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The Dresser [1983]


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Editorial
Amazon.com

It's life in the Theatre with a capital T in this film adaptation of the London and Broadway hit by Ronald Harwood. Though we see other people, the film is really a duet between Sir (Albert Finney), an aging actor-manager who runs his own theatre company, and Norman (Tom Courtenay), his dresser, who gets him into costume and, ultimately, into shape to go on stage each night. Sir is on his last legs; Norman is alternately his cheerleader, his parent, and his whipping boy--whatever it takes to get Sir up to performance level each night. Finney perfectly captures the vainglorious insecurity of this aging ham, whose career has never quite matched his expectations but who has to convince himself each night (with Norman's help) that a performance in the provinces is as big a deal as treading the boards in the West End. The film lives and dies, however, with Courtenay's neatly nuanced performance as Norman. No man is a hero to his valet--but Courtenay finds the affection along with the disdain that are part of this character. A great backstage tale. --Marshall Fine

Editorial
Amazon.com

It's life in the Theatre with a capital T in this film adaptation of the London and Broadway hit by Ronald Harwood. Though we see other people, the film is really a duet between Sir (Albert Finney), an aging actor-manager who runs his own theatre company, and Norman (Tom Courtenay), his dresser, who gets him into costume and, ultimately, into shape to go on stage each night. Sir is on his last legs; Norman is alternately his cheerleader, his parent, and his whipping boy--whatever it takes to get Sir up to performance level each night. Finney perfectly captures the vainglorious insecurity of this aging ham, whose career has never quite matched his expectations but who has to convince himself each night (with Norman's help) that a performance in the provinces is as big a deal as treading the boards in the West End. The film lives and dies, however, with Courtenay's neatly nuanced performance as Norman. No man is a hero to his valet--but Courtenay finds the affection along with the disdain that are part of this character. A great backstage tale. --Marshall Fine
Editorial
Synopsis

THE DRESSER is Peter Yates' intriguing look behind the scenes of a touring stage company in war-torn England, based on Ronald Harwood's play. Albert Finney stars as Sir, the ageing manager and lead actor of the troupe who begins to come undone from the pressure of touring in bombed-ravaged England. The lines between reality and drama begin to fade, leading Sir into melodramatic ramblings, soothed only by the aid of his devoted dresser, Norman (Tom Courtenay). Norman is part lover, brother, mother, and whipping boy to Sir's mercurial moods, coaxing the egocentric actor through the necessary dressing-room preparations as he readies himself for his 227th performance of KING LEAR. Norman is the backstage glue that binds the troupe of eccentric actors together, calming bruised egos and demanding respect for their ageing and slightly delusional leader. In true theatrical form the show must go on, as the bombs continue to fall Sir leads his troupe through another command performance of Shakespeare's tragedy. This beautifully filmed love letter to the theatre is a must for anyone who enjoys fine drama. The film features an outstanding ensemble cast, especially Tom Courtenay, who is a revelation as Norman, giving a deeply inspired and heartfelt performance.

Second best film shot in Bradford
Review date: 2007-12-08 Rating: 10 out of 10

Having bought the stage play and compared this to the film they are the same but also they are not. The scene in the market ( actually in Halifax not Bradford) is told by Norman on stage. In the film you actually see everything. Both work but I do not know which is better. No wonder Ronald Harwood won an Oscar he really is one of the best writers working in Britain.

The only real invention for the film is the scene shot in York station.

I saw the film in Bradford at a cinema right next door to the theatre it was filmed in.

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Reviews


A Very Pleasant Surprise
Review date: 2006-11-17 Rating: 10 out of 10

I had never much appreciated Finney before but this performance in a play by Sir Donald Wolfit's former dresser suits him perfectly: it is an outstanding impersonation of the often grandiloquent, pompous and hammy Wolfit, who was also, at his best, a great actor, despite his rather awful troupe. Finney and Courtenay (an actor I have always liked) strike sparks off one another and the result is deeply moving, a sort of meditation on the failures and rewards of a lifetime's devotion to the theatre as death approaches. The wartime atmosphere and the theatres of "Old England" are beautifully caught. I bought this for a friend - now I'm wishing I had bought it for myself!

A classic
Review date: 2006-03-10 Rating: 10 out of 10

I came across this film purely by accident. The acting is superb, the storyline is fanastic. Its a very humanistic film that focusses on the human life and how it changes with age. Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay are astounding and have amazing chemistry for the parts they are playing, whilst also being a subtle film that speaks volumes.

The Dresser
Review date: 2005-12-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is a brilliant film. The acting by Finney and Courtenay is superb, as is the screenplay by Ronald Harwood. As well as a funny and deep drama, it's also a fascinating look into the world of touring theatre companies of the wartime period. We watch this film several times a year!

The Show Must Go On...
Review date: 2004-08-11 Rating: 10 out of 10

What do you get when you mix some of the UK's cinema greats such as Tom Courtenay, Albert Finney, Edward Fox and Eileen Atkins? A film to make you laugh, cry and feel just a little uneasy. The story centre's on an ageing Shakesperian actor/manager (Finney) and his company in war torn Britain of the 1940's. In an era when, in the middle of an air raid, the addage of "the show must go on" we see the curtain rise on a production of King Lear. The touring company stage a different Shakespeare play everynight and pivotal to Finney's character is the rather camp Norman (Courtenay)who is the dresser to the leading man known to all (without exception) as "Sir". Norman has served Sir for years and knows every intimate detail about him. To compliment Norman's mothering of Sir is the rather more down to earth Madge (Atkins) who has served Sir and the company as stage manage for more years than she would care to mention. When it is obvious to all, except Norman, that Sir is loosing his mind it is to the ever resourceful Madge whom everyone turns to.

There are no particular twist or turns to this story - that is not the point of it - what it is is a masterpiece of pathos, comedy and tragedy : reflecting the essence of the plays they perform.

The disc is a good print with language options and scene selections only and has a worthy place in anyone's collection of British cinema.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Tom Courtenay
Eileen Atkins
Edward Fox
Albert Finney
Zena Walker

Creators:
Albert Finney (Primary Contributor)
Tom Courtenay (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
EAN: 5035822042032
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL,
Release date: 2004-05-24
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 113 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1983-12-06
Language: Arabic (Subtitled)
Language: Czech (Subtitled)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: German (Subtitled)
Language: Greek (Subtitled)
Language: Hungarian (Subtitled)
Language: Norwegian (Subtitled)
Language: Polish (Subtitled)
Language: Portuguese (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: Turkish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: German (Dubbed)
Language: Spanish (Dubbed)

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