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 Devil's Disciple (1987)
7.4/10
Director: David Jones
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian Richardson, Elizabeth Spriggs, Mike Gwilym, Susan Woolridge
Patrick Stewart and Ian Richardson star in this George Bernard Shaw adaptation from the BBC. Set in New Hampshire in 1777, Dick Dudgeon's father has... Read more
Nuts (1987)
6.7/10
Director: Martin Ritt
Starring: Barbra Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton, Eli Wallach, Robert Webbe...
Barbra Streisand is a high priced prostitute arrested for murder. Richard Dreyfuss is the lawyer appointed to defend her. Her wealthy parents, Karl Ma... 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
Melo (1986)
8.1/10
Director: Alain Resnais
Starring: Andre Dussollier, Fanny Ardant, Pierre Arditi, Sabine Azema, Jacques Dacqmine, C...
Known for stylistically adventurous films like "Last Year at Marienbad", French director Alain Resnais transitions to a self-conciously subdued form i... Read more
Sunday in the Park with George (1986)
9.2/10
Director: James Lapine
Starring: Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Frank Kopyc, William Parry
Based on Seurat's painting "A Sunday Afternoon On The Island Of La Grande Jatte", which depicts people gathering on an island in the Seine. This music... Read more
Crimes of the Heart (1986)
6.4/10
Director: Bruce Beresford
Starring: Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard, Tess Harper
Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek and Diane Keaton star as flaky Southern sisters who are uneasily reunited when Spacek is arrested for shooting her politic... Read more
Extremities (1986)
6.3/10
Director: Robert M Young
Starring: Farrah Fawcett, James Russo, Diana Scarwid
In a riveting performance that stunned critics and audiences alike, Farrah Fawcett is the heart and soul of this edge-of-your-seat suspense drama abou... Read more
1918 (1985)
6.3/10
Director: Ken Harrison
Starring: Matthew Broderick
While an influenza epidemic is sweeping America, young men everywhere are succumbing to the patriotic fervor fanned by the flames of World War I. In a... Read more
C S Lewis Through the Shadowlands ( aka Shadowlands ) (1985)
Director: Norman Stone
Starring: Joss Ackland, Claire Bloom, David Waller
Aka "Shadowlands". A real-life incident involving two major literary figures was dramatized for British television in 1985 under the title 'Shadowland... Read more
Oscar Wilde Vol 2: An Ideal Husband (1969) / Lady Windemere's Fan (1985)
Director: Rudolph Cartier, Tony Smith
Starring: Margaret Leighton, Keith Michell, Jeremy Brett, Dinah Sheridan, Susan Hampshire,...
Volume 2 of the BBC's Oscar Wilde adaptations includes the comedies 'An Ideal Husband' (1969) with Margaret Leighton and Keith Michell; and 'Lady Wind... Read more