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:

The original Broadway production of "The Dresser" by Ronald Harwood opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theater in New York on November 6, 1981, ran for 200 performances and was nominated for the 1982 Tony Award for the Best Play. Ronald Harwood also wrote the screenplay for the filmed production.

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:

Sir: The critics? No, I have nothing but compassion for them. How can I hate the crippled, the mentally deficient, and the dead?

Movie Connections:

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

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 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 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 theater)

Note: My criteria is much stronger than this on IMDb (10 only for the cinematic masterpiece that should/could last forever).