Alice

In its time, this film was something like a revelation to me. Thanks to it, I became, when it already seemed that I would finally grow up, a dreamy child again, much to the displeasure of everyone around me... I discovered the works of Jan Švankmajer thanks to it and became a big fan of his. In this film, Švankmajer capitalized on the previous two decades of his artistic work and experiences from his early short films. It is surrealism in its purest form, where it is not so much about the story, but rather about the barrage of artistic installations, artifacts, and ideas, as well as avant-garde animation that pushed the boundaries of what was previously known and possible. The elevator ride impressed me the most with its passing floors filled with a variety of strange creatures and plants created by Švankmajer. He devised an entire alternative world and used old illustrations from Brehm's "Life of Animals" and 19th-century encyclopedias as a starting point for creating creatures that seem to come from a fantasy world. Švankmajer's wife, Eva, also contributed to the film's artistic aspects. Overall impression: 100%. I have seen four more versions of Alice to this day, but none came close to Švankmajer's... (16/06/2006)

This slant on Lewis Carrol’s classic work, deformed by Švankmajer’s surrealism, proved to be the best possible. Its all-round flawless genius that will probably remain sorely unappreciated in the Czech Republic, while abroad, especially in Japan, it is praised to the heavens. And they are quite right because this is Švankmajer’s best work of all. Five * for the unforgettable rabbit alone. (01/08/2007)

Lewis Carroll's story of Alice entering Wonderland offers a wealth of material that is mirrored in many directorial concepts and adaptations. One of these is Jan Švankmajer's film, which perfectly blends live acting and incredible animation work that is more than admirable given the age of the film. I was perhaps a little distracted by the way little Alice speaks, which seemed a little too monotonous, but I still tried to pay more attention to the formal side of the film, which was more important and indeed unmissable. In short, a very good piece of filmmaking Czechs can be proud of, and which will certainly not be lost in the world of cinema. (29/06/2015)

Jan Švankmajer - by the way, the first feature film I saw from this filmmaker, which is a bit sad - managed to achieve something incredible. Maintaining the bizarre nature of Alice, but adding his own approach to it, turning the story into something that's not far from horror at all. Minimalistic yet wonderfully imaginative, both beautiful and terrifying. (08/02/2016)