The Dressmaker (1988)

In England during World War II, a repressed dressmaker and her sister struggle looking after their 17-year-old niece, who is having a delusional affair with an American soldier.

Director:

Jim O'Brien

Writers:

Beryl Bainbridge (novel), John McGrath

Stars:

Joan Plowright, Billie Whitelaw, Pete Postlethwaite

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joan Plowright	...	Nellie
Billie Whitelaw	...	Margo
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Jack (as Peter Postlethwaite)
Jane Horrocks	...	Rita
Tim Ransom	...	Wesley
Pippa Hinchley	...	Val
Rosemary Martin	...	Mrs. Manders
Tony Haygarth	...	Mr. Manders
Michael James Reed	...	Chuck (as Michael James-Reed)
Sam Douglas	...	Cpl. Zawadski
Bert Parnaby	...	Mr. Barnes
Lorraine Ashbourne	...	Factory Girl
Mandy Walsh	...	Factory Girl
Margi Clarke	...	Shopwoman
Andrew Moorcroft	...	Butcher's Boy

Storyline

In England during World War II, a repressed dressmaker and her sister struggle looking after their 17-year-old niece, who is having a delusional affair with an American soldier.

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Plot Keywords:

liverpool | world war two | independent film | based on novel

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 1989 (Australia)

Also Known As:

A varrónő

Filming Locations:

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Screen Productions, Channel Four Films, Freeway/Shedlo Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Poor Little Angeline"
(uncredited)
Written by Jimmy Kennedy and Hugh Williams (i.e. Will Grosz)

User Reviews

austere wartime drama with a strong cast

Two elderly, overprotective sisters in wartime Liverpool are caught in the flux of uncertain times in this subdued but potent drama, adapted from a novel by Beryl Bainbridge. Billie Whitelaw is the more lively and outgoing Margo, while the stern and taciturn Nellie (Joan Plowright) mourns the erosion of traditional values since the onset of the war. In between them is their orphaned teenage niece, a sheltered, plain-looking girl whose naive attachment to an undeserving American GI leads to unexpected tragedy. The outline suggests a more or less routine coming-of-age melodrama, but the relationship between the two elder sisters is more compelling than the troubled teen romance, if only because the role of Wesley (the American soldier) is less a flesh and blood character than a symbol of anti-Yankee sentiment. Director Jim O'Brien paints a convincing portrait of working class England but otherwise keeps a low profile, letting his actors carry the film (a wise decision, with this cast) and maintaining a not incompatible mood of repressed sexual tension and bittersweet nostalgia (more bitter than sweet).