Alex in Wonderland

Made in the aftermath of the sixties - and not without a hint of LSD - this view on the life, times and troubles of a young movie director, is also a must-see commentary on the relations between art and industry, independent film-makers and big-time producers, American cinema and European cinema. Glorious appearances by Federico Fellini (a hard-working man, whom Alex disturbs in Cinecittá while he's editing a TV special) and Jeanne Moreau serve as extra features that will attract every real movie-buff. At the same time, the movie owes much of its intensity (and/or intimacy) to a close-knit cast, where even the director and his wife are listed. And for very good reasons. If you still think at cinema as an adventure in the making, you won't be disappointed by this one.

Paul Mazursky co-wrote and directed this self-indulgent, though rarely boring, chronicle of an emerging movie director's quest to find a relevant, honest subject for his second picture. With reality and fantasy intermingling (often with a heavy hand), Mazursky is able to try out different filmmaking styles and techniques--some bold and some pretentious. This approach turns the picture into a series of vignettes, not all of which hold together, however there are wonderful individual moments amongst the dross. Donald Sutherland has a magical chance meeting with Jeanne Moreau in front of a book store, and there's an elaborate, surreal scene of war on Hollywood Boulevard (as seen through the jaundiced eye of a movie camera). A prickly bit of overstated authority on the U.S./Mexico border (with Sutherland singled out possibly because of his long hair and beard) is still topical today, however the circus folk and hippie longueurs probably looked embarrassing and dated only a year or so after the movie was released. An excursion to Rome seems included only to get a Federico Fellini cameo in the movie (Mazursky emulates Fellini's "8½" throughout, however the director's bit part is a gambit that fails to pay off). Everyday scenes of family life (house hunting, grocery shopping, etc.) are handled far too lackadaisically, although the depiction of Hollywood, California circa 1970 (wherein the Old Regime has been replaced with the avant garde New Wave) has a pointed preciseness which makes "Alex in Wonderland" an occasionally bracing document of its era. ** from ****

"Alex in Wonderland" is an absolutely different kind of film.It is one of those American films which talks about film making albeit in a very superficial manner.This is one of the few weak spots in the film as its narrative shifts quickly from one philosophical or ideological stance to another.This film can also be termed as Alex's adventures in wonderland as its eponymous protagonist film director Alex tries really hard to strike a fine balance between his professional and personal lives.Director Paul Mazursky is able to make his film appear a serious experience for a débutant film director by ensuring that there is absolutely no coherent link between two phases of a director's lives : personal life and professional life.Although Alex's journey in wonderland begins with a truly shocking scene which might be construed as somewhat scandalous by certain prudes,overall story gathers momentum once more pertinent characters are introduced.Paul Mazursky also plays a brief yet important role in this film to make us aware of the fact that not all filmmakers live in wonderland.His film suggests that most film directors live in ordinary surroundings where they try to deal with their strengths and weaknesses in equal measure in order to invigorate their artistic lives.It does not matter if not all viewers would be able to associate themselves with "Alex in Wonderland" and its hidden motives.One thing which can be said is that some serious fans will not be disappointed as they get to see great master of cinema Italian cinema maverick Fellini and French cinema diva Jeanne Moreau.

i saw this for the first time last night and thought it was fantastic - the best Mazursky movie i've seen (by far). i come here and find it has a 5.0 and most people hate it... strange. must have hit me at the right moment. i've been interested in seeing it for 20 years - glad i didn't until now.

yes, portions are derivative and pretentious, but Sutherland's incredibly likable and the film has a free and easy feel reminding me of a kind of urban easy rider. it's more of a long poem than a standard movie.

the sequence at Mazursky's office is amazing.

I'm very fond of films made from the late 1960s through the mid 1970s for their experimental attempts to get beyond genre conventions. I had fully expected "Alex in Wonderland" to be an overlooked psychedelic gem. While the film does have some amazing hallucinatory set-pieces (the most elaborate, a violent war in Hollywood with soldiers firing into a crowd while 2 men in top hats and tails dance on a flaming station wagon to the tune "Hooray for Hollywood"), most of the action is plodding. Donald Sutherland as Alex, goes off on many travels and tangents to entertain ideas for his next directorial effort. None of the episodic scenes build on each other and aside for gloriously lensed shots (by Laszló Kovács) of Sutherland in full hippie regalia walking introspectively in a variety of locations, there is little cumulative insight.