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Because the live audience for each performance of a theatrical production varies, as do other factors, each performance is unique. However, because of its exclusivity, scarce few individuals get the opportunity to see every stage performance live and firsthand.
In order to give a large audience access to these plays in a cinematic fashion, many filmmakers use this opportunity to adapt those stage plays into features. This technique has undergone various effective adaptations throughout the years, including The Homecoming and On Golden Pond. There have been many more great adaptations in the 21st century, and they are just as enjoyable as their theatrical counterparts.
1 ‘Doubt’ (2008)
Based on director John Patrick Shanley‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning 2004 stage play Doubt: A Parable, Doubt is set in a Catholic elementary school named St. Nicholas led by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). The movie centers on Aloysius’ investigation of Father Flynn’s (Philip Seymour Hoffman) improbable actions since he is paying too much attention to the school’s only black pupil.
Despite not being entirely translated for the screen, Doubt is a straightforward, captivating, and thought-provoking film. It may get off to a slow start, but it takes its time, letting the plot develop gradually. Additionally, Hoffman and Streep are electrifying, and impossible to resist watching their performances.
2 ‘Carnage’ (2011)
Based on French playwright Yasmina Reza‘s Tony Award-winning 2006 play Le Dieu du carnage, Carnage is a Roman Polanski’s black comedy film that follows a quarrel between two boys, thus, their parents meet amicably, but as their time together goes on, the conversation becomes progressively chaotic due to the sons’ increasingly immature behavior.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvg_wK6smK4
The film is a profound study of the state of humanity and the thin line dividing social convention from straightforward tribalism. Moreover, Carnage’s visuals don’t feel staged, instead, they brilliantly capture the opposing feelings of rival characters in a scene, frequently in a single shot.
3 ‘The Broken Circle Breakdown’ (2012)
Based on Johan Heldenbergh and Mieke Dobbels‘s stage play of the same name, The Broken Circle Breakdown is set in Ghent, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The film tells Didier’s (Heldenbergh) and Elise’s (Veerle Baetens) lives over seven years as they fall in love thanks to their passion for bluegrass music.
Van Groeningen‘s deft use of music directs a scene’s emotional trajectory in a way that rarely appears exploitative. In addition, the story’s past happiness and present grief are skillfully merged in a seamless edit to emphasize its devastating conclusion. Thus, The Broken Circle Breakdown is compelling and emotionally honest.
4 ‘In the House’ (2012)
Partially based on Juan Mayorga‘s play El chico de la última fila, In the House is a French comedy-drama that follows Germain (Fabrice Luchini), a middle-aged literature instructor, who develops a relationship with Claude Garcia (Ernst Umhauer), his 16-year-old pupil while helping him to develop his writing abilities.
In The House is director François Ozon‘s underpinning slick and upbeat societal commentary of what nourishes us internally for artistic inspiration. It is sophisticated and astutely analytical. Moreover, the film cleverly blends fiction and reality, convincingly portraying both fictitious and real-world occurrences. As a result, viewers have one of those tales about storytelling, which has evolved into a post-modern specialty of advanced art.
5 ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ (2007)
Based on the Tony Award-winning 1979 musical of the same name, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street tells the melodramatic story of Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp), an English barber and serial killer who kills his clients and turns their corpses into meat pies with the assistance of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), his accomplice, in order to exact revenge on Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who wrongfully imprisoned and exiled him in order to steal his wife.
Tim Burton creates a very entertaining musical that is dripping with his distinctive visual flair. The film’s a masterful blending and juxtaposition of beauty and horror, which, even though the scenario keeps becoming bloodier, manages to keep the audience interested.
6 ‘Closer’ (2004)
Based on the award-winning 1997 play of the same name, Closer centers on two London couples who meet, fall in love, break up, switch partners, then switch back again, inflicting harm on one another in every way humanly possible.
Even when the tone shifts from gloomy to darker, each frame of the movie seems to be brimming with bright vitality. Additionally, the brave, and sophisticated performances of an all-star cast in Closer provide evidence that the film is not a simple love tale. Instead, some viewers could be turned off by the movie’s complicated sexual and romantic themes as well as the frequently piercing discourse.
7 ‘What’s in a Name?’ (2012)
Adapted from the play Le Prénom by directors Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte, What’s in a Name is a French-Belgian comedy film that centers on Vincent (Patrick Bruel), a father-to-be, who reveals the name of his future kid at a gathering of his childhood friends. The group’s bad background is brought up in conversation because of the controversial moniker.
Adapted from their own play, the directors manage to keep everything going at breakneck speed while yet including important breaks with the characters giving their all. What’s in a Name is jam-packed with biting comedy and thought-provoking dialogue.
8 ‘August: Osage County’ (2013)
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 2007 play of the same name by Tracy Letts, August: Osage County centers on a dysfunctional family that comes together in the family home after the patriarch (Sam Shepard) mysteriously vanishes.
What makes August: Osage County great is morally repugnant, occasionally vicious, and frequently unlikeable women. In addition, the movie offers a fantastic tale with heartfelt family drama and plenty of belly laughter. Although at times it is verbose, betraying its theatrical roots, the excellent performance, sharp wit, and captivating characters more than makeup for the rare lull.
9 ‘Chicago’ (2002)
Based on the 1975 stage musical of the same name, Chicago follows Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) and Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), two killers who are imprisoned beside one another in 1920s Chicago while awaiting trial. The film is inspired by a true crime story.
Director Rob Marshall effectively adapts the Broadway classic for the big screen, especially by fusing musical sequences with Roxie’s dreams and reality. Moreover, Chicago is a musical with enough suspense, drama, and outstanding performances from the leading ladies for individuals who don’t even like musicals.
10 ‘Frost/Nixon’ (2008)
Based on Peter Morgan‘s 2006 play of the same name, Frost/Nixon takes place following the Watergate scandal in 1972 and President Nixon’s resignation in 1974 and chronicles the story behind the Frost/Nixon interview in 1977.
Frost/Nixon’s a clever, witty political drama with top-notch acting from Frank Langella and Michael Sheen and a razor-sharp storyline adapted by Peter Morgan himself. For some, Frost/Nixon serves as a fun history lesson, while for others, it stirs up memories of a turbulent time in American history.
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