Alice (1982 film)

Alicja
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jacek Bromski Jerzy Gruza
Written by	Jacek Bromski Jerzy Gruza Judy Raines Susannah York
Based on	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 1865 novel by Lewis Carroll
Starring	Sophie Barjac Jean-Pierre Cassel Susannah York Paul Nicholas Jack Wild Tracy Hyde Dominic Guard
Cinematography	Alec Mills Witold Sobociński
Edited by	Bill Blunden
Music by	Henri Seroka; Lulu
Distributed by	Zjednoczenie Rozpowszechniania Filmów
Release date	29 March 1982 (1982-03-29)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	Poland
Languages	Polish English

Alice (a.k.a. Alicja) is a 1982 musical-fantasy film directed by Jacek Bromski. A Belgian and Polish co-production, it is a modern telling of Lewis Carroll's 1865 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland story and stars French actress Sophie Barjac in the title role. Jean-Pierre Cassel plays the jogger named Rabbit with whom Alice falls in love; Susannah York, Paul Nicholas, Jack Wild, Tracy Hyde, Peter Straker and Dominic Guard all have supporting roles.

The film features a musical score by Henri Seroka and lyrics by Gyllianna. Barjac's vocals were dubbed by the Scottish singer Lulu. The film is relatively obscure despite the participation of well-known talent.

Plot

The screenplay draws its inspiration loosely from Carroll's story, but begins with Alice witnessing a murder. ^[1]

Cast

• Sophie Barjac as Alice
• Jean-Pierre Cassel as Rabbit
• Susannah York as Queenie
• Paul Nicholas as Cheshire Cat / Caterpillar
• Lulu as Alice (singing voice)
• Tracy Hyde as Mona
• Jack Wild as Mock Turtle
• Dominic Guard as Gryphon

Music

All of the main cast have singing parts, with the exception of Barjac whose vocals were performed by Lulu. She is featured as a soloist on three songs: "Hello My Friend", "Love is the Answer", and "Maybe I'm In Love Again"; and in duet and ensemble performances of several other songs. The complete soundtrack was released as a double LP in Poland, with a selection of excerpts also released on cassette. ^[2]

Release

The film was internationally released as Alice or Alicja; and to German-speaking audiences under the title Alicja im Horrorland. ^[3] In 1986 it was released on VHS in the United States and Canada by Karl-Lorimar Home Video, and later on an English-language DVD in Poland with Polish and French subtitles, packaged with an accompanying soundtrack CD.

Reception

The film is considered a curiosity "worth seeking out" "(f)or anyone who’s a Lulu fan". ^[4] This version is also said to emphasize Carroll's obsessiveness. ^[5] Leonard Maltin found it "entertaining". ^[6] A retrospective review of the DVD version praised the music and choreography but is very negative about all the rest, the plot in particular, deemed non-existent. ^[7]

References

1. Connors, Martin; Craddock, Jim (1999). VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 1999. Visible Ink Press. ISBN   978-1-57859-041-4.
2. "Original Soundtrack From The Musical Film Alice". Discogs. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
3. online, CINEMA. "Alicja im Horrorland (1982) - Film | cinema.de". www.cinema.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-01.
4. "Alice in Wonderland through European eyes". euronews. 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
5. Weiner, David J.; Gale, Thomson (1991). Video Hound's Golden Movie Retriever, 1991. Visible Ink. ISBN   978-0-8103-9404-9.
6. Maltin, Leonard (1997). Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 1998. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. ISBN   978-0-452-27914-8.
7. "Alicja (recenzja) - Film - POLTERGEIST". polter.pl (in Polish). 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2023-07-01.

External links

• Alice at IMDb