The Dresser
| The Dresser | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Peter Yates |
| Produced by | Peter Yates |
| Written by | Ronald Harwood |
| Starring | Albert Finney Tom Courtenay Eileen Atkins Edward Fox Zena Walker |
| Music by | James Horner |
| Cinematography | Kelvin Pike |
| Editing by | Ray Lovejoy |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 9 December 1983 |
| Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $5,310,748 |
The Dresser is a 1983 film which tells the story of an aging actor's personal assistant, who struggles to keep his charge's life together. It is based on a screenplay by Ronald Harwood, in turn based on his successful 1980 West End and Broadway play of the same name.
The film was directed by Peter Yates and produced by Yates with Ronald Harwood. The cinematography was by Kelvin Pike.
The Dresser stars Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Zena Walker, Eileen Atkins, Michael Gough and Edward Fox. Finney and Courtenay were nominated for Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for their performances. Courtenay won the Golden Globe in a tie with Robert Duvall
Contents |
[edit] Background and production
[edit] UK
Ronald Harwood based the play on his experiences as dresser to distinguished English Shakespearean actor-manager Sir Donald Wolfit, who is the "Sir" in the play. The play was first presented on 6 March 1980 at The Royal Exchange Theatre and then opened at the Queen's Theatre in London on 30 April 1980, with Freddie Jones as "Sir" and Tom Courtenay as Norman. The play was nominated for Best Play at the Laurence Olivier Awards for 1980.
[edit] Broadway
The play opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on November 9, 1981 and ran for 200 performances, with Tom Courtenay repeating his performance as Norman and Paul Rogers as "Sir". The play was nominated for the 1982 Tony Award for Best Play, Best Actor in a Play (Tom Courtenay) and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play (Paul Rogers).
[edit] Cast
- Albert Finney as Sir
- Tom Courtenay as Norman
- Edward Fox as Oxenby
- Zena Walker as Her Ladyship
- Eileen Atkins as Madge
- Michael Gough as Frank Carrington
- Cathryn Harrison as Irene
- Betty Marsden as Violet Manning
- Sheila Reid as Lydia Gibson
- Lockwood West as Geoffrey Thornton
- Donald Eccles as Mr. Godstone
- Llewellyn Rees as Horace Brown
- Guy Manning as Benton
- Anne Mannion as Beryl
- Kevin Stoney as C. Rivers Lane
- Ann Way as Miss White
- John Sharp as Mr. Bottomley
- Kathy Staff as Bombazine Woman
- Roger Avon as Charles
[edit] Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney), Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.[1] Albert Finney won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Many Oscar nominees unfamiliar". The Milwaukee Journal: p. 4, Accent on the Weekend. 1984-02-17. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-W4aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ykEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7042,4428844&dq=the-dresser+academy-award&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ "Berlinale: 1984 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1984/03_preistr_ger_1984/03_Preistraeger_1984.html. Retrieved 2010-11-26.
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||
