TheLittleSongbird Review of Alice Through the Looking Glass

Alice Through the Looking Glass (1973 TV Movie)

A very nicely done BBC adaptation of a difficult book to adapt

[8/10 · 24 October 2013]

Alice Through the Looking Glass like Alice in Wonderland is a classic book with a fun clever(if episodic) story, memorable scenes- like with the White Knight, the train scene and Tweedledee and Tweedledum- and colourful characters. Both books are not easy to adapt at all, with the way Lewis Carroll wrote and the atmosphere they have. Of the two Through the Looking Glass is probably the more difficult to adapt because of the structure, the even kookier characters and an even weirder atmosphere than Alice in Wonderland. This adaptation does fall down in the dated and crude-looking special effects, especially the Jabberwocky who is laughable even by today's standards, and a couple of occasions of creaky pacing, but it is very nicely done and is very good as well. As with 1986's Alice in Wonderland, also from BBC, the detail and colour in the production and costume design are most admirable, and the adaptation is nicely shot. Humpty Dumpty, the animated flowers with human faces and the costumes for the chess characters stand out in terms of the production value side of things. The music is charming and whimsical which is fitting for the storytelling and the type of story it is. The adaptation is very faithful to the book, the funny and clever word is like Carroll's writing lifted straight from the pages of the book and the storytelling has a weirdness but also a fun and melancholy that was handled very well. Apart from the occasional creakiness, Alice Through the Looking Glass(1973) is better paced than the 1986 Alice in Wonderland. The cast can't be faulted. Sarah Sutton is one of the most age-suitable Alices of any adaptation of both books, and she is a likable lead. The more experienced members shine a little more though, you cannot imagine a better Humpty Dumpty than that of Freddie Jones- look at what he does with the facial expressions and how he uses his voice- while Geoffrey Bayldon's White Knight is sympathetic and touching, Judy Parfitt is regal and menacing and Brenda Bruce is agreed appropriately befuddled, all seem to be enjoying themselves immensely. All in all, very good and well done. 8/10 Bethany Cox