And to think I was too busy watching Fraggle Rock to notice The Dresser

There are very few films that can prompt a 26 year-old woman with some kind of a life to write a gushing fan mail letter to a 60-something year-old actor. But, in this case, the film in question is The Dresser (1983) and the actor is Sir Tom Courtenay himself. That is exactly what I finally mustered up the courage to do two years ago, and you know what? He replied!

Yes, just about one month later the letter arrived in the mail monogrammed with his knight seal and everything. It said, among other things, that my letter was "v. encouraging" and I swooned the way some women do over Brad Pitt (pre-Angelina) or Tom Cruise (pre-Katie). His note remains one of my most treasured possessions.

If it weren't for this film - if it were only Billy Liar (1963) or Doctor Zhivago (1965) or even the unforgettable Let Him Have It (1991) - I probably would never have comprehended his genius. This is largely due to his generosity as an actor. In so many scenes, you are so busy dealing with other characters that you lose sight of the fact that he is as critical to their performances as they are themselves. But this film will be equally as important to the many fans of Courtenay's co-star in this film, Sir Albert Finney. Finney and Courtenay had worked together on stage for decades prior to filming The Dresser, most notably in the stage production of Billy Liar in which Finney played the starring role on the stage before moving on to other engagements, leaving Courtenay with the starring roles both on stage and in film. Perhaps because of the particular history and chemistry between his co-star in The Dresser, Courtenay's brilliance is finally matched and he can comfortably take just as easily as he gives without completely destroying the other actor.

The story is set in WWII England and traces a period of mental and physical deterioration of Sir, the tyrannical head of a British stage touring group (played by Finney). Sir has played every leading Shakespearean role and is preparing to play Lear in King Lear for the two hundred and twenty-seventh time, but he is losing both his best actors and his stages to the war - making Lear too difficult for him to play. Just as the character loses his kingdom, his women and his mind, Sir is losing his own troupe as well as his audiences. Sir is slowly going mad and his only source of solace is his dresser, Noman (played by Courtenay). Norman is very much the funny but prophetic Jester to Sir's Lear, replete with song and a love for his master that is perhaps more intimate than any love shared on the big screen.

But it is, of course, a love in the likes of Swept Away (pre-Madonna, of course) as Norman is mercilessly berated while he struggles to maintain a delicate balance between his role as both servant and master to Sir. Much of the film takes place backstage. Norman is forced to run around and deliver Sir's orders to the disgruntled members of the troupe and is even forced to help out behind the scenes when Sir commands that storm in Lear be louder and more intense. The effort and passion with which the normally reserved Norman works the special effects to please and match Sir onstage is their equivalent to the boombox scene in Say Anything, as is the absolute dedication with which Norman tries to keep Sir's mind from breaking apart at the seams.

This quiet little film is most certainly, an actor's film. If you don't like the theatre, Shakespeare, or relationships - don't bother. If, on the other hand, you enjoy any of the above, this movie is a must-see and the performances of Finney and Courtenay are by turns comedic and tragic as the bonds between these two men unfold into something as essential as those between husband and wife, mother and son, doctor and patient. Perhaps what is most interesting about their performances is their ability to take on either role, then switch them in a heartbeat. It is an absorbing power struggle that can only be born of great love and take place behind the scenes.

This review makes me very excited about the upcoming The Girl in Melanie Klein which also features Tom Courtenay as written by Ronald Harwood and directed by Peter Yates. Melanie Klein would be of interest to any feminist or psychology buffs out there. In anticipation of that film, I hope you will watch and enjoy The Dresser (especially you, mettaluk)!

The Dresser (1983)

Written by Ronald Harwood (The Pianist, Oliver Twist)
Directed by Peter Yates (Eleni)

Starring:
Albert Finney (Sir)
Tom Courtenay (Norman)

Co-starring:
Zena Walker (Her Ladyship)
Eileen Atkins (Madge)
Edward Fox (Oxenby)

Runtime = 118 minutes

This film recieved a slough of Academy Award nominations, including two for Best Actor. Yates and Harwood also received nominations for Best Director and Best Actor. Also won the Berlin International Film Festival. Courtenay won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and Finney received the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Actor.


My Movie Reviews:
Edges of the Lord
The Keys to the House
The Greatest Game Ever Played
The Return