Alice in Wonderland, 1903

[raxacorricofallapatorius]

Here is the commentary that goes with it:

It's been a while since I uploaded anything to this account. I wanted to do something special, so I obtained and restored the very rare, first film version of Alice In Wonderland, made in England by Cecil Hepworth in 1903 (this versatile director also plays Frog in the film). The original negative is severely damaged, and much of the film has deteriorated. No known prints survive anywhere so restoration is next to impossible. However I was able to brighten it considerably and improve its overall appearance with a sepia tint. The music you will recognise as Claude Debussy's "Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun." The BBC have rescued this film from obscurity by releasing it as an extra, with commentary, on their DVD for the 1966 Jonathan Miller production of Alice in Wonderland. As informative and interesting as the audio commentary was, I find I also quite enjoy viewing this film with a classic, elegant musical accompaniment. This is for the Alice who lives inside of all of us.