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'.
Lost in the Stars (1973)
6.6/10
Director: Daniel Mann
Starring: Brock Peters, Clifton Davis, Melba Moore, Raymond St Jacques
Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's musical "Lost in the Stars" is based on Alan Paton's classic novel "Cry, The Beloved Country". This film, like the s... Read more
Twelfth Night (1969)
7.1/10
Director: John Sichel
Starring: Alec Guinness, Tommy Steele, Ralph Richardson, Joan Plowright, Gary Raymond, Adr...
After a shipwreck, believing her brother has been killed, Viola disguises herself as a boy named Cesario and becomes a courtier to Orsino, who sends h... Read more
Hamlet (2009)
8.1/10
Director: Gregory Doran
Starring: Patrick Stewart, David Tennant, Oliver Ford Davies
The RSC puts a modern spin on Shakespeare's Hamlet in this filmed-for-television version of their stage production. The Prince of Denmark seeks vengea... Read more
The Riot Club (Blu-ray) (2014)
6/10
Director: Lone Scherfig
Starring: Sam Claflin, Max Irons, Douglas Booth, Holliday Grainger, Freddie Fox, Natalie D...
At Oxford University the hottest invitation is to join The Riot Club, a privileged and exclusive club for the best and brightest. First years - and po... Read more
Rising Damp: The Complete Series & Movie (1974)
7.6/10
Director: Ronnie Baxter, Joe Mcgrath
Starring: Leonard Rossiter, Richard Beckinsale, Frances de la Tour, Don Warrington
Comic genius, Leonard Rossiter heads the cast of this enduringly popular comedy of lodgers versus their miserly landlord. With lecherous but lovable l... Read more
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
7.9/10
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Starring: Wendy Hiller, John Hurt, Leo McKern, Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, Orson Welles, S...
Adapted by Robert Bolt and Constance Willis from Bolt's hit stage play, this is a literate, penetrating treatment of the conflict between Thomas More... Read more
The Field (Blu-ray) (1990)
7.3/10
Director: Jim Sheridan
Starring: Richard Harris, John Hurt, Tom Berenger, Sean Bean
An Irish tenant farmer faces the loss of the land his family has worked for years when it is put upfor auction, and bid on by an American (Tom Berenge... Read more
Educating Rita (1983)
7.2/10
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Michael Caine, Julie Walters, Michael C Williams
An entertaining adaptation of Willy Russell's stage play about a young working class wife who wants to better herself and selects a boozy professor as... 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
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
7.4/10
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Michael Keaton, Robert Sean Leonard, Keanu Reeves, Emma Thompso...
Shakespeare's comedy of the wooing of Benedick (played by actor-director-screenwriter Kenneth Branagh) and Beatrice (his real life wife Emma Thompson)... Read more