Dance with a Stranger (1985)

A woman can not accept that her boyfriend dumped her.

Director:

Mike Newell

Writer:

Shelagh Delaney

Stars:

Miranda Richardson, Rupert Everett, Ian Holm

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Miranda Richardson	...	Ruth Ellis
Rupert Everett	...	David Blakeley
Ian Holm	...	Desmond Cussen
Stratford Johns	...	Morrie Conley
Joanne Whalley	...	Christine
Tom Chadbon	...	Anthony Findlater
Jane Bertish	...	Carole Findlater
David Troughton	...	Cliff Davis
Matthew Carroll	...	Andy
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Beale	...	Man in Little Club
Charon Bourke	...	Ballroom Singer
Charles Cork	...	Policeman #2
Patrick Field	...	Builder
Sallie Anne Field	...	Claudette
Ian Hurley	...	Policeman #1

Storyline

Ruth Ellis lives with her 10-year old son Andy next to a night club. One night she meets David Blakely, and they start a love affair. However, for David with his upper-class background it is impossible to uphold the relationship. He breaks up with her, something which makes Ellis, obsessed by him, very upset...

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Plot Keywords:

love | bartender | watching a movie | police officer | pub | 

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 August 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bailar con un extraño

Filming Locations:

Fingest, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$138,359 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Goldcrest Films International, National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC), Film Four International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom.

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Goofs

Ruth switches on a radio which begins to play immediately. In those times, vacuum-tube radios had to warm up for about 20 seconds.

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Quotes

Anthony Findlater: She
[his wife]
Anthony Findlater: eats like a bird...
Ruth Ellis: Really? My son tells me birds eat twice their own weight every day.

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Soundtracks

"She Wears Red Feathers"
(uncredited)
Written by Bob Merrill

User Reviews

Not for the faint of heart

There is nothing sentimental about this story of obsession. Set in London in the 1950's--and what could be drearier--this bleak story based on the true story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in England, is a tour-de-force for Newell, the director, the two leads, Richardson and Everett, and the incomparable Ian Holm.

Miranda Richardson as Ellis gives a knockout performance in every scene. She has so perfectly captured the emotional pitch of a woman in love with a heel that one cannot help identifying with her. Her all-consuming love, even to the point of neglecting her son, makes it ridiculous to entertain the common query of "why doesn't she just get away from him?" Mike Newell captures all of the emotional highs and lows of a relationship of this kind, and the rakishly handsome Everett is both charming and destructive as Ellis's amor.

The beauty of this movie is that it is not just about two ill-fated lovers, the way many Hollywood movies are. It is also about England's class system. Ellis's attraction to Blakeley is more about her desire to be acknowledged by her "betters" than just by this one man. Perhaps the most heartrending scene comes at the end where one sees Ellis's painted finger going over a letter she is about to send on the eve of her execution to Blakeley's mother, apologizing for the misery she has caused her. The language of the letter is perfect, because it reveals volumes about Ellis's class aspirations, and the hopelessness of her ever achieving them.

This movie is a must-see for movie lovers, but it is not for the Meg Ryan set.