Dresser

Release Date: 2004-04-06, Rating PG (Parental Guidance Suggested),

Psychological Drama DVD - The complicated relationship of two men who have given their lives to the theater forms the basis for this acclaimed drama. During World War II, an aging but once famous Shakespearean actor, addressed by his cast and crew only as "Sir" (Albert Finney), continues to tour the British theater circuit with a rag tag group of elderly and handicapped actors who are exempt from military service. Sir has grown frustrated, senile, and is on the verge of a nervous breakdown; he's come to rely upon his dresser Norman (Tom Courtenay), an endlessly loyal homosexual who would do anything for the man he's come to love. Norman tries to guide Sir through yet another tour of the hinterlands in The Tempest. This expanded film adaptation of Ronald Harwood's award-winning stage drama also stars Edward Fox as Oxenby, an unhappy member of Sir's company; Sir was said to be based on real-life actor Donald Wolfit. - The Dresser (DVD)

DVDs. Dresser

THE DRESSER is Peter Yates's intriguing look behind the scenes of a touring stage company in war-torn England based on Ronald Harwood's hit Broadway play. Albert Finney stars as Sir the aging manager and lead actor of the troupe who begins to come undone from the pressure of touring in bombed-out England. The lines between reality and drama begin to fade leading Sir into melodramatic ramblings soothed only by the aid of his devoted dresser Norman Tom Courtenay. Norman is part lover brother mother and whipping boy to Sir's mercurial moods coaxing the egocentric actor through the necessary dressing-room preparations as he readies himself for his 227th performance of KING LEAR. Norman is the backstage glue that binds the troupe of eccentric actors together calming bruised egos and demanding respect for their aging and slightly delusional leader. In true theatrical form the show must go on and as bombs fall on England's finest theaters Sir leads his troupe through another command performance of Shakespeare's trag