The Dresser — The Dresser( Blu Ray)
The Dresser is an early '80s drama/character study set during WW2. It focuses on an ageing, tyrannical, at times unbalanced, theatre actor, and his camp/ always trying to look on the bright side, dresser/assistant, who keeps both the actor and the shows rolling on. Playing the two leads, we have two great actors- Albert Finney as the actor, who is simply known as Sir, and Tom Courtenay as Norman, his dresser. Here from Powerhouse is a new Blu-ray release of the film, featuring a remastered HD and a few extras.
The Dresser is from the year 1983- it’s a British production filmed on several Yorkshire locations, including Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre, as well as on set filming at Pinewood Studios. It was based on the 1980 play of the same name, written by Ronald Harwood, which played in both the West End and Broadway. This film version of the story was helmed by Aldershot-born Peter Yates. Between the early 60’s and early 2000’s he had twenty-five credits to his name. These went from musical comedy featuring Cliff Richard, Summer Holiday (1963), classic car chase bound action film Bullitt (1968), sea set mystery adventure, The Deep (1977), and It All Became True(1998), a fantasy comedy regarding ghosts who are dabbling in the love life of a bachelor.
The film plays at just shy of the two-hour mark, and remains compelling in its drama, wit, and light comedy. It begins very low-key as we see Norman( Courtenay) readying the dressing room for the return of his boss/ head of the touring Shakespearean theatre group- Sir(Finney). We realise he’s constantly listening to the stage above him- rushing up there with a half pint of stout ready for Sir to swig, as soon as the play finishes. As the curtain closes, Sir is raging at all of the actors, criticising everything from where they are standing on stage, their make-up/ dress, or their general incompetence.
After his rant/ lone bowing speech on stage, Sir and Norman head back to his dressing room, where Norman bathes him and washes off his make-up in a tin bath. Norman is a camp, organised, and largely upbeat man who has a tale to tell relating to any issue/ problem that turns up.
As the theatre group moves onto Bradford, it’s clear the comb-over sporting actor is becoming more and more unpredictable/ unwell. And that Norman has devoted his life to the actor. Just before they head to Alhambra Theatre, Sir has a bizarre and unpredictable rant/ turn in the town's market- been taken to the hospital.
At the theatre are Norman & Sir's long-running stage manager Madge(Eileen Atkins) are debating what to do, as the performance of King Lear has sold out, and there is no one to replace Sir….and here I’ll finish my plot description.
Large chunks of the film are set around just interaction between actor and the dresser, and truly Finney and Courtenay are truly spellbinding, stepping completely and utterly into their roles, giving their all.
Set around the two men’s relationships, we have the rest of the theatre group- some grateful for the work/ some less so. Due to the war, the group is made up of either older or more difficult actors, so this adds another edge to the proceedings.
I recall seeing the cover artwork of The Dresser back in the VHS days, but I never saw it, as at that point I was largely focused on purely watching horror. The Dresser truly is wonderfully acted and a well-scoped drama/character study, which is a must-see, if you enjoy this type of film.
Moving on to this region B, and we get a lovely, well-defined and crystal clear HD scan- which looks great throughout.
On the extras side, we have just one new thing- this is Hitting It Off (7.32) interview with actor Tom Courtenay. He begins by talking about how/ when he first played the role of Norman on the stage. Moving on to discuss how the film came about, meeting his co-lead/ how they became best friends. And how they both got different awards for their roles.
On the archive side of things, we have. A Good Adventure (3.44) a 2017 interview with actress Cathryn Harrison, who played a support role in the film. Behind the Curtain (13.57) collected archival interviews with a selection of The Dresser’s crew members, including director of photography Kelvin Pike, camera operator Dewi Humphreys, sound mixer John Hayward, property master John Chisholm and property buyer Jill Quertier. Original theatrical trailer. Image gallery: promotional and publicity material.
The finished release comes with a thirty-two page booklet with a new essay by Thirza Wakefield, a selection of interviews with director Peter Yates and actors Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay charting the film’s production, an overview of critical responses, and film credits.
Hands down, The Dresser is a cracking/ impactful character study- with the two lead actors at the height of their powers. This new Powerhouse release features a lovely, clean scan and a small but worthwhile selection of extras.