Dreamchild (1985)

Read more

The magnificent Ian Holm (The Homecoming, Alien) is renowned children’s author Lewis Carroll in this poignant fantasy-drama set in 1930s New York and populated by the fabulous special-effects creatures of Muppet master Jim Henson. To help celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s birth, the real-life Alice in Wonderland—80-year-old Alice Hargreaves (Coral Browne, The Killing of Sister George)—is baffled by her enormous public popularity. As she comes to terms with America’s “Alice Mania,” she returns in her thoughts and dreams to her idyllic childhood, in the England of the mid-1800s. In a wondrous blend of fantasy and reality, she confronts the unsettling memories of her past—and the strangely repressed Reverend Dodgson (a.k.a. Lewis Carroll), whose powerful affection for Alice surfaced in his writing to create one of the world’s most beloved literary classics. Scripted by Dennis Potter (Gorky Park) and co-starring Peter Gallagher (Summer Lovers), Dreamchild is a delightfully unique and inspiring film for all ages.