Big screen classics

May

From Page and Stage to Screen: The Art of Adaptation

Our daily screenings of classic movies continue with our selection of some of the finest – and, occasionally, most imaginative – adaptations. First, further films inspired by books; then, in May, we move to adaptations from the stage.

Geoff Andrew, programmer-at-large

Henry V

Olivier’s acclaimed directorial debut brings glorious Technicolor and a fine William Walton score to Shakespeare’s patriotic play.

West Side Story

Bernstein and Sondheim’s evergreen musical, inspired by Romeo and Juliet.

The Magic Flute

Bergman’s gleefully theatrical film of Mozart’s opera – sung in Swedish – is vivacious, funny and enthralling.

Pandora’s Box

Louise Brooks dazzles as the iconic showgirl who leaves a trail of destruction in her wake, in one of the great silent films of the Weimar era.

Cabaret

Genuinely subversive in its sexual politics and seedy portrayal of Berlin, Bob Fosse’s take on a doomed love triangle remains as captivating as ever.

Ordet

Dreyer’s meticulous, measured and deeply moving play about a rural family riven by various tensions.

Camille

Garbo is at her radiant best in Cukor’s refined and elegant adaptation of Dumas’s novel and play about a Parisian courtesan.

Camille + intro by Ruby McGuigan, BFI Programme and Acquisitions

Garbo is at her radiant best in Cukor’s refined and elegant adaptation of Dumas’s novel and play about a Parisian courtesan.

A Streetcar Named Desire

Brando is at his electrifying best in Kazan’s hothouse film of Tennessee Williams’ play.

Bluebeard’s Castle

Powell’s film of Bartók’s magnificent one-act opera is remarkable for its vivid colours and expressionist sets.

Bluebeard’s Castle + intro by Alex Prideaux, Marketing and Events Manager – Our Screen Heritage

Powell’s film of Bartók’s magnificent one-act opera is remarkable for its vivid colours and expressionist sets.

Rope

Intellectual arrogance meets cold-blooded violence in Hitchcock’s virtuoso adaptation of Patrick Hamilton’s play.

Rope + intro by Bryony Dixon, BFI National Archive Curator

Intellectual arrogance meets cold-blooded violence in Hitchcock’s virtuoso adaptation of Patrick Hamilton’s play.

His Girl Friday

Grant and Russell excel as a divorced couple trading barbs and heated glances across the newsroom, as they race to uncover the story of the year.

His Girl Friday + intro by Geoff Andrew, Programmer-at-Large

Grant and Russell excel as a divorced couple trading barbs and heated glances across the newsroom, as they race to uncover the story of the year.

Beautiful Thing

Hettie MacDonald and Jonathan Harvey’s acclaimed film version of the latter’s play, a gay romantic comedy set in and around a Thamesmead council estate.

Beautiful Thing + intro by Simon McCallum, BFI National Archive Curator

Hettie MacDonald and Jonathan Harvey’s acclaimed film version of the latter’s play, a gay romantic comedy set in and around a Thamesmead council estate.

Chi-Raq

Spike Lee’s signature flair imbues this tale of the women of Chicago joining in a bipartisan effort to end the violence in their neighborhoods.

May