Trip with a Stiff Upper Lip

Alice in Wonderland (1966): 70

There is a freaking plethora of different adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s famous works, starting in 1903 (very cool) and ending with Tim Burton’s 2010 effort, which I found to be an incredibly underwhelming reboot, art direction notwithstanding. I’ve always enjoyed the kaleidoscopic effects of the Disney animated feature, not to mention the 1985 made-for-TV all-star affair in which, as as youngster, I found Carol Channing only slightly less frightening than the Jabberwocky.

Anyway, I recently stumbled upon this 1966 BBC-made version at the library and, seeing Peter Sellers and John Gielgud listed in the cast, decided to give it a look to see if I could get over the the Burton disappointment. Of particular note: This version hinges on director Jonathan Miller’s idea that it is a shame to hire brilliant, famous actors then hide them underneath mountains of makeup or (even worse) animal masks. So he completely eschews over-costuming the cast and instead dresses them up in Victorian garb and lets them play the parts as real people instead of masquerading as animals.

And I must say that for the most part it works. As Alice (a very unique but dull Anne-Marie Mallik) sleepwalks her way around the stark B&W, Bergman-esque landscape, there’s a bit of fun in figuring out the characters with fewer visual cues than usual. Familiarity with the general story is necessary. As she walks into a room Sir Michael Redgrave solemnly asks, “Who Are You?” while puffing on a pipe and we know she’s entering her confab with the caterpillar. The focus is more on the poetry and prose than immersive visual fantasy.

In addition to Redgrave, Peter Sellers (King of Hearts) and Sir John Gielgud (the Mock Turtle) are the notable names and deliver the most memorable performances, but the rest of the cast is full of scene stealers that might be more recognizable to British audiences: Alan Bennett, Wilfrid Lawson, Leo McKern and especially comedian Peter Cook as one of the most perfect Mad Hatters ever, a very crusty/annoying/snooty type that would feel right at home in Monty Python’s Upper Class Twit of the Year contest...and yes, completely bonkers. In fact, this entire version feels like Alice is just wandering around a mental institution, and that lends a foreboding tone to the proceedings. It is a bit slow even at 71 minutes, and ultimately it doesn’t really go anywhere. It is very dry and erudite, as Brits are wont to take their humour, but I was enchanted by this little oddity.

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As for another British trip with a particularly dry countenance, I also recently checked out The Trip (appropriately enough) which follows Steve Coogan (of Hamlet 2) and Rob Brydon after their brave, postmodern adaptation of Tristram Shandy (A Cock and Bull Story), which I thought was simply fantastic and inspired me to actually go and read that incredible, idiosyncratic, and downright fucking difficult book. At least I can say I’m not such an ill-bred mortal, so SUCK IT, James Boswell!

Ahem. Excuse me. Anyway, here Steve and Rob again take on guises as "themselves." The setup is that Steve is hired to tour the countryside for a week and do a series of celebrity restaurant reviews. His girlfriend being away in the US on a modeling gig, he surrenders to take Rob with him, and this gives them pretense to ham for the cameras and bounce impersonations and improvisations off each other for 80 minutes. They are fiercely competitive in trying to outdo the other’s Michael Caine, Sean Connery, or Woody Allen line, or are constantly skewering and usurping cinema tropes, one of my favorites being this gem:

Awww, crap, I couldn’t decide...two favorites!

Their bromance is of equal parts heart and waspishness, and when the laughs aren’t rolling they make ado of their contrasting attitudes toward their career paths, their roles as minor celebrities, and their romantic relationships; Coogan takes advantage of the holiday to reflect about his current girlfriend and do a bit of womanizing on the side, while Brydon calls up his wife nightly for clumsy, hilarious “phone sex.”

It smacks a little bit of Sideways, a smart, funny travelogue through the gorgeous countryside with some fantastic gastronomical scenery to boot. Good for some laughs and a quiet diversion. This is actually an edited-down version of a BBC series that went a season in 2010 (6 episodes, fairly typical of Brit series) and has a 2nd season in the offing. Meh, that might be beating a dead horse.

The Trip: 72