Greatest stage to Screen Adaptations

electriccanyon26 said:Dramas, since everyone keeps bringing it up, are written specifically for the theater. Dramas are essentially a subcategory of stage plays—so is my title really misleading? Most films are modeled after theatrical performances; even actors prepare their roles by studying stage work. Am I talking nonsense? A theatrical script isn't the same thing as a film script. There is such a thing as an adapted screenplay, meaning we take a script meant for the stage and modify it for the screen. Why should I obsess over every nuance? Just to satisfy people looking for flaws in everything? You might have found a convenient article, but I simply stated that I enjoy these types of movies, and the goal was to share recommendations and talk about cinema.

electriccanyon26, let's not get into a fight over the title right now because the topic itself is actually good and worth discussing. But I can't agree with your claim that all movies are made from stage plays or that actors prepare specifically through theater. Where is that written, and who is saying that? An adapted screenplay is any script not originally written for film but reworked from a literary source, whether it's a novel, a novella, or a drama—it doesn't matter. When a movie starts, it says it is "screenplay written by play" and not "by stage performance." Play in English refers to drama as a literary genre, not a specific theatrical production.

Laura Palmer25 said:Actually, the title is a bit off. These are movies based on plays, meaning they stem from a literary source that likely predates any actual stage production. It’s not usually a play that exists first just to be turned into a movie; rather, both the play and the film originate from the written script.

Your simplification of "stage to Screen" assumes the reader already knows exactly what we're talking about.

What kind of simplification? I'm completely lost here...

Terry Scott34 said:One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is actually based on a novel—not a play—though there is a stage version out there too...

That’s exactly it. It seems like a common misunderstanding around here. Based on the plot alone, it clearly has potential for the theater, which is precisely why the film caught my eye. I haven't read the book.

Terry Scott34 said:Ahh... that’s just how it goes with me! 🥳

Anyway, about six months ago I checked out Rabbit Hole and The Woodsman . They were good movies—just felt like they needed a bit more depth, you know? Kidman's and Kevin Bacon were absolutely stellar though...

And two total classics: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Dial M for Murder . 😍

I haven't seen Rabbit Hole yet. As for The Woodsman, it didn't really grab me, which is why I left it out of that list of more modern adaptations.

Laura Palmer25 said:electriccanyon26, let's not get into a fight over the title right now because the topic itself is actually good and worth discussing. But I can't agree with your claim that all movies are made from stage plays or that actors prepare specifically through theater. Where is that written, and who is saying that? An adapted screenplay is any script not originally written for film but reworked from a literary source, whether it's a novel, a novella, or a drama—it doesn't matter. When a movie starts, it says it is "screenplay written by play" and not "by stage performance." Play in English refers to drama as a literary genre, not a specific theatrical production.

Films are based on works written specifically for the stage. Using the term Stage to Screen isn't an oversimplification; it's just the reality. And I was specifically referring to how actors prepare their roles...

electriccanyon26 said:Films are based on works written specifically for the stage. Using the term Stage to Screen isn't an oversimplification; it's just the reality. And I was specifically referring to how actors prepare their roles...

A Play is a drama—just check a dictionary. Americans often use the term to describe the entire dramatic genre, regardless of whether it's a comedy or a tragedy.

Where exactly does it say film actors prepare their roles based on a specific stage production? Sure, a play might serve as inspiration if they want to emulate a certain actor's performance, but that's about it.

I honestly don't see any point in continuing this argument over terminology.🙂

Laura Palmer25 said:What exactly are you struggling to grasp? A "stage Play" is a drama performed in a theater, but it's still a drama. And regarding the whole chicken or the egg debate, the "egg" here is the literary source—the play itself. Another thing: American producers rarely sit down to read a script as a book; they usually see it on Broadway first and then realize they could turn it into a movie. But just because they saw it on Broadway doesn't mean the film was made *from* the production. A film is only truly based on a stage production if it’s just a filmed version of the play (like how some old recordings of Radovan III ended up in video stores, when they were really just footage of a stage performance).

Even when an adaptation copies the set design and cast almost identically to the theater version (take My Fair Lady in the US, for example), you can't say the film is "based on the play"—it just means the play might have been the spark that got them to make a movie.

