Is it just me, or did Tim Burton borrow heavily from the artist Maxfield Parrish for
Alice in Wonderland, particularly the scenes with the White Witch (played so unconvincingly, in my opinion, by the beautiful Anne Hathaway).
Seeing this movie in 3-d was
spectacular: like walking into a painting by Maxfield-Parrish meets a watered-down/commercialized Tim Burton landscape. While I doubt it will be winning any awards next year (sorry!), I definitely call it a 'must-see' for anyone interested in movies purely for aesthetics. I think my general summation of the film was that it is to Tim Burton what the original Hairspray was to John Waters.
Is it just me, or did Tim Burton borrow heavily from the artist Maxfield Parrish for Alice in Wonderland, particularly the scenes with the White Witch (played so unconvincingly, in my opinion, by the beautiful Anne Hathaway).
Seeing this movie in 3-d was spectacular: like walking into a painting by Maxfield-Parrish meets a watered-down/commercialized Tim Burton landscape. While I doubt it will be winning any awards next year (sorry!), I definitely call it a 'must-see' for anyone interested in movies purely for aesthetics. I think my general summation of the film was that it is to Tim Burton what the original Hairspray was to John Waters.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND was off putting to me, but the "look" was amazing, especially makeup & costuming... But I see your point about the Parrish imprint.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the Maxfield Parish murals at The Palace Hotel in San Fransisco or The King Cole room at the St. Regis in NYC? Stunning!
I love your blog, young man.
I'll wait until next weekend to avoid the crowds to see it. But I knew it from the get go that what is worth seeing is the 3d visual experience not the originality or storytelling and certainly not the acting! As far as the commercialization, designers of all sorts have not let the opportunity pass. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it looks amazing, but I am so in love with the original book, that I don't think I will see Time Burton's version. A reread of the facsimile of the original hand written manuscript is what it will be for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the waiting list to see this film as well. I've always been a huge fan of Burton's film - and curious to see what he's done with dear, sweet Alice.
ReplyDeletefingers crossed,
scot
Stefan, I don't know if you've ever been on this particular piece of autobahn, but when you drive to Milan, crossing the Alps via Zurich and the gorgeous "Vierwaldstättersee" lake, there's a few kilometres of road that run parallel to the lake and even right down at shore level -- and it looks just like "Daybreak", with the slopes of the mountains dropping directly into the water. Magical.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. (And can you believe an artist so famous in America is an absolute non-entity in Europe? Weird.)
Have a good day,
Michael
Yes, I saw it in 3-D as well and thought it looked amazing. The colors were alive and organic. They popped without that annoying "coming off the screen to attack" feeling. I see your point about Tim Burton borrowing heavily from Maxfield Parrish. Must admit parts of the film kept reminded me of a Hieronymus Bosch and a Mark Ryden paintings. Weird combo.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I was put off by some of the reviews but seeing as you mention the comparison to Parrish, how could i miss this?
ReplyDeleteDaniel, I didn't love the film -but it was visually stunning and I enjoyed it for that. Helen Bonham Carter's performance was pretty good too -amusing.
ReplyDelete