For the last 37 years, Christchurch gem Alice in Videoland has carried one of the most impressive film collections in the country. And access to their archive isn’t just limited to those in the Garden City.
A wander around central Christchurch’s Alice in Videoland is an exercise in going down the rabbit hole: full-throttle sensory overload. Classic films beam from an eyeball-shaped television in the back corner; red carpet and Cecille B. DeMille-esque pillars add a touch of classic Hollywood grandeur; naturally, a Mad Hatter figurine surveys the shop and the recognisable white-stockinged legs of Alice herself dangle through the ceiling. Shelves curl into various nooks and practically buckle with over a century’s worth of film history. This is Alice in Videoland, one of the last remaining video stores in Aotearoa.
“Alice”, as it’s affectionately known, has been a veritable treasure trove of the rare, challenging, interesting and offbeat for the last 37 years.
Current owner Peter Tonks bought the store three years ago with his business partner Keryn Maguire. “I’m a film buff basically,” says Tonks, who also works on film sets. It was while studying at film school in his early 20s that he discovered Alice and quickly made a habit of taking out two or three films a day. “I was a very good Alice customer, for a few years I might have even been their best customer,” he says. After almost four decades, Alice’s 28,000 title collection remains alive and…