How hard is that to understand? 😕

That’s exactly my point—the initial spark for these kinds of projects, you know, those films based on stage plays, usually hits you after... watched Whether we're talking about the sheer number of productions, the consistent box office hits, or the endless stream of prestigious industry awards, there’s no denying the momentum here. Unlike other branches of literature, which often struggle to find an audience or a way to stay relevant, this field seems to have its own built-in engine for success. stage Play It doesn't really work as a standalone entity since it was built exclusively for the stage. I honestly can't think of a single instance where a major Hollywood studio or a director decided to tackle an adaptation of a theatrical script that hadn't already been performed in a theater first. In the world of literature, though, that kind of thing happens all the time; film studios are constantly snapping up rights for adaptations before an author even puts pen to paper.

I mean, honestly, what part of this is actually difficult to wrap your head around? 😕

I honestly can't wrap my head around what you guys are actually stuck on here. Why isn't the thread just titled "Films based on stage plays" and called a day? 😵

electriccanyon26 said:Dramas, since everyone keeps bringing it up, are written specifically for the theater. Dramas are essentially a subcategory of stage plays—so is my title really misleading? Most films are modeled after theatrical performances; even actors prepare their roles by studying stage work. Am I talking nonsense? A theatrical script isn't the same thing as a film script. There is such a thing as an adapted screenplay, meaning we take a script meant for the stage and modify it for the screen. Why should I obsess over every nuance? Just to satisfy people looking for flaws in everything? You might have found a convenient article, but I simply stated that I enjoy these types of movies, and the goal was to share recommendations and talk about cinema.

What kind of nonsense is that, first of all?? A drama being a subcategory of stage plays?? Drama is one of several literary genres, and this specific one is intended for performance on a stage.
So what if actors study stage plays? What does that even have to do with anything? It's like saying actors for The Three Musketeers had to go see a fencing instructor.
We are talking about the foundation for a screenplay. By knowing the literary work—where a stage play is just one interpretation—a film script is created as a second, different interpretation. What part of that is unclear?
There are countless productions of Hamlet, both on stage and in film, and which one is based on which? They are all done according to the personal vision of the director or screenwriter regarding the original drama, the text, which the Sheik wrote... And that's it—less is more in all these cases we're discussing...

Christian Taylor3 said:That’s exactly my point—the initial spark for these kinds of projects, you know, those films based on stage plays, usually hits you after... watched Whether we're talking about the sheer number of productions, the consistent box office hits, or the endless stream of prestigious industry awards, there’s no denying the momentum here. Unlike other branches of literature, which often struggle to find an audience or a way to stay relevant, this field seems to have its own built-in engine for success. stage Play It doesn't really work as a standalone entity since it was built exclusively for the stage. I honestly can't think of a single instance where a major Hollywood studio or a director decided to tackle an adaptation of a theatrical script that hadn't already been performed in a theater first. In the world of literature, though, that kind of thing happens all the time; film studios are constantly snapping up rights for adaptations before an author even puts pen to paper.

I mean, honestly, what part of this is actually difficult to wrap your head around? 😕

I honestly can't wrap my head around what you guys are actually stuck on here. Why isn't the thread just titled "Films based on stage plays" and called a day? 😵

What we're discussing here is essentially modern Broadway semi-literature (with a few notable exceptions, of course)... plus, even those professional awards being mentioned are American, for American productions... why reduce an entire branch of cinema to just one American perspective? A much more compelling issue is the adaptation of the classics—ranging from the ancient Greeks all the way down to the Sheik...

Christian Taylor3 said:That’s exactly my point—the initial spark for these kinds of projects, you know, those films based on stage plays, usually hits you after... watched Whether we're talking about the sheer number of productions, the consistent box office hits, or the endless stream of prestigious industry awards, there’s no denying the momentum here. Unlike other branches of literature, which often struggle to find an audience or a way to stay relevant, this field seems to have its own built-in engine for success. stage Play It doesn't really work as a standalone entity since it was built exclusively for the stage. I honestly can't think of a single instance where a major Hollywood studio or a director decided to tackle an adaptation of a theatrical script that hadn't already been performed in a theater first. In the world of literature, though, that kind of thing happens all the time; film studios are constantly snapping up rights for adaptations before an author even puts pen to paper.

