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'.
Twelfth Night (1988)
7/10
Director: Paul Kafno
Starring: Richard Briers, Caroline Langrishe
The tale begins when a brother and sister are separated in a shipwreck, but survive to be washed up on the shore of Illyria. The sister, Viola, disgui... Read more
Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986)
6.9/10
Director: Gene Saks
Starring: Blythe Danner, Bob Dishy, Jonathan Silverman, Judith Ivey
New York, the 1930s...and a young man's mind is on the Yankees and sex (not necessarily in that order), as well as trying to deal with his argumentati... Read more
Richard III (Olivier) ( Blu-ray ) (1954)
7.5/10
Director: Laurence Olivier
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Stanley Baker, Claire Bloom, John Gielgud, Cedric Hardwicke, R...
Shakespeare's tragic, twisted king is brilliantly portrayed by Laurence Olivier, who also produced and directed. With Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Richards... Read more
Monster In A Box (1992)
7.5/10
Director: Nick Broomfield
Starring: Spalding Gray
In this, Spalding Gray's second filmed stage performance, he discusses his brushes with life and death as he wrote his pseudo-autobiographical novel '... Read more
Timelock (1957)
2.8/10
Director: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Robert Ayres, Robert Beatty, Betty McDowell, Lee Patterson, Sean Connery
A textbook example of how a talented director and cast can do a lot with a little. Lensed in Canada, the story gets under way when a child is accident... Read more
Who Laughs Last?: A Documentary About Roger Hall (2006)
8.5/10
Director: Shirley Horrocks
Starring: Peter Elliott, John Clarke, Ginette McDonald, Fiona Samuel, Roger Hall, Grant Ti...
One of New Zealand's best known playwrights, Roger Hall has been tickling the kiwi funnybone for 30 years. This documentary from Shirley Horrocks inv... Read more
As You Like It (1936)
6/10
Director: Paul Czinner
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Elisabeth Bergner
Filmed in 1936 when Olivier was still considered a promising young actor rather than one of the finest thespians ever, this is his first filmed perfor... 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
Switching Channels (1988)
5.9/10
Director: Ted Kotcheff
Starring: Kathleen Turner, Christopher Reeve, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson
A modern take on 'His Girl Friday' which in turn was an adaptation of '20s play 'The Front Page'. Kathleen Turner takes the lead as a fiesty cable ne... Read more
The Hasty Heart (1949)
7.4/10
Director: Vincent Sherman
Starring: Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, Richard Todd
In Burma on the penultimate day of World War II, Cameron Highlander Lachlan 'Lachie' MacLachlan is seriously wounded and transported to a local milita... Read more