The Dresser (1983)

Am I Missing Something?

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It's WWII Britain in the midst of the Blitz. Sir (Albert Finney) is bombastic tyrannical head of a Shakespearean theater group. They are a touring group performing King Lear. Norman (Tom Courtenay) is his long-suffering effeminate assistant, the dresser. Sir shows deteriorating mental abilities and Norman struggles to help him.I really don't like any of the characters. The world is burning and all they care about is their play. It starts off annoyingly with Sir halting a train in the middle of the war. There are ways to make it funny and likable. I rather wish they miss the train and Sir blows up on Norman. Norman is an enabler and is not likable either. I don't like Courtenay's stereotypical gay acting but one must keep the era in mind. Albert Finney is great in the role but I really don't like these people and their stupid little problems in the grand scheme of things.

I wish I had more to add to the posts you'll find here. I can only say that this is a MUST SEE film. The acting and story are extraordinary. I saw this film when it first came out and it has remained one of my favorites to this day. It is timeless in that it elegantly portrays the human condition.It was also the first film that introduced me to Albert Finny, who, in my opinion, is incredibly great. Courtney is also brilliant. In fact, I would recommend any film which features either of these wonderful actors.Do yourself a favor and watch this masterpiece film.

This is one of my three all-time favorite movies. My only quibble is that the director, Peter Yates, had too many cuts showing the actors individually instead of together as a scene, but the performances were so great I forgive him.Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay are absolutely marvelous; brilliant. The script is great, giving a very good picture of life in the theatre during World War II (and, therefore, what it was like in the 30s as well). Lots of great, subtle touches, lots of broad, overplayed strokes, all of it perfectly done. Scene after scene just blows me away, and then there's the heartbreaking climax.

I really admired the fabulous job of acting displayed by Tom Courtenay in this film but story- wise, this wasn't an entertaining two hours for me. I mean, who wants to watch a senile old man (played by Albert Finney) rant and rave for two hours? Not me.I endured it, especially in the first hour which was brutal, to admire Courtenay's work and the nice cinematography in the early train scene. From that point, it was nothing but dressing room scenes (I'm told this was a much better play than film) with Courtney trying to calm down Finney. It gets better in the second half when we see why people put up with this obnoxious actor,. because he CAN act really well, as he demonstrates in this King Lear production staged during the WWII blitz on London.As I said, Courtney, playing the patient dresser, "Norman," to the aging star (Finney, who only is called "sir" in here) was terrific and many thought deserving of an Academy Award. I could understand him better, too, because Finney started yelling I couldn't understand a lot of what he said with his accent. That also hurt my enjoyment of the film.