Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

Mine are:

12 Angry Men (1957)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Hurlyburly (1998)
Tape (2001)
The Fugitive Kind (1959)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but all of those are great in my opinion.

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

Others would include:

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Cabaret
My Fair Lady
Pygmalion
Alfie
West Side Story
The Boys in the Band
Sleuth (1972)
Blithe Spirit
The Importance of Being Earnest
Guys and Dolls
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
The King and I
The Little Foxes
Oklahoma!
Major Barbara
Jesus Christ Superstar
Stalag 17
Show Boat (1936)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Fiddler on the Roof
Arsenic and Old Lace
The Night of the Iguana
Becket
You Can't Take It With You
Harvey
Hair
Play It Again, Sam
The Odd Couple
Rope
Dial M For Murder
Wait Until Dark

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

Interesting question. Often stage-to-film adaptations can be a bit, well, stagey.

I like Bent (1997) a lot, I think it's very powerful, but the way the story is told is designed for theatre rather than film, so it probably works better on the stage.

I'd probably have to pick Dangerous Liaisons (1988) as my favourite, although I also like 12 Angry Men which you picked, the nature of the story means that having it all set in one room with people talking actually works.

And then of course there's all the musicals, Cabaret (1972), Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) etc.

And all the adaptations of Shakespeare probably deserve a category of their own, Romeo and Juliet (1996) is one of my favourites.

Of course (and this may be a topic for a separate discussion), things are going the other way, now, with films being adapted for the stage - Brief Encounter (although the film was adapted form the play Still Life in the first place), The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert...

Can't believe I forgot these three. You mentioned some other great ones too.

My top fave are all pretty standard issue:

5. Glengarry Glen Ross
An adaptation with a cool cast and an even cooler scene added for the film.
"That watch costs more than your car. I made $970,000 last year. How much you make? You see pal, that's who I am, and you're nothing. Nice guy, I don't give a sh**. Good father, f**k you! Go home and play with your kids! You wanna work here, close! You think this is abuse? You think this is abuse, you c*cksucker? You can't take this, how can you take the abuse you get on a sit?"

"A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing, always be closing."

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...r_Photo-66.jpg



4. A Streetcar Named Desire
In this entry, it's the famous play by Tennesse Williams that is adapted for the big screen, featuring an in-his-prime Marlon Brando. Watching Streetcar, even today, it's easy to see how the character of Stanley Kowalski is the one that became famous for Brando, as his portrayal has the actor shuffling the landscape of method acting styles (specifically, the styles up to that time) & burns up the screen in a performance that can only be described as "stellah".

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...Photo-63-1.jpg



3. My Fair Lady
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...fairlady-1.jpg

One of the few musicals of this genre that I actually like. And, for my tastes, is a production that is enhanced by
the presence of the Lady Hepburn, in a role that has her speaking funny, dubbly singing & wearing pygmalionly large hats.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...r_Photo-35.jpg



2. Amadeus
I avoided this film for years, under the assumption that it's subject matter was just something that I really wouldn't have any interest in.
Then one day, as it aired on one of those "classic" movie channels on T.V., I decided to finally give it a chance, just to see what all that Oscar hype back in '84 was all about.
Turns out, this film isn't so much a historical retelling of classical-music pioneer, Mozart as it a homage to the creative process of a genius who's talent was masked by both his almost hippie like eccentricity & by the conservativeness of the times. The ease of Mozart's ability to conjure up music that would stand the test of time was only recognized & appreciated by his "best friend" & rivalous contemporary, the more forgotton Salieri.
For me, the true test of any film that centers on the art of artist is the ability for it to make me appreciate (and maybe even like) the art more than I did before I watched the film. Maybe, in my case it was more the result of ignorance than anything else, I wasn't into Mozart's stuff. After viewing this movie though, as far as his music, I walked away with my eyes a little more opened & my ears a little more enriched.
Rock me, Amadeus.*

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...0eb1193997.jpg

* Don't any of you dare roll your eyes at that last sentence. You knew it was gonna come sometime.



1. 12 Angry Men
An obvious choice, of course, but this film isn't just my favorite stage-to-screen adaptation. It's also one of my favorite movies ever.
12 Angry Men is such a good courtroom drama, that for me, it simply blows the majority of every other film in this genre out of the water (okay, technically this isn't really a "courtroom" drama because the entire film happens in the jury-room. But let's face it, the plot's purpose is one that leads into the most important part of the courtroom process, the verdict).
The combination of a tight script with a solid ensemble cast (oh, & lets not forget a big screen directoral debut for Sidney Lumet) make for a tense, compelling movie that even though it keeps 99% it's entire length within one room, a viewer can't help but to be spellbound.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...r_Photo-62.jpg

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

the almighty Glengarry Glen Ross

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

12 Angry Men, the movie, was first a TV play with Robert Cummings in the Fonda role. There is now a stage version, but I think, not sure, it came after the movie.

