5 popular films based on works staged on the theater stage

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It is always difficult to film books, and it is doubly difficult to transfer to the film format those literary works that have already been shown on the theater stage. The viewer always compares the original with the motion picture, and when a performance is added to this comparison, the director cannot predict how his rethinking will be perceived by the public. Nevertheless, in the history of cinema there are many examples of brilliant adaptations of dramatic works.

"Dowry" and "Cruel Romance"

Alexander Ostrovsky worked on his play for four years, and for the first time on the theater stage it was staged in the fall of 1878, first at the Maly Theater and then at the Alexandrinsky Theater. At the same time, one of the best works of the classics, staged in theaters, ignominiously failed. Only in the second half of the 1890s real success came to the work.

"Dowry" was filmed three times. In the film by Kai Ganzen, released in 1912, the main role was played by Vera Pashennaya, in the film by Yakov Protazanov in 1936, the image of Larisa Ogudalova was embodied by Nina Alisova. And in 1984, Eldar Ryazanov's picture "Cruel Romance" with Larisa Guzeeva in the title role was released. Despite the mixed reception of the film adaptation by critics, the film immediately became popular and was even recognized as the best film of the year. The songs sounded in the film are still loved, and the author's interpretation of Ostrovsky's play by the director gave this film a special charm.

The last victim

This play by Alexander Ostrovsky was written literally in two months, although the idea arose from the writer three years before it was embodied on paper. The director of the theatrical production, which premiered in November 1877, was made by the author himself, making some reductions in the play.

After that, "The Last Victim" repeatedly appeared in the repertoires of various theaters, but was filmed in 1975 by director Pyotr Todorovsky. The picture is distinguished by a very accurate fit into the images of the heroes and almost literal adherence to the plot of Ostrovsky's work. Many viewers and fans of the work of the Russian playwright noted: the film turned out to be no worse than the original.

"Forever Alive" and "The Cranes Are Flying"

The play based on the play by Viktor Rozov first appeared in the repertoire of the Kostroma Theater. But the work began its stellar journey thanks to the director Oleg Efremov, who staged Forever Alive at the opening of the legendary Sovremennik Theater.

Later, director Mikhail Kalatozov turned to Viktor Rozov with a request to write a script for a film based on his play. In the working version, the painting was called "For Your Life", and under the name "The Cranes Are Flying" it became known all over the world.

The film (the only one in the USSR) won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1958, although in the Soviet Union this was reported very briefly, without even mentioning the scriptwriter and director. This was explained by the fact that Nikita Khrushchev not only did not accept the film, but angrily criticized it, believing that the main character behaved unacceptably. The head of the country compared Veronica performed by Tatyana Samoilova with a woman of easy virtue. Nevertheless, over the years, the picture remains one of the most poignant films about the war.

"The dawns here are quiet …" and "… And the dawns here are quiet"

The novel by Boris Vasiliev, published in 1969, became very popular within a short time. The tragic story found a deep response in the hearts of readers and attracted the attention of directors. For the first time on the stage of the Taganka Theater, it was staged by Yuri Lyubimov two years after it was published in the Yunost magazine.

In the same 1971, director Stanislav Rostotsky began screening the story, the film "… The Dawns Here Are Quiet" was released in 1972, and in 1973 was recognized as the best. It should be noted that the author himself did not agree with the concept of the picture, being a fan of theatrical performance. Nevertheless, it is Rostotsky's film that is still considered one of the best films about the war.

"Co-workers" and "Office Romance"

In just two months, Eldar Ryazanov and Emil Braginsky wrote a play, which in 1971 was staged at the Mayakovsky Theater and the Comedy Theater in Leningrad, and then was successfully performed in many theaters throughout the Soviet Union. At the same time, the TV performance based on the play turned out to be completely unsuccessful, which made the director think about filming a full-fledged film.

The lyrical comedy "Office Romance", which premiered in the fall of 1977, was a truly resounding success, became a real hit and remains one of the most beloved films for over four decades. The film was awarded a State Prize and has long been recognized as a classic of Soviet cinema.

The works of the classics of world literature always attract the attention of directors. Some pictures become real masterpieces of cinema, however, it is not uncommon for a film based on a book to disappoint the viewer. Along with successful films, there are too often film adaptations, where the director's vision spoils the whole impression of reading the work itself.