Alice In Wonderland: “Very Good Advice” & “The Cheshire Cat”

I’ve never been one to watch the same movie more than once. There are some movies, however, that I can watch 3 or 4 times just because I like them a lot. Maybe there is something special about the cinematography or the music that just catches my attention. Rarely is there a movie that I can stomach more than a couple times. But there is one very special movie that I can watch many times. In fact, I think that in the last 6 months or so, I’ve watched it over 20 times. That movie is the Walt Disney’s animated classic “Alice In Wonderland.”

Chances are if you’ve spent a late night at my apartment since I moved in, then you’ve already watched it with me at least once, and you’ve already heard my ramblings on how brilliant it is. But I figured I’d write a bit about it anyway, and show a few clips of what I think are the most interesting parts of the movie.

They often say that future generations will look back on our movies and our video games in much the same way that we look back on paintings; they offer a window into the culture of the time. One of the most interesting things about “Alice” is that it offers a window into two times: the time the book was written (1865), and the time was movie was made (1951). Basically, it’s a 1950s take on an 1860s story. It therefore has a very peculiar feel to it, and a very dense layering of possible messages.

The movie is most famous for its psychedelic imagery, literary nonsense, and memorable characters. The story is refered to constantly in popular culture (tumbling down the rabbit hole, following the white rabbit, etc.) But if you can forget all the hype and just appreciate it for the work of art that it is, you might find that the film is curiously unfamiliar. I think the film has many hidden messages… too many to explain here. They are well documented in books deconstructing the story.

So I’m not going to ramble on about any deep significant meaning. Ultimately, I think it’s all quite open to interpretation. I’ll just let you decide for yourself. Watch this famous clip of the Cheshire Cat - what does it mean? Is he in charge of Wonderland? The film seems to imply that he is, but it’s never explained outright. After all, he is the mischievous mastermind who seems to be able to manipulate Wonderland at his own whim, often to Alice’s chagrin. The more you know about the film, the more bizarre the whole thing seems. Did you know that he is singing utter jibberish?  Watch…

 

That scene is probably rivalled only by one other scene. After Alice spends the entire film adventuring through ridiculous situations, she finally gets fed up and decides to head home. She ends up getting lost in “Tulgey Wood”, a dark forest full of silly creatures. Eventually she ends up losing her way completely, and begins regretting her curious nature.

The scene is probably among the more touching scenes in any Disney film – I think it’s one of the saddest parts of any movie I’ve seen. As Alice begins to cry, the silly creatures in Wonderland begin to disappear. One wonders what it represents; is Alice losing her innocence? Are these silly creatures figments of her own child-like imagination? If you want to get really crazy, you can ask yourself what “lesson” is being taught here … it is the 1950s after all (“Be patient is very good advice, but the waiting makes me curious”).

And so appears the Cheshire Cat, ever in control of Alice’s fate, and ever watchful of her journey through this bizarre surrealism.

This is but a taste of what is a profoundly beautiful film. I could go on and on about the expressionist artwork, the revolutionary animation techniques, and the wonderful orchestration. But I think you get the point. I’m not normally a fan of Disney – I think they’re pretty princess fantasy is bullshit. Alice is different; she is an inquisitive and intelligent heroine, a much more suitable role model. This movie goes far beyond nostalgia, far beyond psychedelics, and far beyond the cliches. It’s a fascinating work of art.