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'.
Richard III (McKellen) (1995)
7.5/10
Director: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Kristin Scott Thomas
Shakespeare's melodrama of treachery and murder during the War of the Roses is transplanted to the 1930s with evil King Richard (Ian McKellen) portray... Read more
Shirley Valentine (1989)
7.2/10
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Pauline Collins, Tom Conti, Alison Steadman
A gem of a film about a witty housewife, bored with the hum-drum routine of suburban life, who jumps at the chance to rediscover herself when she join... Read more
Hamlet (Hawke) (2000)
7.8/10
Director: Michael Almereyda
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Diane Venora, Kyle MacLachlan, Julia Stiles, Bill Murray, Liev Schr...
Shakespeare's tragedy is turned into a modern morality tale with Ethan Hawke as the title character, now an angry film student suspicious of widowed m... Read more
Much Ado About Nothing - Shakespeare Retold (2005)
Director: Brian Percival
Starring: Sarah Parish, Damian Lewis, Tom Ellis, Billie Piper, Martin Jarvis, Olivia Colma...
Set in the contemporary world of broadcasting, Beatrice (Sarah Parish) is an ambitious anchor who finds herself back working with detested 'old flame'... Read more
Beckett On Film: Volume 4 (2000)
3.6/10
Director: Anthony Minghella, Richard Eyre, Conor McPherson, Robin Lefevre, Enda Hughes
Starring: Michael Gambon, David Thewlis, Jean Anderson, Marcello Magni, Pat Kinevane, Step...
Derived from the Gate Theatre Dublin's performances, this acclaimed 'Beckett on Film' project brings together a collection of films from the distingui... Read more
Auntie Mame (1958)
8/10
Director: Morton DaCosta
Starring: Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne
Rosalind Russell re-creates her Broadway triumph as the flashy, lovably eccentric socialite who takes her orphaned nephew under her wing and shows him... Read more
Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
7.6/10
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz, Keanu Reeves, Mil...
Nominated for seven Academy Awards, the hottest love affair of 1782 is notable for its sense of style and decor, and strong performances from Glenn Cl... Read more
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Blu-ray) (2016)
6.4/10
Director: David Kerr
Starring: John Hannah, Matt Lucas
A modern re-telling of the classic fantasy drama by William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream holds a star-studded cast with euphoric effects and... Read more