{"id":167574,"date":"2025-01-22T15:26:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T14:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=167574"},"modified":"2025-01-22T15:34:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T14:34:11","slug":"films-that-start-out-as-powerful-plays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=167574","title":{"rendered":"Films that start out as Powerful Plays"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever found yourself wondering, ‘Where did that story idea come from’ when watching a film in your living room or at your local cinema? Finding out what inspired a film could add a whole new layer of depth to your understanding of it. Find out more in Films that start out as Powerful Plays <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The theatre, has of course, always been a space where stories come to life, raw human emotions are displayed on stage in front of your eyes whilst immersed in the set and sound. Sitting and being part of the live-action creates a thrill of the unknown, no performance is ever the same, letting audiences see a unique performance that captivates. The very closeness to the action brings a special frisson to the performers as well as the audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before film, there was theatre, with live performances having been part of human history for thousands of years. As we adapt, so has the theatre and due to the increasing popularity T.V, films and now streaming services housing thousands of films, the theatre has had to bring new practices into place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some theatres, like the National Theatre, now offer at-home video subscriptions which allow the ability to watch many popular and pre-recorded performances of some of the most powerful and emotive plays out there at the moment, from the comfort of your own home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Films on the other hand have allowed us to convey bigger realities and bigger ranges, the camera lens gives the filmmaker unlimited power being able to delve deeper into fictional realms because the live audience isn’t present also partially because production studios are able to offer bigger budgets for films allowing for more expensive and digitally enhanced practical effects. It also allows for the director to really hone in on any angle of the story they wish the viewers to fully engage with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting isn’t it when films are made from a successful stage play? The results are potentially the best of both worlds, the coming together allows filmmakers to bring a new perspective into classic plays, adapting them for new generations while still honouring the original work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But an added bonus is of course adaptations thrive not only in their creativity but also in their ability to make generations of stories resonate with new and different audiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

William Shakespeare, one of the most renowned playwrights ever, stands as a towering figure in the world of play-to-film transformations, having a whopping 420 stage-to-screen films under his belt, quite a feat seeing as he has been dead since 1616, almost 300 years before the ability to record films was invented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first play ever to be made into a film was King John written by Shakespeare; interestingly, the film was released within the first decade of cinema, coming out in a staggeringly early in 1899. Although only one minute of the film still exists, it set a precedent in the film industry that stage-to-screen adaptations were and still are a core part of cinema. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, Cinema was from its earliest days international and France cinema took theatre productions and turned them into films.<\/p>\n\n\n

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France has a long history with the dramatic arts and also has lots of stage-to-screen adaptations. The French play (Huit Femmes) 8 Females<\/a> <\/strong>was <\/strong>originally written by Robert Thomas, and initially shown on stage in 1958.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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