Alice Hargreaves and Peter Llewelyn-Davies

[Hannah High]

Just wondering, I went through a summer day in reading Carroll for myself and for my nephew, and part of that involved viewing the film Dreamchild. Upon first finding that, I remember a mention of Alice Liddell meeting Peter Llewelyn-Davies at Columbia University on the centennial of Dodgson's birth. I was wondering if any of you people knew something about it? Just curious...



This film thrilled me...well, in some ways. Mostly just Milliar and Potter's take on the relationship between Alice and the mathematician, who dreamed in pictures (another rich performance by Ian Holm) and set me pretending many things. Also apart from Alice's own coming to grips with her old friend, I was often looking out the window, waiting...



Unlike Barrie, only met this fellow a few times, so I do not yet find a way that even the child within me could say if this really was Dodgson or Carroll or whoever.



But one thing had me laughing. Several interviewers coming to meet the 80 year-old Alice, and they're wondering why people are so interested in her. One replies, "It's like Peter Pan, but Alice was actually real."



I couldn't help but laugh a little at that! Until they returned to the golden afternoon where the stories were first told, and even though Carroll is so very different from Barrie, like a flute to a drum, I found myself smiling.



A heartless smile comes out much more with Mr. Birkin's take on a real dreamchild. Right now I'm thinking of that scene where Barrie tells George about cutting out a mother's heart, and then another with the glory of Michael's socks...



Enough, along with the question, just thought I share that. Peace!

[stourhead]

I recently read (can't remember where this moment but I will look it up) that Alice Hargreaves and Peter also sat together at the Bumpus bookshop centenary celebration in London after she returned from the U.S.  In the audience was also Virginia and Leonard Woolf, and Kenneth Grahame.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to know what they chatted about.