Alice (1982 film)

Alicja
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJacek Bromski
Jerzy Gruza
Written byJacek Bromski
Jerzy Gruza
Judy Raines
Susannah York
Based on
StarringSophie Barjac
Jean-Pierre Cassel
Susannah York
Paul Nicholas
Jack Wild
Tracy Hyde
Dominic Guard
CinematographyAlec Mills
Witold Sobociński
Edited byBill Blunden
Music byHenri Seroka; Lulu
Distributed byZjednoczenie Rozpowszechniania Filmów
Release date
  • 29 March 1982 (1982-03-29)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryPoland
LanguagesPolish
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

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.