As an existing (and avid) fan of the stage play, I was curious to see how Jean-Paul Sartre's classic dark existentialist comedy would translate to film. Knowing that Mass and Twelve Angry Men are both films I adore that take place essentially in one room, I know that it's possible to achieve such a feat and make it something really special. I admire the directorial decision to have the screen in the room display cinematic representations of the worlds of each character moving on without them, and I think the principal roles of Garcin, Ines, and Estelle were especially well-cast. The cinematography was a touch dry (though feels period-accurate of the mid-50s), but the acting was believable enough and the set design was spot-on. I think, while I understand the intent to create a world existing outside the room to make the work of theatre more cinematic, the opening 10-15 minutes or so felt very slow and superfluous, it didn't add much at all to the existing drama/comedy that comes from the characters interacting.
I do have to wonder if I would've given this a higher score if I had seen the film with English subtitles-the copy I watched was in the film's original French and with German subtitles I couldn't remove.