I mean, honestly, what part of this is actually difficult to wrap your head around? 😕

I honestly can't wrap my head around what you guys are actually stuck on here. Why isn't the thread just titled "Films based on stage plays" and called a day? 😵

Just because a work was staged first doesn't mean it was created for the theater or that the movie is being made based on some theatrical essence. A movie is made from a script, regardless of whether that script was previously performed in a high school auditorium, a local theater, a summer fair, or a public square. "Theater" covers everything from vaudeville to cabaret to Kabuki. 🙄

Karen Smith9 said:What kind of nonsense is that, first of all?? A drama being a subcategory of stage plays?? Drama is one of several literary genres, and this specific one is intended for performance on a stage.
So what if actors study stage plays? What does that even have to do with anything? It's like saying actors for The Three Musketeers had to go see a fencing instructor.
We are talking about the foundation for a screenplay. By knowing the literary work—where a stage play is just one interpretation—a film script is created as a second, different interpretation. What part of that is unclear?
There are countless productions of Hamlet, both on stage and in film, and which one is based on which? They are all done according to the personal vision of the director or screenwriter regarding the original drama, the text, which the Sheik wrote... And that's it—less is more in all these cases we're discussing...

Laura Palmer25 said: "A 'stage play' is a drama performed in a theater, but it is still a drama." I am saying that dramas aren't the only things performed in theaters. Someone can write a theatrical script that isn't a drama!! Can you grasp that the theme is to be "films based on stage plays," yet you are narrowing that concept down to just dramas! Do you even know what you're talking about?

Karen Smith9 said:The title of this thread is slightly off, which has led to some confusion in the posts. Films based on the works of William Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams are actually adaptations of dramatic texts—not specifically adaptations of theatrical productions. A stage production itself is merely a director's interpretation of a single written work of art. Based on how the topic is titled, those movies would essentially be an interpretation of an interpretation, which simply isn't the case.

No, this is actually ridiculous. Posts are wrong? Stage productions are a director's INTERPRETATION of a written work??? So then we have an interpretation of an interpretation? Please... do you actually know what you're saying?

Karen Smith9 said:What we're discussing here is essentially modern Broadway semi-literature (with a few notable exceptions, of course)... plus, even those professional awards being mentioned are American, for American productions... why reduce an entire branch of cinema to just one American perspective? A much more compelling issue is the adaptation of the classics—ranging from the ancient Greeks all the way down to the Sheik...

What exactly is wrong with this "Broadway semi-literature" you mentioned? Is this whole debate driven by your own subjective take on Hollywood adaptations and Broadway? If you wanted us to discuss films based on plays by the ancient Greeks, you should have just said so. Decide what you actually want to talk about...

edit: Or perhaps this discussion stems from Laura Palmer25's snobbish view that directors don't understand drama until they see it on stage, and now she wants to put plays back on her own personal pedestal..

electriccanyon26 said:Laura Palmer25 said: "A 'stage play' is a drama performed in a theater, but it is still a drama." I am saying that dramas aren't the only things performed in theaters. Someone can write a theatrical script that isn't a drama!! Can you grasp that the theme is to be "films based on stage plays," yet you are narrowing that concept down to just dramas! Do you even know what you're talking about?

No, this is actually ridiculous. Posts are wrong? Stage productions are a director's INTERPRETATION of a written work??? So then we have an interpretation of an interpretation? Please... do you actually know what you're saying?

Now you've gone and contradicted yourself—the topic is "Films based on stage plays," if that's what I'm seeing written right here. Not "based on stage plays" in some other way. And that’s a massive distinction. A stage play is the text itself.
Nothing is being narrowed down to just "drama"—because in literature, drama is a genre of text that encompasses comedies, tragedies, and everything else written specifically for the stage.

electriccanyon26 said:What exactly is wrong with this "Broadway semi-literature" you mentioned? Is this whole debate driven by your own subjective take on Hollywood adaptations and Broadway? If you wanted us to discuss films based on plays by the ancient Greeks, you should have just said so. Decide what you actually want to talk about...

edit: Or perhaps this discussion stems from Laura Palmer25's snobbish view that directors don't understand drama until they see it on stage, and now she wants to put plays back on her own personal pedestal..

You really seem stuck on Broadway... though—believe it or not—theater actually exists outside of the USA too. Strange, isn't it?
And that list you provided? It’s completely nonsensical. Kurosawa adapted a Sheik-like text—the script itself—not a specific stage production... do you even grasp the distinction? That is precisely why I keep bringing up interpretation and the director's unique creative vision...

Karen Smith9 said:You really seem stuck on Broadway... though—believe it or not—theater actually exists outside of the USA too. Strange, isn't it?
And that list you provided? It’s completely nonsensical. Kurosawa adapted a Sheik-like text—the script itself—not a specific stage production... do you even grasp the distinction? That is precisely why I keep bringing up interpretation and the director's unique creative vision...

