Columbia Pictures
Not part of a collection.
The Dresser
What happens backstage is always true drama. And often pure comedy.
In a touring Shakespearean theater group, a backstage hand - the dresser - is devoted to the brilliant but tyrannical head of the company. He struggles to support the deteriorating star as the company struggles to carry on during the London Blitz. The pathos of his backstage efforts rival the pathos in the story of Lear and the Fool that is being presented on-stage, as the situation comes to a crisis.
- Original title
- The Dresser
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US,GB
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
SplintDixon
Jan 23, 2021 · via TMDB
Just watched the Dresser tonight. This movie was nominated for best picture of 1983, best director, best actor (Albert Finney & Tom Courtenay) and best Screenplay from another medium. Courtenay won a Golden Globe for best actor. So, on to the movie. I don't need to give the synopsis because you can find it easily. Did I like it? At first it was pretty dull and the main character is really an over the top diva. His dresser works feverishly to please him. When we later find out something isn't quite right with Sir (played brilliantly by Sir Albert Finney) chaos takes over but Norman (the dresser played by Tom Courtenay) does his very best to keep things together. Most of the movies is this one long night and for someone who knows little about theater, the movie gives you a great behind the scenes look at a mid 20th century theater production. Assuming it's pretty real. Lots of cool stuff to take in here and this is when the movie really started to grab me. I started to root for the "show to go on". The final act is a little hard to swallow but it certainly keeps you thinking up until the end and also makes you really understand the relationship between the Sir and Norman. While I do feel this movie was a little over the top, it was by design, I believe. It was written with Shakespeare as the backdrop and it was also written by a dresser from the 1950's. My guess, is it was fairly accurate with some added topping to give it a little extra. Was it a best picture nominee for 1983? You be the judge but I can certainly find more than 4 movies that are better.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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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
Llewellyn Rees
Horace Brown
Kevin Stoney
C. Rivers Lane
Kathy Staff
Bombazine Woman
Roger Avon
Charles
Peter Yates
Director
Peter Yates
Producer
Ronald Harwood
Producer
James Horner
Original Music Composer
Ronald Harwood
Screenplay
Ronald Harwood
Theatre Play
A Sentença
Male Shorts: International V2
Luc ou la part des choses
Camouflage
Morphine and Dolly Mixtures
Final Exams
Drug Shore
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Shelter
The Servant
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An Inspector Calls
Lessons of Tolerance
The Lost Boys
A Frozen Flower
To Live, To Die, To Live Again
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Savage Nights
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Undetectable
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Footing
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The Runaways
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The Dresser
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Factory Girl
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54
Valentino
Dec 6, 1983
