Movie Review: The Alphabet Conspiracy (1959)

Synopsis: Frustrated by her English homework, Judy dreams of abolishing the alphabet with the help of the Mad Hatter and the Jabberwock. However, Dr. Linguistics changes her mind.

Who's in it? The movie stars Cheryl Callaway, Hans Conried, Frank Baxter, Cactus Mack and Daws Butler.


Review: I came across this short movie last night while waiting for my wife and daughter to get back from martial arts classes. Since I had dinner already prepped, I decided to give it a try and it ended up being surprisingly good.

I won't lie, parts of this movie are about as dated as you would expect, especially when referencing "primitive" cultures. There are also some scenes, like the one with the dancing letters, that seem a bit drug induced. However, there was also a lot to like about this film.

I think the thing that impressed me was how the movie gives a fairly sound (albeit maybe missing more modern interpretations) explanation of language, including how it started, how humans make the sounds that are interpreted as words and even how some cultures communicate without words. I especially loved the part involving babies and how they all speak the same language when born but adapt based on what they hear from their parents.

The movie also provides some interesting history lessons. The animated lesson about Wolfgang von Kempelen's 18th century "speaking" machine was intriguing enough for me to pause the movie just so I could look it up and learn more.

I wasn't a huge fan of the Mad Hatter character (Conried). He was supposed to be a villain but ultimately didn't do a whole lot more than just talk and follow instructions. He was even having Judy (Callaway) take notes, which kind of seemed like something that defeated the point of his mission to eliminate the alphabet. Of course, I'll also admit I'm probably reading a little too much into that since he was a figment of Judy's imagination, and this was a kids' movie.

Final Opinion: As I mentioned, some parts are a bit dated but, at minimum, it does a good job introducing kids to the science behind language and might still be a fun learning experience for younger children.

My Grade: B

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Movie Review: Mean Girls (2024)

Image
Synopsis: After being raised in Kenya and homeschooled by her mother, high school junior Cady Heron is given the opportunity to attend classes at an American public school. As she tries to adjust, she is invited to join the Plastics, a girl clique headed up by the beautiful but vicious Regina George. Despite her friends, Janis and Damian, warning her about Regina and her fellow clique members, Karen and Gretchen, Cady tries to see the good in Regina. That changes when she falls in love with Regina's ex-boyfriend, Aaron, and sees just how cruel Regina can be. Her acts of revenge, however, result in Cady assuming many of Regina's less-than-desirable traits and ultimately becoming a pariah. All while breaking out into song and dance because this is a musical. Who's in it? The movie stars  Angourie Rice ,  Reneé Rapp ,  Bebe Wood ,  Tim Meadows and Tina Fey . Review: I've seen the original Mean Girls multiple times, first when it originally came out then again with eac
Read more

Movie Review: Upgraded (2024)

Image
Synopsis: After running up a ton of student loan debt as an art history major, Ana's dreams of owning her own gallery hinge on being able to make an impression with her new boss, Claire, at a prestigious auction house. She gets that opportunity when she's invited to serve as an assistant on a trip to London, where a rare collection is about to be auctioned off. After receiving a surprise upgrade to first class, Ana meets William, the son of a British actress, and when he mistakenly believes she has her boss' job, she doesn't correct him. This creates complications as she begins to fall for William and learns his mother is the one selling the art collection. Who's in it? The movie stars Camila Mendes , Archie Renaux , Marisa Tomei , Lena Olin and Anthony Head. Review: I came across this movie on Amazon Prime yesterday and since it sounded like something my wife and I would both like, I added it to my list. We watched it tonight and, overall, I thought it wound up
Read more

Kwik Trip Kitchen Cravings Tailgater Pizza

Image
  When my wife and I decided on pizza for dinner last night, I stopped at Kwik Trip with the intention of just buying a cheap, frozen, cheese pizza for our daughters since we already had another pizza in our freezer. However, as I was walking up to the checkout counter, this particular pizza caught my eye and, even though I wasn't crazy about spending $8.99 when I already had another option at home, I was intrigued enough to make the purchase anyway. We ended up making the pizza in the oven when I got home. After trying it, I have to say it is one of my favorites. One of the things, in particular, that really stood out for me when it came to this pizza was the toppings. The combination of sausage and cheese curds was both unique and delicious, especially since the curds were fresh enough to still squeak when we were eating them. The pizza also proved to be surprisingly filling, both because of the thicker crust and the generous amounts of toppings and cheese.  Normally, when my wi
Read more