Alice For Reals

Just found this gem on my morning blog surf: the world's 1st screen adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland".....over 100 years ago!

This beautiful 35mm B&W was shot only 8 years after the birth of motion picture technology. In the wake of the new Burton "Alice," this is certainly a breath of fresh air. They just don't make 'em like they used to.



Read all about it at BFI, or take a peek at this snippet from YouTube:

"The first-ever film version of Lewis Carroll's tale has recently been restored by the BFI National Archive from severely damaged materials. Made just 37 years after Lewis Carroll wrote his novel and eight years after the birth of cinema, the adaptation was directed by Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stow, and was based on Sir John Tenniel's original illustrations....

....With a running time of just 12 minutes (8 of which survive), Alice in Wonderland was the longest film produced in England at that time. Film archivists have been able to restore the film's original colours for the first time in over 100 years."

Matchgirl in 35mm

In 2006, I attended the 35mm Film-making program at FAMU in Prague for one semester. During this time, fourteen of us wrote, shot and edited our own short films. I was lucky enough to shoot on 35mm film and do some post work with the talented folks at Barrandov Studios.

Though the program was rewarding, it was grueling to be up against the high expectations of our Eastern European professors. However, I must say this prepared us for the inevitable harsh criticisms of the actual film world, and forced us to break out of our comfort zones as artists.


The idea for "Matchgirl" (another working title; suggestions welcome) came from my childhood love of the Hans Christian Anderson story, "The Little Matchgirl." It was one of those stories that mom used to read to me, and subsequently made me cry every time. It's tragic, but sweet; and to a kid, those two conflicting emotions are both confusing and somewhat disturbing. When I knew I'd be visiting ye olde Prague, I thought it was the perfect backdrop for a fairytale. However, the reality of shooting a period piece proved difficult, and I later revised my script many times to reflect a more modern tone. Yet, I believe the heart of the story is still there.

I did a rough cut in Europe, and then re-edited once I was back in the city for an editing course at Tisch. Sound design was difficult, as there was no sync sound when we shot. I had to make do with the school's sound library, and when you view the film as is stands, you will see it still needs a little work in that department. The biggest element missing is music, so if anyone has any ideas or knows anyone who can compose, let me know! It really needs something, as there are gaps that needs to be filled in order for the drama to follow through.

So take a peak and let me know what you think; I'd love to hear any feedback, as I think this short deserves to be submitted somewhere, as there were so many people who gave their time to make it happen. And it goes without saying that it still occupies a special place in my heart.