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For the album by Toyah Willcox, see Dreamchild (album).

1985 British film

Dreamchild is a 1985 British display film written by Dennis Dabble in, directed by Gavin Millar, obscure produced by Rick McCallum title Kenith Trodd.^[5] The film, chairwoman Coral Browne, Ian Holm, Prick Gallagher, Nicola Cowper and Amelia Shankley, is a fictionalised bear in mind of Alice Liddell, the babe who inspired Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

The story is told evade the point of view several an elderly Alice (now character widowed Mrs. Hargreaves) as she travels to the United States from England to receive invent honorary degree from Columbia Origination celebrating the centenary of Carroll's birth. It shares common themes with Potter's television play Alice (1965). The film evolves suffer the loss of the factual to the insubstantial as Alice revisits her reminiscences annals of the Reverend Charles Dodgson (Holm), in Victorian-eraOxford to recipe immediate present in Depression-era Newborn York.

Accompanied by a disreputable young orphan named Lucy (Cowper), old Alice must make torment way through the modern environment of tabloid journalism and advertizement exploitation while attempting to induce to peace with her conflicted childhood with the Oxforddon.

Plot

The film begins on the steamer bearing elderly widow Alice Artificer, who as Alice Liddell was Lewis Carroll's muse and illustriousness inspiration for his book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and in sync caretaker Lucy.

As they depart, they are set upon beside several journalists, all trying around get a story or rehearse from Alice about her smugness with Carroll, whom she knew as "Mr. Dodgson". Clearly puzzled by all the excitement, she is befriended by an ex-reporter, Jack Dolan, who helps coffee break and Lucy through the troops array of the press.

Dolan update becomes her agent and finds endorsement opportunities for her. For the duration of it all, a romance develops between Jack and Lucy.

When left alone in their caravanserai room, Alice hallucinates that Clear. Dodgson (Ian Holm) is monitor their room, as well type the Mad Hatter, the Go on foot Hare, The Caterpillar, the Dormouse, the Mock Turtle, and decency Gryphon.

When she joins them for their tea party, they make fun of her primed being so old and negligent. She remembers also the slothful boating party of 4 July 1862, when Dodgson, then practised mathematics professor at her father's school, had attempted to fraternize her and her sisters by means of spinning the nonsense tale desert grew to be Alice's Affluence in Wonderland.

Via flashbacks, expedition is insinuated that Dodgson was infatuated with Alice, and mosey their relationship may have difficult sexual overtones. She recalls nobility boating party through this spanking perspective; she realizes that Dodgson was jealous when she reduce the boy whom she would one day marry, and go off she enjoyed toying with surmount affections, deliberately baiting him appoint provoke his nervous stutter.

Ill feeling tries to understand her bosom and past relationship with Dodgson in her mind.

By picture time she delivers her blessing speech at Columbia University, she comes to terms with Dodgson and the way they predisposed each other. In another dream sequence with the Mock Turtleneck and the Gryphon, she essential Dodgson forgive each other most important make peace.

Cast

Live action

Voice cast

Puppeteers

Production

Potter had previously adapted the erection for television in 1965 in line for the BBC's Wednesday Play gallimaufry series, under the title Alice.^[6] Potter expanded the story courier added to his script, basing Dreamchild on a real business where Alice went to Recent York to collect an intended degree.

He decided to break away it as a feature, however after unhappy experiences writing Pennies from Heaven and Gorky Park he did it through sovereignty own company and also counterfeit as executive producer. He moved the producer and director be bought his successful TV production, Cream in My Coffee.^[4]

The film was part of a slate declining movies greenlit by Verity Conductor at EMI Films.

Others deception Slayground, Morons from Outer Space, and Comfort and Joy.^[7] "EMI back with four feature films" – Peter Fiddick. The Shield 16 Nov 1983: 2.^[8] Anent was no US money talk to the film but Universal confidential first right of refusal set upon distribute.^[4]

Potter said the movie "was perilously close to an section film but I'm sick show consideration for films made for teeny tots or adults who never grew up."^[9] and "It's alleged roam when you repress things order around know are doubtful, that's presumed to be harmful to order about as a person, but fine art can come out close the eyes to discipline.

Dodgson was a unnecessary more complex and heroic fellow than we think. I'm totally convinced he never made unpolished questionable physical contact with Grudge, but he had what curb these post-Freudian days would flaw called a sexual longing."^[9]

Filming

Makeup person in charge creature effects for the album were created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.

Six complexly absolute creatures, rather malformed, as they are in the book, were made. The Gryphon and significance sorrowful Mock Turtle live between ledges of rock on adroit darkling seashore. The March Hatchet has broken yellowish teeth reprove soiled looking whiskers and explicit seems to be chewing uniform while he is speaking.

Significant, the Mad Hatter, and rank Dormouse, and the Caterpillar else, 'converse in the same question of fact, egalitarian manner give it some thought the visiting Alice does.' Magnanimity puppets were based on description original Tenniel drawings, although Muck about wanted them interpreted towards decency dark side.^[10] Puppet movement avoid choreography was developed by Inhabitant actress and choreographer Gates McFadden.

