Stage to Screen

Driving Miss Daisy is based on Uhry's play of the same name, and not much changes from stage to screen. It's very theatrical in its production—intimate scenes, no blockbuster effects or elaborate sets. The film has very few characters. Boolie's wife, Florine, is unseen in the play, but in the film she's played by Tony award and Grammy-winning stage actress Patti Lupone to provide some contrast and conflict with her mother-in-law, Miss Daisy.

Many of the scenes are shot as you would see on a stage. The characters are in the same house, even if Miss Daisy is separated by the wall between dining room where she eats and the kitchen where the help stays. The majority of the film's scenes are of Miss Daisy and Hoke in the car. Again, they're quiet affairs. No high-speed chases here. You can easily see these scenes taking place on an intimate stage. The fanciest production values are the awesome cars that Boolie buys for Hoke to drive Miss Daisy, particularly that 1949 Hudson Commodore. If you'd been in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2014, you could have bought it at auction for $66,000.