Alice or the Last Escapade
| Alice or the Last Escapade | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Claude Chabrol |
| Produced by |
Pierre Gauchet Patrick Hildebrand Eugène Lépicier |
| Screenplay by | Claude Chabrol |
| Based on | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll |
| Starring |
Sylvia Kristel Charles Vanel |
| Music by | Pierre Jansen |
| Cinematography | Jean Rabier |
| Edited by | Monique Fardoulis |
Production company |
Filmel # P.H.P.G. |
| Distributed by | Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | 98,954 admissions (France)[1] |
Alice or the Last Escapade (French: Alice ou la dernière fugue) is a 1977 French film written and directed by Claude Chabrol. The film is very loosely inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, including the protagonist's name being Alice Carroll (a combination of the Alice character and the author's pseudonymous surname).[2]
Plot
While leaving her husband, whom she has grown to despise, Alice (Sylvia Kristel) drives into the pristine countryside but must stop at an old house after her windshield cracks mysteriously. An old man and his butler welcome her at the mansion as if she were expected. The old man insists on her staying overnight. They even offer to have her car repaired in the morning. She is woken up in the middle of the night by a booming noise. The next day the car is there with a new windshield but she is alone in the deserted house. After a good breakfast laid out for her she jumps into the car again but she cannot find the gateway to the country house from whence she came. A tree trunk seems to be in the way. Reluctantly she returns to the old house. She then tries to walk the way with her suitcase and she meets a young man who tells her to accept the fact that there is no way out. Is she in limbo? She has to spend a second night in the mansion. The old man is there again and provides some explanations. The following day is a bright morning full of birdsong. Once more breakfast is ready for her in the lonely house. She takes the car again and here is the path and the gate to the highway. Is she really out? A few more strange characters come her way. Her windshield cracks again.
Principal cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Sylvia Kristel | Alice Caroll |
| Charles Vanel | Henri Vergennes |
| Jean Carmet | Colas |
| Fernand Ledoux | The old doctor |
| André Dussollier | The young man at the park
The gas station attendant |
| François Perrot | The 40 year old man |
| Thomas Chabrol | The 13 year old boy |
Critical reception
From TV Guide:
| “ | College philosophy-course idea is given a lush photographic treatment by the Hitchcock-influenced Frenchman Chabrol.[3] | ” |
From www.devlidead.com:
| “ | Chabrol, ranging from expressionism and realism, depicts a parallel dimension in which there is any obvious duality between good and evil present in the sets, characters, narration, lighting... However, even if the fantasy genre, revealing himself completely new in the career of the director, is perfectly controlled, it appears that the film is very "chabrolien", that is to say close to his characters, which, in are concerned, operate in a microcosm in which their different psychological profiles give rise to power relations. Chabrol, who knows human nature, dissects every move of our heroine, and leads inexorably towards the abyss... At present, even though the film tends to go unnoticed in the career of the filmmaker, ALICE OR THE LAST FUGUE remains a work unique, unclassifiable among other treasures chabroliens as exciting as each other. By adapting the tale of Lewis Carroll "French," Chabrol has risen to the challenge of maintaining its fantasy genre film convictions.[4] | ” |
References
- ↑ Sylvia Kristel French box office information at Box Office Story
- ↑ "Alice in Euroland". Fright.com. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
- ↑ "Alice, Or The Last Escapade Trailer, Reviews and Schedule for Alice, Or The Last Escapade | TVGuide.com". Movies.tvguide.com. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
- ↑ "ALICE OU LA DERNIERE FUGUE - Chronique/Critique/Review Film & DVD". www.devildead.com translated from. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
