The Dresser (1983)

Director:

Peter Yates

Writer:

Ronald Harwood (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 December 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

What happens backstage is always true drama. And often pure comedy.

Plot:

An effeminate personal assistant of a deteriorating veteran actor struggles to get him through a difficult performance of King Lear.

Plot Keywords:

Backstage | Actor | Theater | 1940s | Shakespeare's King Lear

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Albert Finney	...	Sir
Tom Courtenay	...	Norman
Edward Fox	...	Oxenby
Zena Walker	...	Her Ladyship
Eileen Atkins	...	Madge
Michael Gough	...	Frank Carrington
Cathryn Harrison	...	Irene
Betty Marsden	...	Violet Manning
Sheila Reid	...	Lydia Gibson
Lockwood West	...	Geoffrey Thornton
Donald Eccles	...	Mr. Godstone
Llewellyn Rees	...	Horace Brown
Guy Manning	...	Benton
Anne Mannion	...	Beryl
Kevin Stoney	...	C. Rivers Lane

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | UK:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Ronald Harwood based his play and subsequent screenplay on his experiences as the dresser for the noted Shakespearean actor Donald Wolfit.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: After Sir and Norman leave the marketplace, they're passed by a Routemaster bus. These buses were first used in London in 1954, and weren't used outside London until the 1970's.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Norman: I had a friend...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nanny: The Honeymoon's Overboard (#6.1)" (1998)

This is what acting is all about

I just watched The Dresser this evening, having only seen it once before, about a dozen years ago.

It's not a "big" movie, and doesn't try to make a big splash, but my God, the brilliance of the two leads leaves me just about speechless. Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay are nothing less than amazing in this movie.

The Dresser is the story of Sir, an aging Shakespearean actor (Finney), and his dresser Norman (Courtenay), sort of a valet, putting on a production of King Lear during the blitz of London in World War II. These are two men, each dependent upon the other: Sir is almost helpless without the aid of Norman to cajole, wheedle, and bully him into getting onstage for his 227th performance of Lear. And Norman lives his life vicariously through Sir; without Sir to need him, he is nothing, or thinks he is, anyway.

This is a character-driven film; the plot is secondary to the interaction of the characters, and as such, it requires actors of the highest caliber to bring it to life. Finney, only 47 years old, is completely believable as a very old, very sick, petulant, bullying, but brilliant stage actor. He hisses and fumes at his fellow actors even when they're taking their bows! And Courtenay is no less convincing as the mincing dresser, who must sometimes act more as a mother than as a valet to his elderly employer. Employer is really the wrong term to use, though. For although, technically their relationship is that of employer and employee, most of the time Sir and Norman act like nothing so much as an old married couple.

Yes, there are others in the cast of this movie, but there is no question that the true stars are Finney, Courtenay, and the marvelous script by Ronald Harwood. That is not to say that there aren't other fine performances, most notably Eileen Atkins as the long-suffering stage manager Madge. There is a wonderful scene where Sir and Madge talk about old desires, old regrets, and what might have been.

Although it doesn't get talked about these days, it is worth remembering that The Dresser was nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Actor nominations for both Finney and Courtenay, Best Picture, Best Director (Peter Yates), and Best Adapted Screenplay.

I had remembered this as being a good movie, but I wasn't prepared to be as completely mesmerized as I was from beginning to end. If you want to see an example of what great acting is all about, and be hugely entertained all the while, then I encourage you to see The Dresser.