'The Dresser'
A retrospective movie review by Walter Frith
Three of director Peter Yates' most impressive films are 'Bullitt' (1968), 'Breaking Away' (1979) and 'The Dresser' (1983). Scripted by Ronald Harwood from his critically acclaimed play, 'The Dresser' tells the story of a group of traveling actors in England during World War II who perform plays by William Shakespeare. The film focuses on two characters in particular. One is the head of the acting company who goes by the name of Sir (Albert Finney), a man who is unable to grasp the very essence of friendship and a man who is slowly being driven insane by an empty life of loneliness and constantly repeating himself in the plays he performs. The other is Norman (Tom Courtenay). He is Sir's personal valet and he performs his duty with rigid loyalty and a deep caring for the man he serves knowing all along that Sir's life is taking a toll on his own.
This is dramatic movie making at its finest and found a place with movie industry peers with 5 Academy Award nominations, Best Picture, Actor (both Courtenay and Finney), Director (Peter Yates) and Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood). The film plays out with its roots remaining loyal to the play on which it is based. It takes place mostly in dressing room corridors, in dressing rooms themselves, on the stage while the actors are performing and has very little outdoor photography or varying scenes in general. It is almost exactly like watching a play with the audience confined to a stage atmosphere. It's ability to abandon the visuals of typical filmmaking make it a film about the stage worth treasuring. Truly an inspiration for anyone considering a career in the theatre.
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