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

Aye, I was going to say the same thing. Though it's become a stage play since, and then was remade, so I guess the remake qualifies. But whatever; it certainly seems in the spirit of the question, if only because it was clearly written to be performed on a stage/small set. Plus, it's flippin' fantastic, so I'll ignore the technicality. ;)

I'll echo My Fair Lady. I'm not huge on musicals, but I've always loved it, probably because of how un-PC Henry Higgins is.

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

Love theatre :)

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Cat on A Hot Tin Roof
Another Country
A Streetcar Named Desire
12 Angry Men
Tea and Sympathy
This Property is Condemned (based on a 1-acter by Tennessee Williams)
Cabaret
Educating Rita
My Fair Lady

Trying not to repeat those already mentioned:
All My Sons (One of my favorites--a great play about a war profiteer and his family after WWII)
Sleuth
Deathtrap
A Bronx Tale
No Time for Sergeants
Animal Crackers
Wait Until Dark
Our Town
Death of a Salesman
The Man Who Came to Dinner
Ah, Wilderness
Summer and Smoke
The Boys in the Band
The Front Page (and the His Girl Friday remake)
Arsenic and Old Lace
Mr. Roberts
The Odd Couple
The Miracle Worker
The Philadelphia Story
Play It Again, Sam
A Soldier’s Story
Alfie
Cactus Flower
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Desk Set
Annie Get Your Gun
The Detective Story
The Glass Menagerie
La Cage aux Folles
A Trip to Bountiful
Shirley Valentine
Sunrise at Campobello
The Sunshine Boys
Dracula
Becket
A Few Good Men
Forbidden Planet
Bells Are Ringing
Damn Yankees
The Pajama Game
Born Yesterday
The Solid Gold Cadillac
Kiss Me, Stupid
The War Lord
The Long Voyage Home
State of the Union
A Lion in Winter
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

Plays about airplanes: Ceiling Zero and Command Decision

Lots of Bogart films:
Dead End
The Petrified Forest
The Caine Mutiny
We’re No Angels
The Desperate Hours
Casablanca

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

Long Days Journey Into the Night

The Ruling Class

The Last Mile

Harvey

Tea House of the August Moon
Barefoot in the Park
Dinner at Eight
The Rainmaker
Watch on the Rhine
Blithe Spirit
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Sister Eileen
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
Daddy's Dying...Who's Got the Will?
Cyrano de Bergerac
Murder by Death
The Cheap Detective
A Raisin in the Sun
I Remember Mama
Charley's Aunt
Baby Doll
A Man for All Seasons
Driving Miss Daisy
The Big Knife
Black Orpheus
The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell
Night of the Iguana
Butterflies are Free
Glass Menagerie
California Suite
Can-Can
The Goodbye Girl
The Chase
The Great White Hope
Evita (not good)
Man of La Mancha (even worse)
Lenny
Come Blow Your Horn
The Country Girl
Crimes of the Heart
The Little Shop of Horrors
Little Murders
The Crucible
The Whales of August
The Women
Home of the Brave
Jesus Christ, Superstar

Don't know if it preceded the movie or was scripted for stage afterward, but I've seen a stage production of A Christmas Story.

Requiem for a Heavyweight was written for TV before it was made into a movie.

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

You guys have a lot! I'm going to see if I can come up with some more, but I might have missed them.

Death Takes a Holiday

Stage Door

Witness for the Prosecution

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel, then play)

What Price Glory

On Borrowed Time

Journey's End

The Male Animal

Waltz of the Toreadores

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

Thanks guys- this has given me loadsa new films to watch.

I'd also like to watch Vanya on 42nd Street :)

I really liked Vanya on 42nd Street. I always wanted to play Sonya.

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

Mama mia
:)

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

Mark got most of mine, and any that he missed I'm pretty sure rufnek covered. Except maybe

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Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations
 

Outside of Shakespeare, I can't say I'm too familiar with the theater, but I've always been a huge fan of Kurosawa's Ran (King Lear) and Mel Gibson's Hamlet.

Re: Your Favorite Stage-to-Film Adaptations