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 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
The History Boys (2006)
6.9/10
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Starring: Samuel Anderson, James Corden, Stephen Campbell Moore, Richard Griffiths, France...
Set in Thatcher's England, a group of clever, though working-class lads, attempt to earn the academic scores required for acceptance into the elite sc... Read more
The Hollow Crown: Series 1 (2012)
8.4/10
Director: Richard Eyre
Starring: Michelle Dockery, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Julie Walters, Ben Whishaw
From executive producer Sam Mendes comes The Hollow Crown, stunning adaptations of four of Shakespeares most treasured plays featuring all-star casts.... Read more
The Hollow Crown: Series 2 - The Wars of the Roses (2016)
8.4/10
Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Judi Dench, Michael Gambon, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatc...
These three screen adaptations, Henry VI in two parts and Richard III, tell the story of 'The Wars of the Roses', an exceptionally turbulent period in... Read more
The Honey Pot (1967)
7/10
Director: Joseph L Mankiewicz
Starring: Capucine, Cliff Robertson, Maggie Smith, Rex Harrison, Susan Hayward
Rex Harrison stars as international playboy Cecil Fox, who decides to pretend he's dying in order to find out what his three old flames will do. He su... Read more
The House of Yes (1997)
6.7/10
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Parker Posey, Josh Hamilton, Tori Spelling
Focuses on a supremely dysfunctional family. When Marty (Josh Hamilton) brings home his waitress girlfriend for thanksgiving weekend it becomes clear... Read more
The Iceman Cometh (1973)
7.4/10
Director: John Frankenheimer
Starring: Lee Marvin, Fredric March, Robert Ryan, Jeff Bridges, Bradford Dillman
In the faded light of Harry Hope's 1912 New York skid row bar, a rag tag group of fallen men, each like a ghost haunting the wreckage of his own life,... Read more
The Ides of March (2011)
7.1/10
Director: George Clooney
Starring: George Clooney, Marisa Tomei, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Giama...
Ryan Gosling stars in this tense political thriller as a talented, optimistic staffer campaigning for a Democratic presidential candidate (George Cloo... 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
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
6.9/10
Director: Oliver Parker
Starring: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Judi Dench, Reese Witherspoon, Tom Wilkinson, Franc...
Sublime reworking of Oscar Wilde's timeless comedy from director Oliver Parker ('An Ideal Husband') features flashbacks and fantasy sequences to enhan... Read more