I've always been torn on whether I consider professionally filmed version of plays films or not. I recently watched some of these recordings from the National Theatre and the Wilma and while I enjoyed them, there's something about filmed plays that feels like an odd in-between medium that often doesn't take full advantage of either medium (I have yet to watch Hamilton). Vanya on 42nd Street is probably the closest case this genre has for being a full-fledged film. Louis Malle's direction is purposeful and both allows the work of the actors and dialogue to shine while not completely receding into the background. Speaking of the actors, it's hard to complain when some of the best New York actors of the era collaborate to act out one of Chekhov's greatest and Wallace Shawn proves a compelling central focus. I especially loved this one moment at the beginning of the film, when you don't realize the performance has even started until Malle cuts to the reactions of the small audience. There was clearly a lot of hard work and love put into this production, same as any theatrical production would be. I still feel distant from the material because of it, though. I would rather either see a filmed adaptation of a play or go watch a production of it than see something that merely satisfies my curiosity of what a production looked like without feeling its full effects.
I've always been torn on whether I consider professionally filmed version of plays films or not. I recently watched some of these recordings from the National Theatre and the Wilma and while I enjoyed them, there's something about filmed plays that feels like an odd in-between medium that often doesn't take full advantage of either medium (I have yet to watch Hamilton). Vanya on 42nd Street is probably the closest case this genre has for being a full-fledged film. Louis Malle's direction is purposeful and both allows the work of the actors and dialogue to shine while not completely receding into the background. Speaking of the actors, it's hard to complain when some of the best New York actors of the era collaborate to act out one of Chekhov's greatest and Wallace Shawn proves a compelling central focus. I especially loved this one moment at the beginning of the film, when you don't realize the performance has even started until Malle cuts to the reactions of the small audience. There was clearly a lot of hard work and love put into this production, same as any theatrical production would be. I still feel distant from the material because of it, though. I would rather either see a filmed adaptation of a play or go watch a production of it than see something that merely satisfies my curiosity of what a production looked like without feeling its full effects.
