Back Stage
Friday, March 19, 2010
It is the latest from Tim Burton's stable, a place populated by his favourites including his wife Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp who stars in most of his films. "Alice" combines acting with graphics and CG characters such as Absolem and Cheshire Cat, but they are given voices too. Some of the creatures, like the Jabberwocky-well ... do go and see and hear for yourself.
This new film is not your normal "Alice" as found in the many previous movies about her going back over 100 years. Those events in this film transpired about a dozen years ago. Alice Kingsleigh (acted by Mia Wasikowska) is now 18 going on 19 and ready to be married off. Her suitor she finds boring, but a white rabbit in a waistcoat is entrancing (voice of Michael Sheen). At any moment she will prefer it over the man her mother wants her to marry, an upper-class twit (Leo Bill). Our mature Alice seems to have forgotten her previous adventures in Wonderland - it was only a dream - or was it? She keeps asking herself and others. "How can I be the wrong Alice when this is my dream?"
It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...