Hold on, I never mentioned Broadway, so please don't assume what I know about theater. You can project whatever you want onto me, but don't pretend you know my thoughts. Kurosawa adapted a stage play based on a drama. Sure, he adapted a drama, but a drama is meant for the stage and was almost certainly performed there first. What defines a stage play? If that term is confusing, maybe look it up.

@Karen Smith9

I’ve honestly had about enough of your constant anti-American sentiment across basically every single topic here; there are plenty of other places where you can vent that particular brand of cynicism. 😬

Laura Palmer25 said:Just because a work was staged first doesn't mean it was created for the theater or that the movie is being made based on some theatrical essence. A movie is made from a script, regardless of whether that script was previously performed in a high school auditorium, a local theater, a summer fair, or a public square. "Theater" covers everything from vaudeville to cabaret to Kabuki. 🙄

I figured as much—it's probably best if we just start our deep dive with the meadows of ancient Greece and Dionysus. 😁

Stage to Screen Adaptations
Stage-to-film adaptation
From Stage to Screen

What exactly is confusing about a thread titled 'Films based on stage plays'? 🤷 And why is everyone being so harsh toward the new guy (who, by any chance, happens to be actually decent and constructive)? 😢

electriccanyon26 said:What exactly is wrong with this "Broadway semi-literature" you mentioned? Is this whole debate driven by your own subjective take on Hollywood adaptations and Broadway? If you wanted us to discuss films based on plays by the ancient Greeks, you should have just said so. Decide what you actually want to talk about...

edit: Or perhaps this discussion stems from Laura Palmer25's snobbish view that directors don't understand drama until they see it on stage, and now she wants to put plays back on her own personal pedestal..

Ha ha, and what's wrong with ancient Greek dramas? In case you weren't aware, those were adapted for the screen too. And they were stage plays long before they were movies. If you wanted to discuss modern Anglo-Saxon plays that Hollywood most frequently pulls material from, you should have made that clear in the title. Let's just set antiquity aside then.

As for the "snobbish" comment, why don't you go back and actually read what I wrote and look at the context? Since Christian Taylor3 kept insisting that movies are made based on stage plays, I simply pointed out that only counts if the directors or producers actually see the show on Broadway first before deciding to film it, rather than just reading the script. Which is true 90% of the time. It isn't snobbery.

Maybe learn some basic art terminology before jumping into debates like this.

Christian Taylor3 said:@Karen Smith9

I’ve honestly had about enough of your constant anti-American sentiment across basically every single topic here; there are plenty of other places where you can vent that particular brand of cynicism. 😬

I figured as much—it's probably best if we just start our deep dive with the meadows of ancient Greece and Dionysus. 😁

Stage to Screen Adaptations
Stage-to-film adaptation
From Stage to Screen

What exactly is confusing about a thread titled 'Films based on stage plays'? 🤷 And why is everyone being so harsh toward the new guy (who, by any chance, happens to be actually decent and constructive)? 😢

It’s almost as if you all believe American cinema is the only kind that exists... look, I have nothing against the greats—from Griffith to Ford, I still respect them—but, imagine this: movies exist in other countries too... strange, isn't it?

electriccanyon26 said:Hold on, I never mentioned Broadway, so please don't assume what I know about theater. You can project whatever you want onto me, but don't pretend you know my thoughts. Kurosawa adapted a stage play based on a drama. Sure, he adapted a drama, but a drama is meant for the stage and was almost certainly performed there first. What defines a stage play? If that term is confusing, maybe look it up.

It’s intended for the stage, sure, but the text itself is a written, published work of art. He adapted the text—get my point?—he adapted the Shakespearean text, not necessarily a specific theatrical production. It doesn't matter if Macbeth has been performed a million times before; Kurosawa took the script and adapted it for film in his own unique way. I really don't see why this is confusing you.

Laura Palmer25 said:Ha ha, and what's wrong with ancient Greek dramas? In case you weren't aware, those were adapted for the screen too. And they were stage plays long before they were movies. If you wanted to discuss modern Anglo-Saxon plays that Hollywood most frequently pulls material from, you should have made that clear in the title. Let's just set antiquity aside then.

As for the "snobbish" comment, why don't you go back and actually read what I wrote and look at the context? Since Christian Taylor3 kept insisting that movies are made based on stage plays, I simply pointed out that only counts if the directors or producers actually see the show on Broadway first before deciding to film it, rather than just reading the script. Which is true 90% of the time. It isn't snobbery.

