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 Quiet Duel (1949)
7.5/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Kenjiro Uemura, Miki Sanjo, Chieko Nakakita
Toshiro Mifune's second film with director Akira Kurosawa casts him in the role of a young war-time doctor, who accidentally contracts syphillis while... Read more
She Stoops to Conquer (2003)
7.8/10
Director: Max Stafford-Clark, Robin Lough
Starring: Nigel Cooke, Fritha Goodey, Bella Merlin, Stephen Beresford, Matthew Sim, Jane W...
Recorded live at The Theatre Royal in Bath, Oliver Goldsmith's classic comedy of manners tells of the clever schemes and comic ruses that unfold one n... 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 Jazz Singer (1927)
6.7/10
Director: Alan Crosland
Starring: Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland
It's more than a movie; it's history - this groundbreaking production is heralded as the first feature-length film with spoken dialogue ('talkie'). Ri... Read more
The Noel Coward Collection: Volume 2 (1968)
Director: Gavin Millar, Jack Gold, John Glenister, Sydney Lotterby, Mike Vardy, Paul Annett, Cedric Messina, Rick Gardner, Alan Strachan, Alan Dossor
Starring: Joan Collins, Julian Fellowes, Donald Sinden, Ian Richardson, Susannah York, Tom...
Noel Coward was among the most innovative and influential figures to emerge from the theatrical world during the 20th century. A playwright, director,... Read more
The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1969)
6.5/10
Director: Irving Lerner
Starring: Christopher Plummer, Michael Craig, Nigel Davenport, Robert Shaw
Setting off to find a fortune in the legendary Kingdom of Gold, prejudiced adventurer Robert Shaw encounters an admirable people and civilisation he w... Read more
Mrs Warren's Profession / You Never Can Tell (1972)
Director: James Cellan Jones
Starring: Coral Browne, Penelope Wilton, Robert Powell, Richard Pearson, James Grout, Dere...
Written in 1893, though not performed until 1902 due to government censorship 'Mrs Warren's Profession' scandalized Victorian England. This BBC produ... Read more
Madea's Family Reunion (2006)
5.1/10
Director: Tyler Perry
Starring: Tyler Perry, Blair Underwood, Lynn Whitfield, Boris Kodjoe, Henry Simmons, Lisa...
Tyler Perry adapted his play, directed and also played three characters in his sequel to 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman', in which pistol-packing grandma... Read more
Frost / Nixon ( Blu-ray ) (2008)
7.7/10
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Sam Rockwell, Toby Jone...
Three years after the Watergate scandal forced him from office, Nixon finally broke his silence on the matter, speaking to jet-setting young journalis... Read more
Desire Under the Elms (1958)
6.6/10
Director: Delbert Mann
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Burl Ives, Sophia Loren
A remarkable adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's provocative play details the disintegration of an affluent 1880s New England farm family. After larger-tha... Read more