Alex in Wonderland (1971) - Spotlight on... On the Edge!

"Somewhere over the rainbow I'll get high..." - Donald Sutherland (as Alex Morrison in 'Alex in Wonderland')


'Alex in Wonderland' is a 1971 comedy-drama directed by Paul Mazursky and starring Donald Sutherland, Ellen Burstyn, Andre Philippe, Meg Mazursky, Viola Spolin and Paul Mazursky with special guest appearances from Federico Fellini and Jeanne Moreau. It was written by Paul Mazursky with his writing partner Larry Tucker.

Alex Morrison (played by Sutherland) is a director who has made one film, and spends his time in Hollywood wondering what his second film will be. The film co-stars Burstyn as his wife, Mazursky as his daughter Amy and Spolin as his mother.


Musical program
Jeanne Moreau sings two songs in the film: "Le Vrai Scandale" (which she also wrote lyrics), and "Le Reve Est La".


Watch the trailer:

Did you know...

• Paul Mazurky was in a similar situation to Alex when he made the film - he had just made 'Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice' (1969) and wasn't sure what his next film would be
• This film was partly inspired by Federico Fellini's '8 1/2' (1963), which is about a film director who is artistically stuck

Closing remarks

The film is rather slow, and comes across more as a bunch of slightly related scenes spliced together, as opposed to a cohesive narrative. That said, the film presents a very real commentary on the relationship between the independent filmmaker, and their struggle in Hollywood.