Alice in Wonderland (1976) – Impulse Pictures (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1976
Director: Bud Townsend
Writer: Bucky Searles
Cast: Kristine DeBell, Bucky Searles, Gela Nash, Ron Nelson, Alan Novak, J.P. Paradine, Larry Gelman, Jason Williams

Release Date: February 6th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 78 Minutes 6 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: X
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region 0 NTSC
Retail Price: $24.95

"The world's favorite bedtime story is finally a bedtime story... just NOT FOR KIDS! This sexy adult musical version of Lewis Carroll's classic kids story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland stars Playboy cover girl Kristine DeBelle as Alice. Alice is a naïve virgin who has never felt true desire. Stepping through an enchanted looking glass, she finds herself in Wonderland, the magical land of pleasure. Alice embarks on an erotic adventure where she meets the sex crazed Mad Hatter, the hot-blooded Wicked Queen, the "inseparable" Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and a host of carnal characters just waiting to take her innocence away. The musical kingdom of Wonderland is where all Alice's erotic fantasies finally come true!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3/5

Alice in Wonderland (1976) comes of a single layer DVD.

Disc Size: 4.1 GB

This transfer uses an unrestored source; there is debris, scratches, and emulsion stains that crop up throughout. Flesh tones look correct, and though colors look good, there are moments where they look off. Image clarity is good, black levels are adequate, and compression is very good.

Audio: 3/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in English. The audio sounds clear and balanced. Range-wise, this track is satisfactory.

Extras:

This release comes with no extras. 

This is the third time that this film has been released on DVD, and the previous two releases came with extras. Subversive Cinema’s 2007 DVD release came with these extras: a documentary about the film titled Alice in Wonderland: Back Down the Rabbit Hole, and Code Red’s 2011 DVD came with these extras: a R-rated theatrical trailer, an interview with actor Larry Gelman titled Horney Old Rabbit, and trailers for other films released by Code Red. Also, Subversive Cinema’s DVD came with the R and X-rated versions of the film, while Code Red’s DVD only came with the R-rated version.

Summary:

A librarian named Alice feels like she is growing up too fast. Her boyfriend is always thinking about sex, and she longs for the simpler times of her long-lost youth. One day, a white rabbit appears out of nowhere and leads Alice on a journey of self-discovery and sexual discovery.

Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is one of the most revered children's stories of all time, and it is no wonder that there are more than a dozen film adaptations of the story to date. So it should not come as a surprise that an adult version of Alice in Wonderland will eventually be made. In 1976, Bill Osco, producer of adult cinema classics like Flesh Gordon, embarked on his own version, albeit a very adult one, of Alice in Wonderland. 

An interesting little-known fact about the original theatrical release of Bill Osco’s Alice in Wonderland is that it was released by 20th-century Fox and played as part of a double bill with Star Wars. There are three versions of this film: a R-rated soft-core sex romp, a full-on hardcore XXX edit of the film, and a self-imposed X-rated version.

Those familiar with the source material will have no trouble following the narrative since it is very close content-wise to the original story. Though there is an adult slant, this film does a superb job merging the more fantasy aspects of the story. With the more erotic-laced moments. Also, the visuals, which use soft focus and natural lighting, keep in line with the fairytale origins. The one area in which this film holds up surprisingly well are its musical numbers.

The performances are best described as adequate. With the standout performance being playboy playmate Kristen DeBell (Cheerleaders Wild Weekend) in the role of Alice. That said, having seen many different versions of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ through the years, despite having a few interesting moments in this version, the end result is a flawed adaptation that never fully achieves its lofty ambitions.

Alice in Wonderland (1976) gets a serviceable audio/video presentation from Impulse Pictures.

Written by Michael Den Boer