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'.
The Tempest (1979)
6.6/10
Director: Derek Jarman
Starring: Heathcote Williams, Karl Johnson, Toyah Wilcox
British helmer Derek Jarman's film version of Shakespeare's most fanciful play is definitely one of a kind. The plot remains intact, however, liberty... Read more
The Tempest (BBC) (1979)
5.4/10
Director: John Gorrie
Starring: Michael Hordern, Derek Godfrey, David Waller
In this BBC adaptation of one of Shakespeare's final plays, a tempest of wind and rain raised by the magician Prospero shipwrecks Alonso, King of Napl... Read more
The Thames Shakespeare Collection (1970)
Director: Kenneth Branagh, Joan Kemp-Welch, Philip Casson
Starring: Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Marie Kean, Ian McDiarmid, Patrick Magee, Ray Smith, W...
From royal family struggles and star-crossed lovers to a shipwreck romance and witches' prophecies, this acclaimed collection features the four of Sha... Read more
The Time Of Your Life (1948)
6.4/10
Director: H C Potter
Starring: James Cagney, William Bendix, Jeanne Cagney, Broderick Crawford, Ward Bond
After turning down several other Hollywood producers, playwright William Saroyan sold the film rights of his whimsical Pulitzer Prize-winning play to... Read more
The Trojan Women (1971)
7.1/10
Director: Michael Cacoyannis
Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Vanessa Redgrave, Genevieve Bujold, Irene Papas, Patrick Mage...
Featuring an ensemble cast "one could never hope to see on stage" (Pauline Kael, New Yorker), this screen adaptation of the Euripides tragedy sees a f... Read more
The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)
6.8/10
Director: Charles Walters
Starring: Debbie Reynolds, Harve Presnell, Ed Begley
Debbie Reynolds is the feisty title character who earns her moniker by surviving a trip on the Titanic. Based on the true story of the wealthiest woma... Read more
The Visit (1964)
7.7/10
Director: Bernhard Wicki
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Ingrid Bergman, Paolo Stoppa, Irina Demick
Karla Zachanassian (Ingrid Bergman) had a child by Serge Miller (Anthony Quinn) as a teenager. When Serge refused to marry her, she was driven out of... Read more
The Wild Duck (1984)
6.3/10
Director: Henri Safran
Starring: Liv Ullmann, Jeremy Irons, John Meillon, Lucinda Jones
Director Henri Safran adapts Henrik Ibsen's timeless play to an Australian setting and a turn-of-the-century ambience in this poignant story of an ill... Read more
The Winslow Boy (1999)
7.4/10
Director: David Mamet
Starring: Gemma Jones, Nigel Hawthorne, Jeremy Northam, Rebecca Pidgeon
From the celebrated play by Terence Rattigan comes this moving representation of "The Winslow Boy", an exquisite new film by acclaimed director and pl... Read more
The Women (1939)
8/10
Director: George Cukor
Starring: Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland, Paulette Goddard, J...
Based on the Clare Booth Luce play of the same name, this MGM comedy is justly famous for its all-female cast and deft direction by George Cukor. The... Read more