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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 Jazz Singer ( Blu-ray ) (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

Shadowlands (1993)

7.4/10
Director: Richard Attenborough
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger, Joseph Mazzello

An intelligent, observant, handsome adaptation of William Nicholson's award-winning play, inspired by the late-blooming romance between the fifty some... 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 Diary of Anne Frank ( Blu-ray ) (1959)

7.4/10
Director: George Stevens
Starring: Diane Baker, Ed Wynn, Joseph Schildkraut, Lou Jacobi, Millie Perkins, Richard Be...

One of the most gripping and heartfelt stories to emerge from the Holocaust, this magnificent adaptation of the acclaimed play is based on the writing... Read more

Inherit the Wind ( Blu-ray ) (1960)

8.2/10
Director: Stanley Kramer
Starring: Dick York, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Spencer Tracy

In this superb film based on the notorious Scopes Monkey trial, a biology teacher is put on trial for teaching the theory of evolution. The courtroom... Read more

Othello (Welles) (1952)

6.9/10
Director: Orson Welles
Starring: Orson Welles, Michael Macliammoir, Robert Coote

Shot entirely out of sequence over four years because of budget difficulties, this would be one of the most fascinating attempts at Shakespeare ever f... Read more

The Skin Game (1931)

5.8/10
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Helen Haye, C V France, Edmund Gwenn, John Longden

Early Hitchcock drama, based on John Galsworthy's popular stage play, that was decidedly atypical of the Master's subsequent suspensers. The aristocra... 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

Ruben Guthrie (2015)

5.8/10
Director: Brendan Cowell
Starring: Patrick Brammall, Abbey Lee, Alex Dimitriades, Jack Thompson, Robyn Nevin, Brent...

Life is good for ad man Ruben Guthrie. He leads a party boy lifestyle, has a model fiancée and lives in a house on the water. He's at the top of his g... Read more

Romeo and Juliet (Zeffirelli) ( Blu-ray ) (1968)

7.6/10
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Starring: Leonard Whiting, Michael York, Milo O'Shea, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery

One of the most popular film adaptations of Shakespeare's classic, the recipient of international acclaim and four Academy Award nominations. Starring... Read more