What we’re about
This is an online movie and play discussion group. 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 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.
“Based on the Scopes 'monkey trial' of 1925, two great lawyers argue the case for, and against, a Tennessee science teacher accused of the crime of teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.”
This is an online movie and play discussion group. READING THE PLAY IS OPTIONAL, although doing so will increase your appreciation for the film and its theatrical roots.
INHERIT THE WIND (1960)
Directed by Stanley Kramer
Screenplay by Nedrick Young and Harold Jacob Smith
Based on the 1955 play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
With SPENCER TRACY, FREDRIC MARCH, GENE KELLY, DICK YORK, HARRY MORGAN and CLAUDE AKINS
2 hours 8 mins.
Available to stream on Hoopla, and to rent on Amazon, AppleTV and Fandango at Home. Check www.justwatch.com/us/movie/inherit-the-wind-1960 for details.
The Play:
INHERIT THE WIND
By Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
First performed in 1955
Starts on page 693
archive.org/details/americaonstagete00rich/page/693/mode/2up
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Gene Kellly and Dick York in INHERIT THE WIND (1960)Link visible for attendees
“Based on the Scopes 'monkey trial' of 1925, two great lawyers argue the case for, and against, a Tennessee science teacher accused of the crime of teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.”
This is an online movie and play discussion group. READING THE PLAY IS OPTIONAL, although doing so will increase your appreciation for the film and its theatrical roots.
INHERIT THE WIND (1960)
Directed by Stanley Kramer
Screenplay by Nedrick Young and Harold Jacob Smith
Based on the 1955 play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
With SPENCER TRACY, FREDRIC MARCH, GENE KELLY, DICK YORK, HARRY MORGAN and CLAUDE AKINS
2 hours 8 mins.
Available to stream on Hoopla, and to rent on Amazon, AppleTV and Fandango at Home. Check www.justwatch.com/us/movie/inherit-the-wind-1960 for details.The Play:
INHERIT THE WIND
By Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
First performed in 1955
Starts on page 693
archive.org/details/americaonstagete00rich/page/693/mode/2up
