Alice in Wonderland (1903)
UK 9m, Silent, B&W
Directors: Cecil Hepworth, Percy Stow; Cast: May Clark, Cecil M. Hepworth, Mrs. Cecil Hepworth, Norman Whitten
Running at just over eight minutes in length, this first film adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), is to say the least, an abridged version of this classic story. As with other contemporary early films that were inspired by classic novels, such as A Trip to the Moon (1902) and Frankenstein (1910), Alice in Wonderland is largely a play-like production, albeit one with a number of special effects that are comparable to the many fantastic productions produced by Georges Méliès’ during this early period of largely experimental cinema (Klaus Ming March 2015).
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I saw this on YouTube a few years ago and I highly recommend it as a very entertaining example of the early days of film. There’s also a version from about 1910 that’s a lot of fun.
…And the rabbit reminded my of Frank from Donnie Darko