This week for Fairy Tale Fridays we get to step outside the pages for a bit to visit fairy tales on the screen. It was a nice change and I enjoyed the twist on the feature this week! I personally decided to stick with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (since Carroll's classic was still fresh in my mind) and watched the most recent rendition of the classic tale.
Alice in Wonderland, recently released on video, stars one of my all-time favorite actors, Johnny Depp and was directed by a man with quite an imagination himself, Tim Burton. Other famous names that may ring a bell in the 2010 version of Wonderland include Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, and Crispin Glover. Burton's version of Alice takes a bit of twist on the tale, having Alice re-visit Wonderland (or rather Underland) after a span of thirteen years at the ripe age of nineteen. She does not remember her first visit, thinking that it was all a dream, so much of the movie is of our dear innocent Alice trying to re-discover her "much-ness" and taking back the Wonderland that she once knew, before the Red Queen brought on her wrath of terror.
To be quite honest, I think that the combination of Carroll's wild imagination and Burton's brilliant ability to bring a wild imagination to life was an amazing combination. I truly enjoyed this tale, the "moral" that comes of it, and of course, the acting of the all-star cast . . . particularly dear Johnny himself! The colors, the computer graphics, the right mix of humor and quirkiness . . . all of these contributed to my utter confusion coming from Carroll's original tale to a dawning and piece of work that I enjoyed immensely. And, since I'm being honest, the gothic spin that Burton added to the story was my favorite part of it all. It just worked for me!
Keeping in honor of Alice, don't forget to sign up for my current Wonderful Wonderland Giveaway in honor of the classic!!
What flick(s) were you watching with a fairy tale spin this week?
UPCOMING TALES:
Friday, September 24th: A New, Modern Tale
I liked that movie too, but like you I'm definitely a Johnny Depp fan.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was a tough one for me because I truly adore the original story and the Disney version. I liked it quite a bit when I saw it but now I seem to go back and forth on how much I like it each time I re-watch it. I don't know. It's hard when it's a story that you love and know so well, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI liked the new movie version a lot but I'm a pretty big Tim Burton fan (...and yes, a Johnny fan too!). I really appreciated that it was true to the spirit and style of Lewis Carroll without trying to be a direct adaptation. I think that's something that Hollywood rarely pulls off well, so I was impressed.
ReplyDeleteSeptember's kind of packed for me, but I'll definitely try to join in for FTF's in October!
carolsnotebook . . . Just one question for you . . . Who could not be a fan of Johnny?!? :)
ReplyDeleteKristen M. . . . That's interesting! What keeps you moving away from it? I've only seen it the one time, but you've got me wondering about re-watching this one!
lisa :) . . . I really enjoyed this one too! I used to think that Burton was just odd, but the more I watch his films, I really do enjoy them more and more! And, I would love to have you join in October!! :)