Alice Through the Looking Glass (1966)

hyped garbage

From my favorite movies..

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

If you want a faithful adaptation of Through the Looking Glass look to the BBC adaptation or the Natalie Gregory adaptation(which covers both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass), as other than the title and the characters- and to a lesser extent Humpty Dumpty's Song Twas Brillig- this musical version is probably the least faithful version to the book. Every adaptation however does deserve to stand on its own, and stands on its own this version does, despite its infidelity to the book it is very pleasing in its own right. In fact, my only complaints are some corny and too-family-friendly dialogue and the random throwing in of the three witches which didn't really do anything for the story. Of all the versions of Through the Looking Glass it's this one that's the most beautiful visually, there is a reason why the costumes won an Emmy, the photography while slightly TV quality is still professional and the sets really do have a sense of wonder(did The Wizard of Oz influence it by any chance?). It felt like a nostalgic hearkening back to all the great TV network adaptations of the time(look to the Mary Martin version of Peter Pan for reference), and that was really nice. The music and songs right from the opening title sequence bring a great deal of charm to the adaptation and move the story forward, I Wasn't Meant to Be a Queen will bring great amusement- same with The Backwards Alphabet- though Some Summer Day, Alice is Coming to Tea and Keep on the Grass are very whimsical and the Jabberwock Song is creepy. The story does have an episodic nature like the book does and while not as wonderfully weird or humorous there is plenty of fun, charm and heart to be seen. Judi Rolin is a very enchanting Alice and more than holds her own against the all-star cast, her solo song is sublime and so are her vocals, her chemistry with the Lester of Roy Castle is very sweet. Agnes Moorhead is an imperious Red Queen- she sings Two Sides of Everything surprisingly well- and an unrecognisable Ricardo Montalban touches the heart as the White King, this version's most sympathetic character I feel. Nanette Fabray clearly is having the time of her life as the White Queen, Tom and Dickie Smothers are hilarious, the Humpty Dumpty of Jimmy Durante is over-the-top and egotistical as he should be and not but not least Jack Palance is a frightening and deliciously sneeringly over-the-top Jabberwocky(almost as scary as the Jabberwocky in the Natalie Gregory adaptation). In conclusion, if you want a faithful adaptation of Through the Looking Glass look elsewhere but if you want something with great production values, songs and performance this version should definitely fit the bill. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I have very fond memories of this TV movie. I remember seeing it as a small child on VHS and loving it. I just saw it again recently, and it still holds up well, even as an adult. It's a stage play adaptation of Lewis Carroll's famous sequel to "Alice in Wonderland". But the focus is more on the songs than it is on the adaptation. This is a good thing, because the songs are quite good and very catchy. It's also wonderfully performed by a cast who you could tell had a lot of fun making it.A word of caution, the stage play feel of this movie is quite apparent. It was made for TV, so don't expect high production values. In fact, it feels more like a variety show than a movie. Nevertheless, the sets and costumes are quite imaginative, and little kids will be drawn in by the children show look of the movie.The best part of this movie are the songs themselves. They are very memorable and some are classics in their own right. Decades after seeing it for the first time I could still sing along to many of the songs. You could tell they were influenced by 1939's "The Wizard of Oz", because the songs, pacing, and overall feel is very similar to that movie, albeit on a smaller scale. There are several cameos by prominent performers (Jimmy Durante, the Smothers Brothers, Ricardo Montalbon, Jack Palance and Roy Castle among others). The performances are very upbeat and delightful ... another reason why little kids will love this movie.The most important role is, of course, Alice herself. Alice is portrayed by the adorable Judi Rolin. Judi Rolin was 20 when they filmed this, so Alice is a bit older than she was in the book, but they definitely made a wise choice in casting her. Judi Rolin's beautiful smile, childlike innocence, energy, and gleeful singing definitely make this movie. Had it not been for Rolin, I'm not sure this film would have worked at all. It's a shame she wasn't cast in more roles after this.All of that being said, this film is not for everybody. I admit that I am viewing it with rose tinted glasses as I did love the movie as a kid. It strays very far from the source text, and, in a way, is almost a whole new story. At its worst, it can be quite corny, and the almost overly optimistic atmosphere, low budget costumes, scenery and camera tricks will probably make more than a few people roll their eyes. But most kids will not care. They will love the songs and the happy atmosphere. And those of us who are not yet completely jaded in our adulthood will still enjoy it.

This may not be the "Alice" adaptation for Carroll purists (You'd have to go to the TV production of earlier this year for that), but it IS entertaining, and the cast DOES seem to be having a good time with it. Judi Rollin, just 20 at the time, is a terrific Alice, with a fine singing voice. One wonders why her career never went beyond the early '70's. Ricardo Montalban brings his usual effortless charm to the White King, and Nanette Fabray is hilarious as his scatterbrained Queen (Her number, "I Wasn't Meant to Be a Queen," is a howl). Agnes Moorehead is her usual imperious self as the Red Queen, and Jimmy Durante is, well, Jimmy Durante as Humpty Dumpty. Most delightfully over-the-top performance is Jack Palance, wearing this spangled Bob Mackie concoction, as the Jabberwock. Composer Moose Charlap was obviously hoping to repeat his "Peter Pan" success with his songs here, and, if they don't have the charm of the ones he wrote for Mary Martin, et. al., they come pretty close, as arranged by the great Don Costa. An Emmy nominee for Best Children's Special, and a Grammy-winner for Best Children's Album, this is an overlooked treasure. As I say, not for Carroll purists, but not bad!

This "adaptation" of Lewis Carroll classic completely throws out his original story and dialogue and substitutes its own mish-mash. No Carroll in sight. Enough said.