Maybe learn some basic art terminology before jumping into debates like this.

It seems you're here just to tell me what I think and what I know. I never said anything against plays—quite the opposite. If you have an issue with the specific films I listed as my favorites, then go ahead; I have nothing more to say. I chose them specifically because they aren't famous plays, and perhaps most people don't even realize those movies are film based on stage play. I intentionally left out the ones I love more because they are too well known. What's the problem there? It's a bit reckless of you to jump to conclusions about how much I value drama...

Laura Palmer25 said:Ha ha, and what's wrong with ancient Greek dramas? In case you weren't aware, those were adapted for the screen too. And they were stage plays long before they were movies. If you wanted to discuss modern Anglo-Saxon plays that Hollywood most frequently pulls material from, you should have made that clear in the title. Let's just set antiquity aside then.

As for the "snobbish" comment, why don't you go back and actually read what I wrote and look at the context? Since Christian Taylor3 kept insisting that movies are made based on stage plays, I simply pointed out that only counts if the directors or producers actually see the show on Broadway first before deciding to film it, rather than just reading the script. Which is true 90% of the time. It isn't snobbery.

Maybe learn some basic art terminology before jumping into debates like this.

...and how much I value ART.

Laura Palmer25 said:Ha ha, and what's wrong with ancient Greek dramas? In case you weren't aware, those were adapted for the screen too. And they were stage plays long before they were movies. If you wanted to discuss modern Anglo-Saxon plays that Hollywood most frequently pulls material from, you should have made that clear in the title. Let's just set antiquity aside then.

As for the "snobbish" comment, why don't you go back and actually read what I wrote and look at the context? Since Christian Taylor3 kept insisting that movies are made based on stage plays, I simply pointed out that only counts if the directors or producers actually see the show on Broadway first before deciding to film it, rather than just reading the script. Which is true 90% of the time. It isn't snobbery.

Maybe learn some basic art terminology before jumping into debates like this.

That's it: your definition of what is a film based on stage play is that it isn't one unless the director saw it on Broadway instead of just reading the script—that's something you made up, and it has no basis. It's pure snobbery.

edit: If a director sees a production and then directs a movie based on that memory, then it's a film based on stage play. That's your logic. But if the director watches the play, goes home, reads the script, and writes the screenplay, what is that movie then? A film based on a play? Your rhetoric is like saying you're fixing a leak by plugging the pipe; it's missing the point entirely.

Karen Smith9 said:It’s intended for the stage, sure, but the text itself is a written, published work of art. He adapted the text—get my point?—he adapted the Shakespearean text, not necessarily a specific theatrical production. It doesn't matter if Macbeth has been performed a million times before; Kurosawa took the script and adapted it for film in his own unique way. I really don't see why this is confusing you.

Nothing at all. You're just accusing me of having an issue with it... I don't get why you feel the need to strip away the most fundamental element—theater—from a drama that was originally written for the stage long before cinema even existed. You claim Kurosawa adapted it his own way and that theater isn't relevant here? Why? Claiming a drama has nothing to do with the theater is just an invention of yours and Laura Palmer25.

Christian Taylor3 said:@Karen Smith9

I’ve honestly had about enough of your constant anti-American sentiment across basically every single topic here; there are plenty of other places where you can vent that particular brand of cynicism. 😬

I figured as much—it's probably best if we just start our deep dive with the meadows of ancient Greece and Dionysus. 😁

Stage to Screen Adaptations
Stage-to-film adaptation
From Stage to Screen

What exactly is confusing about a thread titled 'Films based on stage plays'? 🤷 And why is everyone being so harsh toward the new guy (who, by any chance, happens to be actually decent and constructive)? 😢

Hold on... I pointed out that minor terminology slip in the first post on the main page, and the OP actually AGREED WITH ME that it was fine. The discussion was moving in a productive direction until you jumped in to try and convince me and Karen Smith9 that we were the ones in the wrong... because honestly, does it even matter if the chicken or the egg came first?

So now we should just leave the Greeks out of it since they weren't interesting enough without film stock.

And apparently, we've been labeled snobs—those people who actually care about correct terms and happen to know a bit more about literature and theater.

Then the author gets defensive again. Even though he originally admitted his title was a bit off, now he's arguing with us over terminology just because his ego took a hit.

And in the end, somehow, we're the bad guys!😂