The Halfway House
Stage to Screen
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Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, UR
A disparate group ñ a couple whose marriage is breaking down, a terminally ill conductor, grief-stricken parents ñ arrive at a Welsh country inn and discover that they have a year's grace to resolve their difficulties. WW2 witnessed the birth of the fantasy mini-genre where the supernatural admininsters salutary shocks to the characters rather than to the audience. An interesting departure by Ealing Studios from its usual fare.
Up Next in Stage to Screen
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The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan
Long before Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy, there was this lavish sprint through the lives and comic operas of the creators of The Mikado. Not all Gilliat's hopes were realised - he wanted more social history, and an easier flow between music and drama. But there's plenty still to feast on: winning per...
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Lady Windermere's Fan
Ernst Lubitsch’s 1925 Hollywood version of Lady Windermere’s Fan is often misquoted as the first screen adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s enduringly popular 1892 play. In fact, the British got there first, with this early silent feature made nearly a decade before Lubitsch’s film. While the lack of act...
