Alice – Neco z Alenky (1987)

Directed by: Jan Svankmajer | 86 minutes | horror, animation, fantasy | Actors: Kristýna Kohoutova | Dutch voice cast: Carice van Houten

The world is divided into two unequal camps: those who do not know Jan Svankmajer and those who – often after seeing just one of his films – count him among the greatest filmmakers of the past hundred years. At least that’s what journalist Anthony Lane of The New Yorker once wrote about the Czech master of animation film. And he may well be right. Svankmajer influenced many artists and filmmakers with his unique style, including Tim Burton and the Quay Brothers. Ever since 1964, when he made his debut with the short film ‘The Last Trick’, he has breathed life into numerous objects. In his first film, masks were brought to life by a play of shadow and light, in the dozens of films that followed he applied his magic to other objects and matter. In his feature films, Svankmajer added live actors to his animation, further enhancing the surreal effect. Because he broaches themes such as the human unconscious and subconscious, his films result in surprise and alienation.

In 1987 Svankmajer made his own adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s modern fairy tale ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The filmmaker feels related to the British writer and describes him as follows: “We are both childlike, which in a normal society is quickly seen as an insult.” The story is well known: the young girl Alice is sitting with her older sister on the bank of a small lake. When a talking white rabbit runs past, she follows it down a rabbit hole. After a long fall, she turns out to be in the strange world of Wonderland. On her journey through Wonderland, she encounters many curious characters, such as the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the cruel Queen of Hearts, characters with whom she has confusing conversations. Eventually she wakes up and it turns out everything has been a dream. Walt Disney’s famous 1951 adaptation has given ‘Alice in Wonderland’ a sweet image, but Carroll never intended to write a cheerful story. The trip Alice makes is one to her subconscious and Wonderland is overflowing with creepy types who certainly don’t have the best intentions for the girl.

Svankmajer’s version therefore comes closer to Carroll’s intentions. The Czech filmmaker not only shares the surrealists’ fascination with dreams, but is also, like them, inspired by the world of children. Alice, played by Kristýna Kohoutová, enters a magical world, in which she chases a hasty, stuffed rabbit. In Wonderland she finds living pieces of raw meat, clattering animal skeletons and sock puppets. The setting is made even more stark than in Carroll’s story: Alice moves initially in the chilly surroundings of plowed fields and eventually ends up in the damp rooms of what appears to be a large gray squat. The girl herself is also a bit scruffy. ‘Alice’ is intended as a children’s film, but many children will find what they are presented with terrifying. Nevertheless, at the same time, they will become particularly fascinated by this absurdist tale in slumber. A side note is that Svankmajer continues his journey of discovery just a little too long; in the beginning there is more amazement than after an hour. Furthermore, the voice-over (in the Dutch translation by Carice van Houten) sometimes gets on one’s nerves – especially the way the director zooms in on the girl’s mouth when she pronounces her words (‘…said the March Hare.’ ).

As an animator, Jan Svankmajer is one of a kind. No one else can bring the most incredible objects to life. No one else seems more suitable to film a dark fairy tale like ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Svankmajer stays true to Lewis Carroll’s story and adds a grim twist to it. The Freudian undertone is not lost here – in contrast to the good film adaptation by Walt Disney. However, the Disney film will appeal to a larger audience. ‘Alice’ is just a little too scary for many children. It would almost give them nightmares themselves! For an older generation, who appreciate the quality and originality of the animations (because just think how much time went into that stop-motion editing!) there’s a lot going on from this bizarre but highly intriguing version of the time-honored story. to get more.