We’re All Mad Here
It’s Lewis Carroll’s birthday, so don’t just do something – stand there! The author who opened and bent our young brains before science fiction had its turn would be turning 177 today. This is also the man who singlehandedly affected my entire life by inspiring my mother to name her only child after his Alice. It’s a long story, but I think she knew what fate awaited me as a result. To commemorate this special day, a somewhat unsettling clip from the very first stop-motion Alice In Wonderland. Made in 1951 by puppeteer and animation magician Lou Bunin, this one precedes the Jan Švankmajer version.
Oh what the hell, a scene from Švankmajer’s Alice under the jump, just because it’s such a perfect introduction to the leading lady.
January 27th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Happy birthday to the master! Thanks for the post, I always enjoy a little svankmajer!
January 27th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Happy birthday Lewis Carroll. Without you I wouldn’t be who I am.
Thank you for the wonderful reminder.
I really can’t get enough of all things Alice.
The first Alice in Wonderland film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Mvcqdy32w
January 27th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Happy Birthday Lewis Carroll. Without you i wouldn’t be who I am. Thanks for the wonderful reminder. I adore anything Alice. Here is the first Alice in Wonderland film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Mvcqdy32w
January 27th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Ah, you know,Švankmajer’s version is actually what re-ignited my love of all things Looking Glass and Wonderland. I refuse to believe that Tim Burton’s upcoming version will come anywhere near its niftiness.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I am very curious as to how Marilyn Manson is going to portray him in the Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll
happy birthday Mr. Carroll ..blessed be.
January 27th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Also, don’t forget “Dreamchild” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8JvMdfNOrg, quite disturbing/good.
January 27th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Oh jubilation and moderate amounts of spiritual-type ecstasy! One really can never have enough Lewis Carroll. Thanks for this..!
January 27th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Don’t just do something – stand there!
Well, LiveJournal bloggers have been doing Rabbit Hole Day for five years now.
The quality of the Rabbit Hole Day blog posts is variable, but there are some real gems in there.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Electronic music piece composed 90% from sounds recorded from Disneys Alice in Wonderland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAwR6w2TgxY
Video is also looping scenes from it. Funny song
January 28th, 2009 at 12:41 am
Adam and Jani – thank you both for those wonderful links! I love them so much. Everyone, click!
January 28th, 2009 at 1:58 am
Also, I thought about posting this image as part of the birthday commemoration but didn’t. So here it is now, it’s a digital manipulation of Caroll kissing Alice by artist David O’Kane. I think it’s beautiful.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:29 am
Thank you for this article, I didn’t know that 1951 version nor dit I know its director…
I was wondering, did you legally change your name into Zoetica? Name changing seems so intriguing to me.
January 28th, 2009 at 7:15 am
I was also named after Lewis Carroll’s Alice. Due to my personal circumstances I have derived a substantial sense of my identity from that fact. At times this has made me a purist, but I’m trying to be more open to Alice interpretations.
To contribute to the Alice love, here is a link to the pictures of my favourite Alice illustrator, Arthur Rackham.
Thank you for this post, and thank the universe for Carroll’s stories. They make the world a better place.
January 28th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Happy Birthday Lewis Carroll!
I am very fond of Mr Carroll’s and Mr Švankmajer’s worlds. I’m curious about Tim Burton’s version, but Švankmajer’s Alice will always remain my favorite.
Thanks a lot for the post! Made my day!
p.s. Just found out there is a Russian animation film version of Alice :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=0y5FJyHHqv4
January 28th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
@essylt: Good sleuthing! In my opinion, the Russian animation is the *only* one for me. I still dream of it, sometimes.
January 27th, 2012 at 12:08 am
Happy Birthday to you Mr. Dodgson. Or so should I say ‘belated’. Too bad I was not very interested in Alice in Wonderland till I came across an article about Anarchism in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland… It’s very sad that I did had a doubt in his books but after reading both of his life and his hidden ‘sides’ in himself… I believe that he was a sweet and innocent lamb. His love for Alice Liddelll seemed to be a very pure one. Please do not mix it in with other inappropriate ideas… He was just expressing his interest in her. But anyway, I hope that false articles about him shall banish someday. People should understand the ways of authors in the Victorian times express their feelings and pour them out in pages. I admit, that they may seem twisted but isn’t this world filled with many kinds of people? The truth is somewhere out there but I hope people will look at Mr. Charles Ludwigde Dodgson with respect upon his thrilling tales and ideas. (the picture of Alice and Lewis is very beautiful by the way…. Too bad it’s just an art….)