The Dresser (1983)

one of great roles of Tom Courtenay. and a splendid performance of Albert Finney. a film about Shakespeare, theater, sacrifice, need of the other and circle of life. touching. and powerful. a play who, in this adaptation, seems be a kind of parable. because not only the acting is brilliant but the atmosphere soul. a world. like an iceberg. and nuances of sacrifice as only reality. a good film. and little more. because it has the rare gift not only impress but reflect hided places of each life. the actor. and the dresser. and a subtle touching fight. against yourself and against the other. that is all. so, it is not a bad idea to see it ! not only as old movie. but as a rare gem about the things who are really important.

"The Dresser" was nominated for several Oscars--including Best Picture and Best Actor for both leads (Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney)--so obvious, it was a well-respected film when it debuted. However, I wasn't quite as bowled over by it for a variety of reasons. It's not a bad film but I can't help but think that there MUST have been a lot of other films of the day that I would have chosen instead for such honors. I have two major complaints--BOTH leads had a tendency to over-act and their parts seemed overly broad and the other is that the film, while very original, is quite unpleasant.The film is set during WWII and follows a touring Shakespearean company in Britain. Because of the war, it's hard to get good actors, they are constantly in danger of being blown up by German bombers and their lead (Finney) is emotionally exhausted and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. So, it's up to his dresser (Courtenay) to massage this fragile soul through his next performance. Time and time again, folks expect the show to be canceled since Finney is incoherent and appears to be cracking up--and time and time again, the dresser tells them that he'll be fine! A HUGE portion of the film consists of Courtenay and Finney in the dressing room--and Finney is slowly transformed into a competent and accomplished actor once again. Another HUGE portion is the performance itself--which is GREAT if you adore Shakespeare. And, following the performance comes a shock--and Courtenay gets to have a very strange monologue himself.The film is interesting in some ways. Seeing the obvious parallel between the actor balancing between insanity and greatness and his playing the lead in "King Lear" is pretty clever--as Lear, himself, was much like Finney's character. It also was interesting at the end--Courtenay's character shows a darker side and there is a strong homo-erotic aspect of this that makes the performance one you cannot just dismiss. However, and this is what bothered me, I thought Courtenay's gay character was too campy--too flamboyant and too difficult to believe to be true. Making the character less stereotypical would have made him much more believable and universal. As for Finney, his was a maddening performance. At times, he was mesmerizing and other times he seemed like a bellowing water buffalo in the throes of a bleeding ulcer! Subtlety also would have helped with this character. And, combined with the unpleasantness of the plot, it was a chore to finish this one. Not bad, but it could have been so much better.By the way, Finney looks amazingly old yet he was only about 47--he looked at least 65! Also, read through the reviews for this film--it's rare to see such divergent views on a film--folks loved it and folks hated it!

The heart of this film is about character interactions, however it is so much so that the storyline feels neglected. There is not much of a story to it, and even with the interactions in focus, they often land up in simple bickering and/or shouting matches. Still, some witty lines keep the film reasonably brisk, and although too limited, the insights into wartime rations and attitudes, as well as stage production, are relatively interesting. Courtenay and Finney both have some fine moments on screen, however they both overplay their roles here and there, especially Courtenay towards the end. There is an intriguing - albeit too infrequently played - score too, and in general the film is filled with little virtues. But they are not quite enough to make a brilliant piece of cinema overall.

'The Dresser' is one of those films which are so perfect you really struggle to find something not to like about them. Written by Ronald Harwood (himself a former dresser to the legendary Donald Wolfit), it sparkles with energy and true love of life behind the footlights.As 'Sir', the overbearing actor and main focus of the play, Albert Finney is a joy to watch - whether complaining about the lack of a storm during the 'blow, winds ...' bit of 'King Lear' or chatting to his faithful stage manager, Madge (Eileen Atkins, good as ever) about the old times. As Norman, his camp dresser, Tom Courtenay gives a fabulous performance, wiggling around at the beck and call of 'Lear', collecting a bottle to go at the pub, or bitchily disparaging the former Fool, Mr Davenport-Scott (often mentioned, but never seen!).In an engaging support cast, there's Edward Fox as Oxenby (a typical arrogant second lead), Zena Walker as her Ladyship, Lockwood West as the replacement Fool, and many others.This film has great energy, bringing with it some of the greasepaint of its stage origins, it is true, but being so well-acted you don't notice. Very well done indeed.