Jan Svankmajer is a filmmaker who is known to involve stop motion, puppets and live action in his work, and 'Alice' is no exception. My old graphics teacher introduced me to this film when I told him I was interested in stop motion animation and because I went into the film without any expectations, I thought it would be a good film to go back and analyse.
For starters, the film is about a young girl who dreams about following a rabbit through various drawers until she enters a mysterious fantasy world. I think the combination of live action and stop motion works well in this film. There is a particular scene in the beginning where the camera follows the rabbit running into the horizon, (the rabbit is a puppet moved frame by frame via stop motion animation), then the camera switches to a point of view shot of the rabbit running, but this time it is filmed in live action. I really like how Jan Svankmajer integrates the two types of visual styles into one film because he does it in a very individual way. I have seen live action and stop motion together before, but I think the use of his technical shots, such as the one previously described, is rather quirky and unique.
The film however, provokes a multitude of responses. At first the audience is pulled in by the appeal of the fantasy mis sen scene and the inventiveness of the rabbit, however there are parts where you think it is a little peculiar, a little scary. The film differs from, really ALL other 'Alice in Wonderland' films, and is a very adventurous take on Lewis Carroll's classic, however I would say the most literal. For audiences who have seen Disney's version or the live action one directed by Tim Burton, they are in for a complete surprise. Alice literally follows a rabbit from a living room to a desert which consists of only an end table that she gets into. It is so innovative.
'Alice' as I would interpret it, communicates to it's audience the importance of imagination. Essentially, 'Alice in Wonderland' is about a dream, and dreams activate the ability to have an extensive imagination. Plots, sub plots, climaxes, don't resolve as we have all experienced it, either because we usually wake up, or because of the fact we are having a DREAM, we are not in a cohesive, well structured story. Therefore with 'Alice', it allows its audience to imagine. This is so important for children, as it allows them to be inquisitive. Why is Alice going in drawer after drawer? Why has she turned into a porcelain doll? The questions are endless, but it given children the opportunity to try and formulate answers for themselves, as opposed to conventional Hollywood cinema constantly having a happy ending and spoon feeding answers to them.
I have watched this film both times without subtitles, and because it is Czechoslovakian, I actually had no idea what the characters were saying, however I felt like this added to the enigma of trying to know what was happening and why. It was easy enough to follow after the exposition part of the narrative, because of how well the themes and ideas were being communicated. Also the film forces you to use all your senses, it is very engaging in a visceral way. Synaesthesia is even used on multiple occasions, one sequence in particular where there is a cereal bowl full of sawdust. You confuse taste and touch and it evokes an uneasy physical sensation. And even though initially the appearance of the rabbit is frightening, even for me, I think 'Alice' is a really appealing and inventive take on Lewis Carroll's famous novel, and it is definitely worth the watch.
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