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Stage plays made into movies


Any suggestion for any good ones? I just watched Who's afraid of Virginia Woolfe?, and thought I would ask here for any others that people think are good, regardless of the age of the film.

Thanks!

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K2 (1991) ⤵
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0102178/?ref=m_nv_sr_1

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Thanks hadn't heard of this one I don't think.

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Enjoy, It's hard to imagine it being a stage play after seeing the film. 👍

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Quite intense in parts, I liked it. I do agree that it is hard to imagine it as a play.

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Rope
The Shop Around the Corner
Gaslight
The Philadelphia Story

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I'll def have to check these out, thanks.
Hadn't realized I had seen the shop around the corner, at least the first half ( I must have fallen asleep.) i really liked it though. James Stewart was great :)

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I watched Rope last night and I really liked it. And it was just a bit creepy how the Brandon character behaved and I love James Stewart role but everyone was great to their role. I love movies that have just one set and the characters have to pull everything off. :) I guess that's why I started this thread. So thanks, and I'm working on your list first. :)

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Yeah!😁 Glad you enjoyed it! Rope is one of my favourite Hitchcock movies and really underappreciated.

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I finally got to see Rope recently. I was disappointed in how it began. You can see my comments about that on the movie's board. I was impressed by Jimmy Stewart's performance. His portrayal of a man becoming more & more overcome by his intuition and logic that something was amiss was very convincing.

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I never had a problem with the murder. You're disappointed because you think it's implausible for them to kill a physically stronger David? Well, I don't know about that! I just saw a case on ID about a woman who was able to overpower and kill a hitman by fighting him and taking away his hammer! But I believe it was suggested that David was hit from behind first before being strangled. They decided to catch him by surprise, because he was stronger than they were.

Also, the murder itself is not really that important and supposed to be pretty simple. Brandon and Philip complicate matters by their own cockiness afterwards.

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Strat, being physically stronger was just one aspect of why it appeared unbelievable to me. I thought I made that point. There was no struggle whatsoever, no death throes. We see two smirking killers basically just propping up a docile victim as he expires. Just prior to that, we hear a single loud scream, which would basically be physically impossible if he was actually that close to succumbing to strangulation. The scene is just so incongruous when it comes to Hitchcock's style in depicting a murder. That's what makes it important to me.

Brandon was the cocky one, Phillip the weak link that kept reinforcing Rupert's suspicions. He kept reminding me of Poe's, A Tell Tale Heart. Any familiarity with that ? In any case, I enjoyed your feedback. This is what I call discussing a movie.

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Well, Philip went along with his cockiness, the idea that they would get away with it just because they saw themselves as intellectually superior.

Perhaps a little more time could've passed between the scream and David succumbing, but we don't really know what was going on when he screamed. Do it right and the victim can pass out after just 10 seconds. I think it's more of a problem that Brandon didn't keep strangling him longer after he passed out. I'm just going to assume for my own peace of mind that his windpipe was crushed and he slowly died from lack of oxygen. For me personally, showing the murder and the victim wasn't necessary in the first place.

Still, it doesn't take anything away from the movie for me. I do think it's entirely plausible they could've killed David by strangling him. And I always feel I have to suspend my disbelief a bit when it comes to Hitchcock movies anyway. I think most of them are not really that believable.

If there's one movie of his that's truly disappointing it's Suspicion!

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For me personally, showing the murder and the victim wasn't necessary in the first place.
Which reinforces my point once again because it was such a weak beginning, especially for Hitchcock. It would have been much more effective if it had been strongly implied, like in Rear Window.

And yes, I agree, the rest of the film was engaging and I can see how it would be a very effective stage play.

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I agree it would've been more effective. But personally I wouldn't call it weak or disappointing. It's just not a decision I would've made. Not sure if it's actually shown in the play.

Rear Window is another Hitchcock favourite of mine!

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Rear Window is another Hitchcock favorite of mine!


Just watched The Girl on the Train a few hours ago which the author of the novel referred to as, " a moving Rear Window. " Recommending it if you haven't seen it. It does have a Hitchcockian feel to it.

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Already watched Gaslight now too, what a twisty movie I found. The final scene was awesome! I would say more but don't want to spoil on anyone that might read this. Thanks for the suggestion. :)

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What version of the movie were you referring to? I watched the one from 1944.

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I've watched both. I prefer the original British version, but most people seem to like the American remake better. It doesn't really matter THAT much.

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oh now i feel like it does hehe. i will get around to checking out the British version one of these days I'm sure. I read it was better like you said.

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Nothing wrong with watching them both. You can form your own opinion that way.👍

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Arsenic and Old Lace
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
The Bad Seed

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I saw Cat on a Hot tin roof, and the bad seed and really enjoyed them. :)

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I did also. To this day, I've not seen the film versions of any of these.

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Wow, it would be great to see them on stage, I guess I'm the opposite. I remembered I had seen Arsenic and Old Lace too, I can't believe I forgot. Love it!

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A friend who was living with me at the time had the part of Mortimer Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace, which was the primary reason I attended. It turned out to be a very well done play.

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I think that would make it all the more fun to watch. Its a great play.

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❤️️
"I did also. To this day, I've not seen the film versions of any of these."

Oh, db! I wish I had seen The Bad Seed on stage with the original cast. Patty McCormick is the most evil little girl! I have only seen this on TV....and then? on VHS...... and then? DVD!
I have it with all of the special features. Lot's of great inside info.

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If I ever spot it on TCM, I think I'll go for the film version. They always provide so much fascinating background info on a film prior to showing it and afterwards.

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❤️️
Our son gave me the DVD for Christmas about 5 years ago. He got it off Amazon.
There is a nice commentary with Patty McCormack and someone else. There is also a great Featurette with her talking about how she was on the TV show, I Remember Mama,. The TV show was live. She had to dash out after that, into a cab, and often dress in the cab for her on stage performance as Rhoda! She had some great stories about the rest of the cast. She loved Nancy Kelly!

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I've become more interested in the Special Features on DVDs myself lately. Between those coupled with the threads & comments on the film's board, I feel I gain many more insights into the film.

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Glengarry Glen Ross was a really good one

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Thanks, that was an excellent movie. I had forgotten it came from a play.

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Bug
Killer Joe
Hurlyburly

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Killer Joe FTW

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Just watched Killer Joe, sometimes I didn't know what to think haha, and some scenes were brutal. It was definately more brutal than anything I've seen in awhile. That doesn't make it a bad thing though. Def kept me interested.

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Not that I’ve seen all of his movies, but I remember it seemed very out of character for Matthew McConaughey.

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I couldn't believe he was that character either, but having not even heard of this movie...who knows what's out there. :)

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Didn’t really care for Hurlyburly, although I’m sure I had seen it before a long time ago. I love how it was much dialogue and character driven, but I couldn’t get past how they treated and talked about women.

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Agnes of God

Also, not technically a film, but you should check out Louis CK's recent web series Horace and Pete. It's made in the style of a stage play, and it's very good.

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Closer (2004)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Harvey (1950)
Death and the Maiden (1994)
Doubt (2008)
Sleuth (1972)
Tape (2001)
Wait Until Dark (1967)

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Many Shakespeare plays made into great film if that's your thing.

The Glass Menagerie
Bus Stop
Long Days Journey Into Night
Born Yesterday
Stalag 17
Harvey
Dangerous Liaisons

There are so many good ones out there.


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some of these have been on my watch list forever. I saw the first and the last ones for sure. And Stalag 17..was it you that suggested that to me before? I've been meaning to watch it forever -Wilder directed so not sure what my problem is.. i'll get there. :)

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