# Best movie version of a Broadway play? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2005, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969 "2005-01-04T03:29:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/1 "2005-01-04T03:29:09Z")
What the best (that is, most faithful) movie version of a Broadway play? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/2 "2005-01-04T03:49:12Z")
My two cents but I’d say the “best” movie version of a play and the “most fathful” movie version of a play are probably mutually contradictory. A camera could just film a stage production and it would be as faithful as possible. But a good movie is not the same as a good play; they’re different media. A good movie version of a play is one that adapts the play to the new medium with the most success. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/3 "2005-01-04T03:52:02Z")
::sigh:: I just haven’t gone to the theater nearly enough to say. Though “best” and “most faithful” are very different terms to me if we’re talking adaptations. Remember for a stage show, you can only have so many sets, quick changes, and things going on at once because of the physical confines of the space. To be faithful to that restriction is the defeat one of the major advantages that could exist in the movie version: a greater sense of space and variety of setting, while still compressing everything into a two hour experience. The hills just aren’t as alive in \The Sound Of Music\ if you’re not watching a crane shot of the Alps. That being said, I really dread the movie version of [Rent](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0294870/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD0xfHBuPTB8c291cmNlaWQ9bW96aWxsYS1zZWFyY2h8cT1yZW50fGh0bWw9MXxubT0x;fc=1;ft=1;fm=1), the stage show of which benefits from the sparse set of scaffolding that the imagination fills in. I don’t want to actually SEE a Life Cafe that looks drastically different from a freezing loft apartment or hospital room. I am glad to see most of the Broadway originators will be back for the movie roles, but fear the hands of Chris Columbus touching it. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/4 "2005-01-04T04:10:25Z")
Compounding the problem is that umpty-gazillion movies are based on Broadway plays that are older and seldom seen today. _The Philadelphia Story_, e.g., is one of the great movies, but I’ve never seen the Philip Barry play so I have no basis for comparison. But I have seen a play version of _1776_ and the movie version is one of my favorite movies and works better for me, so there’s one possibility. ---
**Author:** ![caphis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@caphis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caphis)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/5 "2005-01-04T04:54:29Z")
> [@Only Mostly Dead](#): > > That being said, I really dread the movie version of [Rent](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0294870/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD0xfHBuPTB8c291cmNlaWQ9bW96aWxsYS1zZWFyY2h8cT1yZW50fGh0bWw9MXxubT0x;fc=1;ft=1;fm=1), the stage show of which benefits from the sparse set of scaffolding that the imagination fills in. I don’t want to actually SEE a Life Cafe that looks drastically different from a freezing loft apartment or hospital room. I am glad to see most of the Broadway originators will be back for the movie roles, but fear the hands of Chris Columbus touching it. RENT is the only movie I’m really looking forward to this year; I plan to see it on Broadway at least twice before then. I, too, feared the helming by Columbus, until I found out that he’s a long-time fan of RENT and apparently ‘gets it.’ From what I understand, he’s devoted to keeping its message there, for what that’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/6 "2005-01-04T06:28:18Z")
**South Pacific** holds up really well. I hate most of those Josh Logan-directed Rodgers & Hammerstein movies, but this one really bucks the trend. Robert Forster and France Nuyen have an onscreen chemistry that’s just amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/7 "2005-01-04T06:36:37Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Compounding the problem is that umpty-gazillion movies are based on Broadway plays that are older and seldom seen today. _The Philadelphia Story_, e.g., is one of the great movies, but I’ve never seen the Philip Barry play so I have no basis for comparison. > > But I have seen a play version of _1776_ and the movie version is one of my favorite movies and works better for me, so there’s one possibility. Philly Story is great, except that the adapters wrote out one of my favorite characters from the show, Tracy’s dashing, ne’er-do-well brother Sandy. I totally agree that _1776_ is tops for both “best stage-to-screen adaptation” and “best movie musical.” _West Side Story_ is a close follow-up. ---
**Author:** ![baronsabato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@baronsabato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baronsabato)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/8 "2005-01-04T11:58:53Z")
Hmm… It’s very hard to say. At the risk of sounding “typical”, I gotta say the film version of “Chicago” was one of the best adaptations of a musical I’ve seen… Now, I don’t really like the stage production all that much, so I was pretty surprised at the well-made movie. I also second “West Side Story”, despite its flaws. It’s a great movie, and is actually not as faithful to the stage play as some movie adaptations have been (“Godspell” comes to mind, and I didn’t really like it as a movie) but it was still really good. I also love the film version of “Gyspy”, but mostly cause it’s “Gypsy” and it’s just such a great show. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/9 "2005-01-04T12:30:16Z")
