Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Fantasy

The first ever porn parody?

A few days ago a member from an old all things cult forum asked me if I had ever reviewed "Alice in Wonderland", and I was like, "sure mate, I'll give you the link later". To my surprise, there was no review, and then I realized why I hadn't made a review of such a rarity of a film: I didn't have the uncut version of the film and was still looking for it. The uncut version is, as you've probably guessed by now, the one that comes with the real sex scenes, which the original cut had plenty of, since the movie was intended to be the first hardcore porn film with a big budget and a story. Kristine DeBell, the star of the film, spent years denying the existence of a hardcore version of the film, in which she'd performed. By the time this film was released (1976), DeBell was beginning her career as a model and had recently become a Playboy bunny. 

According to David J. Hogan's book "The Wizard of OZ FAQ," Bill Osco, the producer of "Alice in Wonderland" had originally intended to star Kristine DeBell in an X-rated parody of The Wizard of OZ to be entitled "Dirty Dorothy." He eventually decided to do a take-off on Lewis Carroll's "Alice" books instead, probably because their rights were in the public domain and there would be less risk of a copyright infringement lawsuit than with the OZ books. 

So now, let's get down to business and review this classic musical everyone should watch before they die: Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Fantasy.

Sweet little Alice, the virgin librarian.

Wonderland and some of its weirdos.

Alice (Kristine DeBell) enters in a world of wonder... but not the kind of wonder that you remember as a kid. The Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Queen and others (even Tweedledee and Tweedledum) show Alice some things about her body -- and other people's bodies -- that might be quite wonderful. A tale of love and lust the likes you have never seen.

The story of how Kristine DeBell got involved with this is interesting. According to her, she was a model at the Ford Agency and saw that there were auditions for this film. She did not know what kind of movie it was, so she tried out and landed the part. Now, exactly what point she figured out what sort of movie it is is unclear, but we do know that she ended up going through with it. After all, making the movie only took ten days and a couple of fucks here and there.

Getting dry after a wet rescue.

Wonderland inhabitants show Alice how she can feel wonder too.

The producer was Bill Osco, probably best known at that point (and maybe even today) for "Flesh Gordon"(which we will review eventually). The director, Bud Townsend, had made a few horror films, "Terror House" and "Nightmare in Wax", which are largely forgotten today, even by fans of cult horror.

In "Alice", the songs are cheesy, but fit the theme of the movie. One song, "What's a Girl Like You Doing on a Knight Like This?" was pretty funny, and the others had similar themes going. The trial towards the end was well scripted, and fit very nicely into the world of Alice. The logic and humor were definitely accounted for. There is no denying it is an adult film, but one that has a certain level of intelligence.

Everyone knows how to party in Wonderland.

Even trials are an occasion to party.

What more can you say about a film like this? All I know is, for people who are used to adult films where the "plot" is just a 30-second lead-in to the sex, this one is going to overload you with plot and music. But, personally, I think there is something very special about this film and I do hope, in case you haven't watched it yet, that you do  come across the uncut version of the film that runs for 88 minutes instead of the 72 minute theatrical version. The DVD is currently out of print, but tracking it won't be that difficult. There's a double DVD version that features both the theatrical edition and the uncut version from which our review's been taken. 

In a 2012 brief interview by Metal Rules Radio, DeBell denied having performed any of the real sex scenes in Alice in Wonderland. However, a couple of scenes couldn't have possibly been acted by a body double, unless producers found an exact DeBell's doppelganger. In addition, she agrees she took part in the film because she was too young to care and/or notice what she was getting into.

In order to return to your world, you must learn the secrets of love.

Getting down to business.

DeBell's story following the film is even more interesting. She began dating producer Bill Osco, so through him, she got the lead in another cult (though not adult) film, "The Great American Girl Robbery" (1979). And who co-produced with Osco? None other than Chuck Russell, who went on to direct such films as "The Blob" and "Nightmare on Elm Street 3"! 

I don't see how Kristin DeBell's career could be wrecked by this film, as it was her first film. And Ronald Reagan's tiresome hypocrisies had yet to mar this land when it was released, but in a way he and his stooge Meese did affect Ms DeBell. When Meese was staging his anti-pornography commission (to distract people from his own criminal activities), Meese hired the services of an anti-porn activist named Judith Reisner. Reisner was obsessed with images she perceived as child pornography. She saw the "Alice" cover Ms DeBell did for Playboy and promptly announced she had scientifically proven that Ms DeBell was in fact a photo collage of parts from several grown women and the face of a ten year old. Yeah, right...

Anyway, DeBell escaped the world of adult films and b-movie schlock, appearing in "Meatballs" and being a mildly successful star ever since.

Blowing for some cum.

Back on Earth.

Plotwise, the film follows the stages of sexual discovery since Alice first becomes aware of her own body and what she can do to cum by herself. Then she goes into blowjobs, lesbian sex, and a whole lot more in order to be able to return to her real world and fully understand & fulfill her boyfriend's natural needs.

Alice in Wonderland: an X-Rated Musical Fantasy is what porn used to be, this is a true classic. I mean, it is an x-rated musical based on an actual book! There is a real plot to it and how many x-rated movies can boast that these days? This belongs in an exclusive short-list of true pornographic movie classics, including Debby Does Dallas, Deep Throat, and Behind the Green Door. I think the problem with "pornographic movies" these days is that it's all about the "pornographic" and not about the "movie". Alice in Wonderland has graphic depictions of sex, sure, but it is actually telling a story at the same time. Not one of the typical "Oh, Mr. Police Man, don't write me a ticket" plots, this takes it another step further and makes it a musical! Fabulous! If you want to see an example of "good" porn, this is one of the best. 

Oh Alice, I  knew you could swallow!

Kristine DeBell: All American beauty.

What makes this film such a delightful jaunt is its garden like setting. Partly filmed in the lush, natural splendor of Vancouver B.C.'s Stanley Park, the movie belies its pornographic roots. You don't come away feeling you've watched a sleazy skin flick. At this writing, I haven't viewed the triple XXX version. The extra sex footage tacked on afterward would, in all probability, disrupt the overall flow and remove the light, breezy atmosphere evident throughout.

Naturally, the Lewis Carroll version is the best way to curl up and explore Alice's adventures in Wonderland. However, for a time capsule representing 1970s' adult film archives, Alice in Wonderland: an X-Rated Musical Fantasy is worth following that white rabbit for a ribald ride full of mirthful mayhem. 

Here's the 2012 interview where DeBell talks briefly about the film:

Here's the movie trailer: