7.2/10
565
6 user 12 critic

Butley (1974)

R | | Drama , Romance | April 1976 (UK)
Butley Poster
An English professor finds his life crumbling around him.

Director:

Harold Pinter

Writers:

Simon Gray (play), Simon Gray (screenplay)

Stars:

Alan Bates, Jessica Tandy, Richard O'Callaghan | See full cast & crew »
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Cast

Cast overview:
Alan Bates ... Ben Butley
Jessica Tandy ... Edna Shaft
Georgina Hale ... Carol Heasman
Michael Byrne ... Reg Nuttall
Susan Engel ... Anne Butley
Simon Rouse ... Gardner
Richard O'Callaghan Richard O'Callaghan ... Joey Keyston
Oliver Maguire Oliver Maguire ... Man in the Tube
Darien Angadi Darien Angadi ... First Student
Colin Haigh Colin Haigh ... Second Student
See full cast »
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Storyline

A day in the life of Ben Butley. But definitely not a day to remember for this T.S. Eliot scholar at the University of London! Let's take for example Anne, his already estranged wife: today is the day she has chosen to tell him she is leaving him for good. And for a man Butley despises into the bargain! And what about Joey Kingston, whose close friendship Ben is losing, maybe forever today...? Decidedly, all the odds are against him. Will Butley, the bitter misanthropist, the unrepentant alcoholic, the teacher who bullies his students, his friends and his colleagues - in other words the self-destructive nihilist -, survive this horrible day? Written by Guy Bellinger

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

university | student | professor | teacher | sock | See All (128) »

Taglines:

His wife just left him for another man. And so did his boy friend. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

UK | Canada | USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1976 (UK) See more »

Also Known As:

Simon Gray's Butley See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinévision Ltée,The American Film Theatre See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Leonard Rossiter was booked to appear but was forced to drop out. See more »

Quotes

Ben Butley: You know how it exhausts me to teach books I haven't read.
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Just the best.
8 June 2001 | by carol_robinson – See all my reviews

When I first saw this film, Ben Butley fascinated me (my cousin, who saw it with me, hated him). I've seen the film many times since then--I bought the video before I had a VCR to play it on--and it remains my favorite movie. And Alan Bates remains my favorite actor, although he's not at all like Butley. I wouldn't recommend the film to everybody, because it's a filmed play, totally in one room, all talk. Ah, but what talk, what dynamics between characters, what vicious game-playing and ruthlessness and humor. Simon Gray's never written a better play.
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