(no subject)
Via Roger Ebert's review of (Disney's (Tim Burton's)) Alice in Wonderland: "As a young reader, I found Alice in Wonderland creepy and rather distasteful. Alice's adventures played like a series of encounters with characters whose purpose was to tease, puzzle and torment her. Few children would want to go to wonderland, and none would want to stay."
This! This is exactly how I felt about Alice in Wonderland! It's actually quite nightmarish, and no matter how much she tries, Alice just can't seem to wake up. For years, I had similar nightmares (sometimes involving characters from the books, specifically the playing card guards.
Strangely, some of my favorite stories and films from my childhood have nightmare elements as well. I was always drawn to slightly spooky tales, and some of my best-loved characters have been witches, from the Wicked Witch of the West to Witchipoo. But somehow those stories, to me, weren't as bad. Take the Wizard of Oz. At least there is a point and an end goal to Dorothy's situation. In the original Oz books, she's quite plucky on her own, but soon gains friends to accompany her through a strange land. Plus, from the moment she lands in Oz, she's never really alone because she has Toto. Alice, on the other hand, constantly wishes her cat, Dinah, was there.
Maybe it was the fear of being alone in a world that didn't understand me that I hated. Who knows. But often when things repel us, they succeed in drawing is towards them. As I grew older, I both learned to appreciate Wonderland and actually enjoy it's frustratingly freaky nature. By the time I was a teenager, I considered myself a fan. Today, I don't know if it's really a place I'd want to visit, but I think I could take the Red Queen in a game of croquet.
So anyway, I'm going to see this new version at the IMAX on Sunday. I wasn't too sure of it before, but I don't think I'll hate it.
This! This is exactly how I felt about Alice in Wonderland! It's actually quite nightmarish, and no matter how much she tries, Alice just can't seem to wake up. For years, I had similar nightmares (sometimes involving characters from the books, specifically the playing card guards.
Strangely, some of my favorite stories and films from my childhood have nightmare elements as well. I was always drawn to slightly spooky tales, and some of my best-loved characters have been witches, from the Wicked Witch of the West to Witchipoo. But somehow those stories, to me, weren't as bad. Take the Wizard of Oz. At least there is a point and an end goal to Dorothy's situation. In the original Oz books, she's quite plucky on her own, but soon gains friends to accompany her through a strange land. Plus, from the moment she lands in Oz, she's never really alone because she has Toto. Alice, on the other hand, constantly wishes her cat, Dinah, was there.
Maybe it was the fear of being alone in a world that didn't understand me that I hated. Who knows. But often when things repel us, they succeed in drawing is towards them. As I grew older, I both learned to appreciate Wonderland and actually enjoy it's frustratingly freaky nature. By the time I was a teenager, I considered myself a fan. Today, I don't know if it's really a place I'd want to visit, but I think I could take the Red Queen in a game of croquet.
So anyway, I'm going to see this new version at the IMAX on Sunday. I wasn't too sure of it before, but I don't think I'll hate it.