating an animated version of Lewis Carroll's colorful adventures. He'd been anxious to make a movie, but Paramount beat him to buying the rights! I wonder if that sparked his interest in creating the infamous "Mickey Mouse" copyright law...

" Alice in Hollywood Land "

[PamelaShort · 7/10 · 6 February 2014]

This Alice in Wonderland film virtually takes you on a nostalgic journey amongst some of Hollywood's biggest stars of the the early 1930s. Alice falls down the rabbit hole and meets Cary Grant as Mock Turtle, Edna May Oliver as Red Queen, May Robson as the Queen of Hearts, Gary Cooper as White Knight, W.C. Fields as Humpty Dumpty, Edward Everett Horton as the Hatter, and many more notable stars of the day. Charlotte Henry is most delightful playing Alice and does a good job with this fast paced story that moves very quickly through " Wonderland. " The film gives an interesting take on the classic story and is fun to watch trying to spot the actors and actresses through some pretty garish make-up and their very elaborate costumes. Paramount's production of Alice will either satisfy or disappoint, but it is well worth a look if you are interested in films from the early 1930s.

Bizarre and not particularly enjoyable.

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 9 January 2016]

"Alice in Wonderland" is one of the more misguided projects I've ever seen. Apparently, Paramount studio was in trouble in the early 30s and those in charge were worried about bankruptcy. So, in a crazy bid to make a blockbuster, some idiot hit upon taking most of the stars at the studio and putting them into a glossy film where could couldn't even recognize them!!! That's like taking the greatest singers of their age and putting them into a silent movie!

The story is a mishmash of "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" and consists of a VERY old Alice (19) going on adventures with super-creepy characters--too creepy! It's not at all enjoyable and was a chore to watch from start to finish. Horrible and difficult to enjoy.

Full-length version is a feast for adults!

[JohnHowardReid · 10/10 · 14 October 2006]

Whilst it's undoubtedly true to say that few (if any) members of the cast were ever again to play such weirdly offbeat roles, the performances generally rate as both captivating and fascinating. Adults will be enthralled. The film may, however, be regarded as too grotesque for children.

Mary Boland, Bing Crosby and Charles Laughton were originally scheduled for the cast, while Jack Oakie was slated to play both Tweeledum and Tweedledee. Charlotte Henry was chosen to play Alice from over seven thousand applicants.

Although the official writing credit is divided between Menzies and Mankiewicz, what Menzies actually did was to illustrate the script which Mankiewicz combined from the two Carroll novels. When I interviewed Mankiewicz, he was justifiably proud of the fact that he used Carroll's original dialogue and followed the original characters and incidents without the slightest deviation, except for the omission of the Lion and the Unicorn, the Live Flowers and the episode on the train in Chapter Three of "Looking Glass". (We were speaking, of course, about the original 90 minutes version, not the ruthlessly truncated parody that formerly plagued television airings).

A striking film in every respect, this version also anticipates Disney with its excellent cartoon sequence, "The Walrus and the Carpenter".

Wow, I think 50 years separates my viewings.

[platters-66-471296 · 6/10 · 6 October 2015]

A friend of mine had a wife (now deceased) who was obsessed with taping large blocks of oldies from TCM. I've inherited those tapes and watch them while I add items online for my used bookshop. It was a nice surprise to find this again; I really think I was younger than 20 the last time I saw this (I'm 62 now) , and I'm not even sure I saw it all the way thru at the time. Thank God for the credits/intro of the characters; I'm sure someone at Paramount insisted on it after a preview; you'd never know who was who without it. I have no way of knowing if all these actors are 'hot' in '33. I watch a ton of oldies and a lot of the names just flew by without registering. Charlotte Henry was great; not knowing her film career, I wasn't able to tell her age at all, so it felt a little weird being a bit attracted to her; glad now to know she was all of 20 during filming ! The oddball way they stretched her to shrink her and scale her didn't do it for me; then they did it right once with a perfect 'small-ify' Also impressed (I laughed in wonderment) when she got herself skeddaddled down some stairs, around a corner and right out an open door ! I'm not sure 'Alice' should ever BE a movie; the events and people go by too fast and it all plays like a nightmare you have after a hot Latin meal... Some makeups seem more like a slathering of lemon meringue pie than a mask; the faces slide around in them with only the eyes changing. I stopped with my head in my upturned palms to stare hard only three times, W.C.Fields, Cary Grant and Gary Cooper. Fields to try and figure if it really was him I was seeing, Grant to try and figure out if it was really him I was hearing, and Cooper because his character was the best portrayal ! The only character to seem to care for Alice, he was funny, gentle, and oh, all those falls ! Louise Fazenda was sexually alluring as the White Queen, I wanted her to take the fake nose off so I could better enjoy her... I was a fun 77 minutes. I wonder what they cut from the original 90 ?

Spectacle, or debacle?

[Varlaam · 3/10 · 9 January 1999]

I enjoyed the first reviewer's comment far more than I did the film when I saw it at a second-run theatre in the early '80's. I was impressed then by the care taken to create costumes modelled so closely after the Tenniel drawings. But to me, the cast was largely squandered, their personalities muffled by the masks, while the direction I think of as being unusually static, and the photography murky. The rating jotted down at the time was a nought, which means "not worth sitting through even once".

Still, I too would jump at a chance to have a second look.

1933 Alice in Wonderland

[angelagraphics · 10/10 · 22 September 2006]

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.

"Don't you speak about time. I dare say you've never spoken to him."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 30 August 2016]

Paramount's all-star adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice stories, directed by Norman McLeod and featuring many great character actors and a few big name stars (many with their faces inexplicably covered -- bet that went over well in 1933). It's pretty fun to watch, especially for classic film fans who will likely recognize the different faces and voices behind the masks and makeup. The sets, costumes, and effects are all very impressive for the period. The music is nice, too. The only negatives are that the pace is a little slow, it has a stagy quality at times, and the bizarreness is both a plus and a minus. Sometimes it's charming, sometimes it's a bit creepy, but at all times it's interesting. There really wasn't anything else like this being made in 1933, when live action fantasy films in general were rare. It definitely warrants a look if you're a fan of Carroll or classic Hollywood.

First half hour ranges from boring to insufferable

[rhoda-9 · 2/10 · 12 September 2019]

Thirty minutes was as much as I could take of this ponderous, stilted, and humourless adaptation with an Alice old enough to have children of her own. The costumes look as if they're made of crudely modelled papier-mache, and the sets are less charming than the average department-store Christmas window. Alice is a tedious child of priggish manners and limited vocabulary.

You can tell from the first minute that the people who made this movie didn't have a clue. The picture takes ages to get started because we are shown each character in costume and then a closeup of his or her face. Obviously, the reveal should have been made at the END of the movie, so that viewers could have fun guessing.