The Dresser (1983)

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

Director:

Peter Yates

Writer:

Ronald Harwood (screenplay)

Stars:

Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Edward Fox

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Blackman	...	Beryl (as Anne Mannion)
Kevin Stoney	...	C. Rivers Lane

Storyline

In a touring Shakespearean theater group, a backstage hand - the dresser, is devoted to the brilliant but tyrannical head of the company. He struggles to support the deteriorating star as the company struggles to carry on during the London blitz. The pathos of his backstage efforts rival the pathos in the story of Lear and the Fool that is being presented on-stage, as the situation comes to a crisis.

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Plot Keywords:

backstage | theater | actor | shouting | bath | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

El vestidor

Filming Locations:

Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Goldcrest Films International, World Film Services

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Tom Courtenay played the dresser Norman on both the West End London stage and New York Broadway theatrical seasons and then reprized the role in this film version. Courtenay was nominated for the 1982 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Drama.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Sir: 227 Lears... 227 performances of King Lear and I can't remember the first line.

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Connections

Referenced in Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006)

User Reviews

Hats off to all included!

A fantastic cinema experience. I really enjoyed seeing this truly magnificent film in the theater when it came out. There is nothing to add, except that is a terrible shame that sir Albert Finney still isn't accepted by the AMPAS (American Academy). After roles in such films as Tom Jones, Murder on the Orient Express, Under the Volcano (to name only few - for these he was nominated for the Oscar), The Dresser is arguably his highlight, yet...

I know, Oscars are just a popularity contest, but if Americans like British actors and actresses ("and the Oscar goes to" Jeremy Irons, Daniel Day-Lewis, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Glenda Jackson etc. - and they all deserved the award!), why they always left Sir Finney with empty hands?

On the other hand, they gave it to John Wayne and Marisa Tomei (in My Cousin Vinny). I don't know, should I laugh or cry?

If you have seen the two leads in The Dresser you won't forget what is the art of acting. Watch this film and enjoy! I recommend it to everyone who loves art.

I give 9/10 for this excellent film (1 point missing for non-cinematic material, after all it is "just" a filmed stage play).

Note: My rating criteria is much stricter than the one on IMDb (10 only for the Cinematic masterpiece that should/could last forever).