About us
This is an online movie and play discussion group. While participants usually watch the film before attending the discussion, you are welcome to come if you haven't yet.
READING THE PLAY IS OPTIONAL, although doing so will increase your appreciation for the film and knowledge of theater history.
From its inception, cinema has relied on theater as a primary source of material. So why is the relationship between live theater and film so vexed? Calling a film “stagy” is always a criticism. But what are the various techniques of adaptation? Which films radically rework a play to make it more “cinematic”? Which films commit to theater’s spatial boundaries and emphasis on the spoken word? These are some of the questions we ask.
We look at every style of theater and film, from the most accessible to the most challenging, as well as musicals and opera. We sometimes watch recordings of live performances too.
Fans of theater, film, literature, history—as well as actors, directors, playwrights, screenwriters and filmmakers—will find there’s a lot to learn by looking at the theater to film transformation.
Upcoming events
2
FASHION SHOWS AS DRAMATIC NARRATIVES (Dior, Balenciaga, Margiela, Owens, Adrian)
·OnlineOnlinePlease watch these before the meeting (66 mins. viewing time):
1: Adrian/Ready-to-wear/Spring-Summer 1940/10 mins.
From “The Women” (1939)
Stream for free here: www.bilibili.com/video/BV1of421q76e/?share_source=copy_web (43:00 to 53:00)
"The Women" can also be rented and streamed elsewhere. Check https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-women for details.2: Christian Dior/Haute Couture/Spring-Summer 2001/18 mins.
Designer: John Galliano https://youtu.be/zTJq4S7NgMc?si=4HzxkMaDNfdsky673: Balenciaga/Ready-to-wear/Spring 2023/“NYC Show”/12 mins.
Designer: Demna Gvasalia www.youtube.com/live/KP1OvbFB3wo?si=1_5vqWsj68J9nglC4: Maison Martin Margiela/Ready-to-wear/Spring-Summer 2006/14 mins.
youtu.be/D7PBcLHyeAE?si=cwOkiG41YAVc3P3B5: Rick Owens/Ready-to-wear/Spring-Summer 2014/“Vicious”/12 mins.
youtu.be/TirA415R7o4?si=cDi4fHYnxnGVUV0ZAs fashion shows are now international, live-streamed, memed extravaganzas, they have become a powerful form of public performance. But are they drama? Choosing models is now called "casting," expensive sets are designed and built, theatrical lighting techniques and sound design are de rigeur, and designers are expected to explicate the fashion "story." Are we watching characters in specific places do things (beyond just walking) that are part of a bigger narrative?
Inspired by the Technicolor fashion show in the black-and-white 1939 film adaptation of Clare Boothe Luce’s 1936 play “The Women,” we will look at more modern examples, and the ways fashion dramatizes fantasies--or nightmares--of how we might reimagine ourselves.
9 attendees
Marlene Dietrich in Agatha Christie's WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957)
·OnlineOnline"A man accused of killing a wealthy widow, who had named him as the main beneficiary in her will, undergoes a trial during which his wife testifies against him."
This is an online movie and play discussion group. While participants usually arrive having watched the film beforehand, you are invited to come and listen if you haven't seen the film yet. READING THE PLAY IS OPTIONAL, although doing so will increase your appreciation for the film and its theatrical roots.
The Film:
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957)
Directed by Billy Wilder
Screenplay by Billy Wilder and Harry Kurnitz
Adapted by Lawrence B. Marcus from Agatha Christie’s 1925 short story and her 1953 play
With CHARLES LAUGHTON, MARLENE DIETRICH, TYRONE POWER and ELSA LANCHESTER
1 hour 56 mins.The film can be streamed and rented in a variety of places, some for free. Check https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/witness-for-the-prosecution for details.
The Play:
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION
By Agatha Christie
First performed in 1953
Based on her 1925 short story “Traitor’s Hands”
https://archive.org/details/andthentherewere0000chri_p9p1/page/n11/mode/2up5 attendees
Past events
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