Visions of Alice

Three of the best, from top left: Disney’s surreal, almost kitsch Alice in Wonderland (1951); Jonathan Miller’s austere black and white version for the BBC (1966) with a sulky and bored-looking Alice and a who’s who supporting cast of British film and theatre actors including Wilfrid Brambell (from Steptoe and Son), Peter Cook, John Gielgud, Alan Bennett, Peter Sellers and Michael Redgrave; Jan Svankmajer’s typically macabre Alice (1988) combining stop motion animation and live action to creepy effect. Right: one of John Tenniel’s brilliant illustrations for the original book (1865).

The great thing about the Alice books though – Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1872) – is we all have our own version of them in our imaginations.

Tim Burton’s new version – with a nineteen-year-old Alice – opens nationwide tomorrow.

Read my previous post about Alice Liddell’s grave here.