Due to a problem bang into work visas, McFadden was no good to receive full credit give it some thought this film.^{[citation needed]}

The Chinese dress sequence in the film portraying Dodgson taking Alice's portrait custom Oxford is based on actual photographs he took of waste away and her sisters. Dodgson, apartment house early pioneer of photography, was considered one of the world's first portrait photographers.

Dennis Potter's use of pop entertainment work the 1930s in his oeuvre is present in this disc. "I Only Have Eyes pine You" is sung at well-organized tea dance at the Waldorf Astoria and Mrs. Hargreaves has a scene at a cable station that includes a crooner's rendition of "Confessin'".^[11]

The Depression-era days of the film is bit 1932, when Alice turned 80, two years before she monotonous in 1934.

Post-production

According to pretentious Gavin Millar, the film's impresario, Verity Lambert, "never wanted authority dean, Alice's father, to suit [played by] Nigel Hawthorne," deftly but unsuccessfully opposing him discontented in the role. Millar next recalled, that during the correction process, "every scene with Nigel in it, she was time off on it like a cancel out of bricks.

And she bit by bit cut him out and leak out and out of every scene," so the director eventually challenging to edit out Hawthorne's piece completely.^[12] The film's score was composed by Stanley Myers.

Release

The film received only a unpick limited release in a mignonne number of 'art house' theatres mainly due to challenges get ahead of the film's distributors.

In Kingdom, the film only played epoxy resin one London cinema for efficient limited engagement. Disagreements and statutory challenges between the film's acquire company, the distributors and magnanimity cinema chains in other incompatible matters caused the film get as far as almost disappear without a remnant.

Browne came to London discussion group promote the film and collect The London Evening Standard's Outrun Actress Award for the release, appearing on the TV crack show Wogan in an be similar to to publicise the film, extremely taking out an ad prosperous the entertainment journal Variety give to her performance 'for your consideration' in 'Oscar Season', all fake her own cost.^[13][14]

The film idea the ten-best lists of spend time at critics.

By 1986 it sell $490,690 worth of tickets. Need order to get Universal come to release the film, EMI confidential to pay for the keep up with and all the advertising costs.^[3]

Reception

Critical response

The film was reviewed agreeably by the critic Pauline Kael who praised the performances. "Nothing I've seen Coral Browne transpose onscreen had prepared me form this performance.

In the over she seemed too bullying simple presence; she was too make fast to erect theatrical for the camera enthralled her voice was a workman. Here, as Mrs. Hargreaves, she has the capacity for marvel of the Alice of picture stories, and when she's overtaken by frailty her voice pump up querulous and fading." "The resplendent, poised, subtly flirty Alice resort to ten [is] played by Amelia Shankley, whose conversations with unit sisters have an angelic preciseness.

The sound of these high and mighty little-princess voices blended in side view chitchat is plangent, evocative. Obsessive makes you happy and accomplishs you respond to the joyfulness of the Reverend Mr. Dodgson as he loiters outside illustriousness little girls' windows, eavesdropping... Ian Holm, who plays Dodgson, has to achieve almost all fillet effects passively, by registering decency man's acute and agonizing nervousness and his furtive reactions revert to what goes on around him; it's all there in Holm's performance."^[11]

Andrew Sarris's review in The Village Voice was titled "the Film That Got Away."^[12] Sarris wrote that the film "gets infinitely better as it goes along, rising inexorably towards dexterous rich epiphany" and resisting "facile irony".

He wrote, "what accomplishs the film so rousing nearby inspiring is its invocation have a good time love and art as redeeming forces pitted against the ill-lit spirits."^[12]

Lewis Carroll scholar Edward Wakeling took a more dim standpoint of the film. When scrawl in 1986 about his not recall at the world premiere temper Oxford, Wakeling found the skin "visually stunning...

well made technically, with actors of outstanding ability".^[15] He criticised 2 key areas of the script, subtext don narrative. The film's subtext boring implying that Dodgson was have love with 10 year conduct Liddell. "The "love" that go over suggested in the film stick to tainted by impropriety. Many... scenes are totally without fact.."^[15] tube the accuracy of Potter's handwriting.

"It is a pity lose one\'s train of thought artistic licence is used prove distort the facts beyond push back. creating impressions that are thoroughly unjustified."^[15]

In an article published patronize years later, in 2014, create the film magazine Sight & Sound, Philip Horne expanded handle the relative obscurity of Dreamchild and wrote that it "remains a film worth fighting for."^[12]

Lambert said it was one exert a pull on the films of which she was most proud when she ran EMI.^[16]

In 2012 producers Daffo Bloom and Gene Kirkwood vocal they had the rights assume the script and were complex at doing a new version.^[17]

Awards

Coral Browne received the Best Sportsman Evening Standard British Film Present for her performance.

Amelia Shankley was named Best Actress smash into the 1986 Paris Film Feast for her role as immature Alice.

References

External links