The film version of The Night of the Iguana is also an improvement over the play. Ava Gardner is unforgettable as Maxine Faulk. Why she was not nominated for an Oscar is beyond me. She should have been nominated and she should have won.
I have to say that I disagree with this. When I was a kid, I would have said that it was one of my favorite movies ever. But as I have watched it over the years, I realized a few things:
-- She had a tendency to overact, as demonstrated in a lot of her movies, e.g., The Women, Gypsy, Auntie Mame. I think she may have been repeating the stage performance here. And I know that it and she received Oscar nominations. I will just comment that some things date worse than others, whoch we all know.
-- The movie is just so bloated, 2 1/2 hours for a comedy. They should have removed the entire 'writing a play' portion and Brian, which MAME wisely did.
That said, I still mostly enjoy it, because -- overacting or not -- I have always loved Russell, and some of the scenes are so much fun, e.g., Gooch and the modern furniture.
I saw the most recent revival of You Can't Take it With You and only saw like the beginning of the Frank Capra film version. I have to say from what I saw in the film version, there was already a feeling like something was off with the translation to film. The timing, pace, and even blocking of the scenes seemed to miss the energy and comedy that it had in the stage version. I'll finish it one day, but I know Capra sentimentalizes material to the point of cheesiness and preachiness. The play was actually a lot...edgier with some of the humor (for lack of a better word this Sunday morning) than I imagine Capra films being capable of. Seeing the revival live was one of the best theatre-going experiences I've had.
I think the Katharine Hepburn/Sam Waterston tv version of The Glass Menagerie is my favorite adaptation I've seen. It would have been perfect if not for Hepburn's casting. However, since she's Katharine Hepburn, she's brings good qualities into the role even though she's far from being the ideal Amanda. Joanna Miles as Laura and Michael Moriaty as Jim were sheer perfection and after seeing numerous versions of the piece, no other portrayals I've seen have come close to Miles and Moiraty.
Jarethan, Russell is a mixed bag indeed. I loved reading "Auntie Mame" but can't get through either film version.
Stage adaptations seem to have brought out her worst tendencies. The worst example is "Mourning Becomes Electra," which will show up on no one's list of best Play adaptations ever.
morosco wrote: The Trip to Bountiful. Geraldine Page's performance is astonishing.
Totally agree with this. Morosco beat me by about three hours. The recent television version with Cicely Tyson (filmed after the revival's run on Broadway) is not bad either...but Geraldine Page will break your heart.
ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "I saw the most recent revival of You Can't Take it With You and only saw like the beginning of the Frank Capra film version. I have to say from what I saw in the film version, there was already a feeling like something was off with the translation to film. The timing, pace, and even blocking of the scenes seemed to miss the energy and comedy that it had in the stage version. I'll finish it one day, but I know Capra sentimentalizes material to the point of cheesiness and preachiness. The play was actually a lot...edgier with some of the humor (for lack of a better word this Sunday morning) than I imagine Capra films being capable of. Seeing the revival live was one of the best theatre-going experiences I've had.
I guess this is just a 'tomato / tomahto' thing. I probably think YCTIWY is one of the best movies of the 1930s. There are certainly few that I enjoy as much, with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington being one of them. So, I guess that I do love me some good Capra...but I do consider the two of these in a separate class from his other movies (okay, as well as 'Its a Wonderful Life'.
morosco said: "The Trip to Bountiful. Geraldine Page's performance is astonishing."
Oh, my goodness, yes. Excellent addition to this list!
A movie I don't see on this list that I enjoyed is Vanya on 42nd Street. I thought Brooke Smith's (the 'It Girl' from Silence of the Lambs... as in 'It puts the lotion in the basket' ) performance was very strong.
I can't believe I'm the first person here to mention DOUBT.
Doubt is in my opinion the best play to film adaptation ever. All 4 acting noms. They all nail it and at its tensest it never feels stagey. You are fully engrossed.
Also love the shoutout to Wait Until Dark. Even though you just can't help feeling like, LOCK. YOUR. DAMN. DOOR.
Finally, but only in passing, someone mentions what is surely one of the towering achievements in stage to screen adaptations, Sidney Lumet's film of Long Day's Journey Into Night. It appears no one hear has seen it. Buy the Blu-ray and be astonished.
And of course The Miracle Worker is brilliant filmmaking.
"CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (underrated, shattering, for all the charges of "sanitizing," gets to the core of the play more truthfully, poetically and entertainingly than any production I've ever seen)"
I share this view with (the late or rather later) Henrik Egerman.
How do people feel about the film version of CRIMES OF THE HEART? I just saw a local production of the play and realized I'd never seen the movie. It certainly had an all-star cast (Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek, Diane Keaton, Tess Harper, Sam Shepard...) I was reading old reviews and they seemed very mixed. Some said it was wonderful and the cast worked together beautifully...others said the three women were never believable as sisters, that the director's (Bruce Beresford) "opening up" of the play with extra scenes and flashbacks didn't work, that Henley's screenplay was stilted, etc. Spacek's performance did seem to get universal praise.
Karen24, it was a big disappointment. I had seen the original production on Broadway and its quirky charm did not translate well to film. The movie edited down the role of Barnette and played up the role of Doc. I love the three stars and they were fine individually, but none was as good as the woman who'd played her role on stage. Lange may have been a little heavy for this, I can't quite remember.
Tess Harper was good, though.
It was a Hollywood package (three Oscar winners, plus Oscar nominee Shephard, directed by Oscar nominee Beresford) that did not come off.