Alice's Playhouse
In Alice's Playhouse you will discover an exceptional collection of feature films adapted from some of the most celebrated plays ever written. Often featuring towering performances, outstanding direction and exceptional writing, this collection is a superb archive of contemporary drama masterfully transferred to the silver screen.
Filmizations of The Bard's work may be scrolled via the 'Shakespeare' sub-feature in green on the left, along with other notable playwrights who have been adapted for celluloid.
For adaptations of novels and short stories, check the 'Special Interest' link and click on 'Based on...'
Right: Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh relax during the filming of Tennessee Williams' masterpiece, 'A Streetcar Named Desire'.
Henry V (Olivier) ( Blu-ray ) (1944)
7.7/10
Director: Laurence Olivier
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Leslie Banks, Robert Newton, Esmond Knight, Renee Asherson, Fe...
'Henry V' is one of Shakespeare's most compelling historical plays. Laurence Olivier won a special Oscar for outstanding achievement as an actor, prod... Read more
Holiday (1938)
7.8/10
Director: George Cukor
Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Doris Nolan
Based on Philip Barry's Broadway play, 'Holiday' is stylishly directed by Oscar-winner George Cukor. This classic film stars Katharine Hepburn and Car... Read more
Home (1971)
6.6/10
Director: Lindsay Anderson
Starring: John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Dandy Nichols, Mona Washbourne, Warren Clarke
Two irrepressible legends of the British stage (Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson) lend elegance, wit and pathos in this made for television a... Read more
Hook (1991)
6.7/10
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Bob Hoskins, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Maggie Smith, Robin Williams
Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman star in this classic tale about a middle-aged lawyer who discovers that he was once the legendary Peter Pan. An ench... Read more
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)
7.3/10
Director: David Swift
Starring: Michele Lee, Rudy Vallee, Robert Morse
Robert Morse recreated his Tony-winning stage role in this filming of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical. Window washer J. Pierpont Finch applies the... Read more
Hurlyburly (1998)
5.8/10
Director: Anthony Drazan
Starring: Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Chazz Palminteri, Garry Shandling, Anna P...
David Rabe's blistering play about addiction, sexual confrontation and moral bankruptcy is bought to the screen with a stellar cast, including Sean Pe... Read more
I Am A Camera (1955)
6.7/10
Director: Henry Cornelius
Starring: Laurence Harvey, Julie Harris, Ron Randell, Shelley Winters, Anton Diffring, Mal...
Henry Cornelius's adaptation of the play which was later more famously filmed as the musical 'Cabaret'. It's Berlin in the 1930s, and a young writer b... Read more
If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them (1968)
7.6/10
Starring: Bob Hoskins, Leonard Rossiter, Richard Beckinsale, Michael Bryant, Geoffrey Bayl...
This release brings together both London Weekend Television productions of Johnny Speight's bleakly comic allegorical play whose overarching theme, as... Read more
In the Company of Men (1997)
7.2/10
Director: Neil LaBute
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Stacy Edwards, Matt Malloy
Shot in just two weeks for $25, 000, first-time director Neil LaBute adapted his own play for this pitch black comedy. It's a sharp take on modern mi... Read more
Indiscreet (1958)
6.8/10
Director: Stanley Donen
Starring: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Cecil Parker, Phyllis Calvert, David Kossoff, Megs J...
Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant are perfectly cast in this witty comedy, adapted by Norman Krasna from his own stageplay, 'Kind Sir'. Bergman is a weal... Read more