_The Sound of Music_ benefits greatly by being filmed. _Cabaret_ is a great example of the filmmakers recognizing that they were in a new medium that provided new possibilities and that attempting to film what happened on stage just wouldn’t be as effective on screen. The film version is _worlds_ different from the stage version- completely different script, characters added, characters omitted, subplots added, subplots omitted. The result is that the film is excellent _and_ the play is excellent and they each maintain an individual identity. Neil Simon I can take onstage or on screen and make little distinction. _Noises Off!_ is a hilarious film, quite faithful to the stage production but, as great as the film is, _nothing_ compares to seeing this one onstage! Even the amatuer productions I’ve seen are brilliant! A person’s lungs could collapse from laughter! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/10 "2005-01-04T13:39:02Z")
**The Music Man** is extremely faithful to the stage production, primarily because they both had the same director. I don’t believe anything in the staging or dialog was changed. In addition, Robert Preston reprised his role as Harold Hill. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/11 "2005-01-04T14:20:59Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > _Noises Off!_ is a hilarious film, quite faithful to the stage production but, as great as the film is, _nothing_ compares to seeing this one onstage! Even the amatuer productions I’ve seen are brilliant! A person’s lungs could collapse from laughter! I had the good fortune to Stage Manage a production of _Noises Off_ before I ever saw the movie. The movie will never hold a candle to this show live. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/12 "2005-01-04T14:42:52Z")
The movie **Equus** was pretty good, although I’ve heard that the production was pretty awesome to see, what with the horse costumes and the general set up. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Crunchy\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Captain\_Crunchy\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Crunchy_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/13 "2005-01-04T14:47:06Z")
[My Fair Lady (1964)](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6304178352/qid=/sr=/ref=cm_lm_asin/102-3071213-0398545?v=glance#product-details), with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. Directed by George Cukor. Simply fantastic! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/14 "2005-01-04T21:29:34Z")
Dustin Hoffman as Willy Lowman in [Death of a Salesman](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089006/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9ZGVhdGggb2YgYSBzYWxlc21hbnxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=1;ft=9;fm=1). Wonderful, wonderful movie. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/15 "2005-01-04T21:37:14Z")
On the flip side, a truly AWFUL adaptation was **A Chorus Line** ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/16 "2005-01-04T21:51:13Z")
I never saw the stage production of **Little Shop of Horrors** , but in reality it was a movie (starring Jack Nicholson) turned into an off-broadway musical and then re-made as a movie musical. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/17 "2005-01-04T21:56:35Z")
**Driving Miss Daisy** should get a mention. If you can get past Dan Ackroyd’s painfully bad accent. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/18 "2005-01-04T22:25:14Z")
I borught this up after reading more about _Grease_. I realize they added a few songs for the movie (“Grease”, "Sandy’, etc) and changed Sandy’s place of birth to accomodate Olivia Newton-John’s accent. What I did not know was that the original play was quite a bit raunchier than the movie. I’ve seen a very, very amatuer local version, but I don’t believe it was as close to the original, either. I’ve heard of some theater companies adapting the movie into a play rather than performing the original because that’s what most people think of when they hear the name. Any of you theater-going Dopers ever see a more faithful version of the original stage play? ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/19 "2005-01-04T22:40:20Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > I borught this up after reading more about _Grease_. > > I realize they added a few songs for the movie (“Grease”, "Sandy’, etc) and changed Sandy’s place of birth to accomodate Olivia Newton-John’s accent. > > What I did not know was that the original play was quite a bit raunchier than the movie. I’ve seen a very, very amatuer local version, but I don’t believe it was as close to the original, either. I’ve heard of some theater companies adapting the movie into a play rather than performing the original because that’s what most people think of when they hear the name. > > Any of you theater-going Dopers ever see a more faithful version of the original stage play? Surprisingly enough, it was the original version of Grease we did in high school. With very little censoring. (Surprising because our attempts to put on the aforementioned Noises Off! was gunned down quite thoroughly because one character has to be in her unmentionables for a good bit of it. Incidentally, the girl who would have been all but guaranteed the role, our little lolita sexpot, had already appeared on the stage in nothing but a towel (How to Succeed…).) Mooning is a lot less subtle than the movie’s Blue Moon. Ours was definitely bigger on the sex and vulgarity than the movie. The original stage version is miles ahead of the sap that is the movie. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969/20 "2005-01-05T01:00:05Z")
I have always felt one of the truest and best movies from a play was _Petrifed Forest_ with Bette Davis, Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart. It didn’t hurt that both Bogart and Howard were in the stage play. Another one that was word for word and was good was _Boys in the Band_ back in the mid 70s. Virtually the entire cast of the film came directly from the Broadway performance. I heard that the producer when contemplating doing the film said “and we won’t use actors, we’ll use those guys in the play.” TV [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-version-of-a-broadway-play/282969.md?page=2)