If you’re looking for something old and new to watch at the same time Sunday night, check out Alice (Showcase, 8 p.m.). Brought to you by the same folks who re-imagined The Wizard of Oz as “Tin Man” two years ago, it is Alice in Wonderland turned on her head.
Her brunette head, as played by Toronto native Caterina Scorsone. Chatted with her on the phone a week ago and she told me director Nick Willing decided to go with Scorsone’s natural brown locks instead of the traditional blond Alice to drive home the point that this was a different, darker take on the classic Lewis Carroll fable. This Alice is older, a no-nonsense working woman hurled into a nonsense universe after her boyfriend pops the question.
The four-hour, two part TV-movie concludes Monday night at 8/7c on Showcase and on originating U.S. cable channel SyFy. Alice was shot in Vancouver and features Kathy Bates as the cranky Queen of Hearts (she runs the Wonderland casino in this version), Matt Frewer as the white knight and an even more disheveled than usual Harry Dean Stanton as resistance fighter “Caterpillar.” Tim Curry and Colm Meany also head down the revamped rabbit hole.
Scorsone was quite candid about how she “hated” the Lewis Carroll Alice as a child and even hated the Disney movie, feeling all discombobulated over Carroll’s bizarre, nonsensical imagery.
She’s over all that now. Check out the full story on Alive in my report for The Canadian Press here.
Meanwhile, kudos to Showcase for paying the premium and hustling this onto the air day-and-date with the Americans. Tin Man was rusted by the time Space premiered it in Canada even though it too was shot in Vancouver.
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