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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'.

Romeo and Juliet (Harvey) / Romeo and Juliet (Ballet) (1954)

5.5/10
Director: Paul Czinner, Renato Castellani
Starring: Laurence Harvey, Flora Robson, Susan Shentall, Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev

"Romeo and Juliet" (1954) - Laurence Harvey stars in this commanding interpretation of the Bard's great tale of star-crossed lovers. Stunningly photog... Read more

Julius Caesar (1953)

7.4/10
Director: Joseph L Mankiewicz
Starring: Marlon Brando, John Gielgud, James Mason, Louis Calhern, Edmond O'Brien, Greer G...

A superior adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of political power and honour in ancient Rome. Lavishly produced with Oscar Winning art direction-... 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

Clash By Night (1952)

7.2/10
Director: Fritz Lang
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Marilyn Monroe, Robert Ryan

Barbara Stanwyck gives a dynamic performance in this steamy psychodrama as the penned-up wife of a boring fishing boat captain whose yearning for exci... Read more

The Importance Of Being Earnest (1952)

7.6/10
Director: Anthony Asquith
Starring: Michael Redgrave, Richard Wattis, Michael Denison

Oscar Wilde's play took over 57 years to reach the big screen but it was worth the wait. A colourful theatrical film about mating rituals in Great Bri... Read more

Detective Story (1951)

7.6/10
Director: William Wyler
Starring: Eleanor Parker, Kirk Douglas, William Bendix

Set amidst the hectic activity of a New York City police station, Kirk Douglas stars as the principled, rigid detective whose personal code has become... Read more

A Streetcar Named Desire ( Blu-ray ) (1951)

8/10
Director: Elia Kazan
Starring: Karl Malden, Kim Hunter, Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh

Blanche du Bois, the magnificently brooding Vivien Leigh, a faded descendant of the once-proud Southern gentry, comes to live with her matter-of-fact... Read more

The Browning Version (1951)

8.2/10
Director: Anthony Asquith
Starring: Michael Redgrave, Jean Kent, Nigel Patrick

Michael Redgrave gives the performance of his career in Anthony Asquith's adaptation of Terence Rattigan's unforgettable play. Redgrave portrays Andre... Read more

La Ronde (1950)

7.7/10
Director: Max Ophuls
Starring: Anton Walbrook, Serge Reggiani, Simone Simon, Danielle Darrieux

Simone Signoret, Anton Walbrook, and Simone Simon lead a roundelay of French stars in Max Ophuls's delightful, acerbic adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler... Read more

Morning Departure (1950)

7.5/10
Director: Roy Baker
Starring: John Mills, Nigel Patrick, Peter Hammond, Richard Attenborough, George Cole, Ber...

On a routine post-war mission, a submarine strikes a forgotten mine and sinks to the bottom. The twelve-man crew are faced with the probability of per... Read more