{"id":1023,"date":"2016-08-23T15:37:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T15:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mgs.performerstuff.com\/?p=1023"},"modified":"2018-08-07T02:50:31","modified_gmt":"2018-08-07T02:50:31","slug":"theatre-in-film-the-dresser-1983","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-the-dresser-1983\/","title":{"rendered":"Theatre in Film: The Dresser (1983)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-header-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><h3>Theatre in Film: The Dresser (1983)<\/h3>\n<font size=\"2\" color=\"grey\"><span style=\"border:1px solid ;-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;-moz-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);-webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);margin-right:25px;float:left;\" class=\"fusion-imageframe imageframe-glow imageframe-1 hover-type-none author-image\"><a class=\"fusion-no-lightbox\" href=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\" target=\"_self\"> <img src=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/authorimage.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"img-responsive\" style=\"-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;\"\/><\/a><\/span><p>Written by Ashleigh Gardner<\/p>\n<p>August 19, 2016<\/p>\n<\/font><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-body-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Have a love affair with theatre\u00a0<em>and\u00a0<\/em>film? Me too! It\u2019s an ongoing relationship that\u2019s a thrill to have, and Performer Stuff\u2019s\u00a0Theatre in Film series celebrates the\u00a0great films that effectively depict a life in the theatre.<em>\u00a0<\/em>Part III\u00a0in our ongoing\u00a0tribute to theatre-centric cinema continues\u00a0with the captivating 1983\u00a0drama,\u00a0<em>The Dresser<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>The Dresser\u00a0<\/em>(1983)<\/h4>\n<br><div align=\"center\"><div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube\" style=\"max-width:600px;max-height:350px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tZ7kZGSva4I?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Director: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peter Yates<br \/>\n<\/span><b>Starring:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Eileen Atkins, Edward Fox, and Zena Walker<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">What happens:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sir (Albert Finney), an aging and senile Shakespearean actor, is on tour with his acting company as they traverse England, performing at regional theatres during the Second World War. Sir is the lead actor and manager of his Shakespearean acting troupe, and Norman (Tom Courtenay), his devoted dresser who, for all his service, might as well be Sir\u2019s servant. After the troupe arrives in Bradford, where they will play <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">King Lear <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that night, Sir has a mental breakdown in the middle of a public square. Norman ushers Sir to the hospital and proceeds to the theatre thereafter&#8230;only to see Sir in the dressing room. \u201cI discharged myself,\u201d Sir says. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the course of the night, Sir displays a wide array of emotions, causing extreme anxiety in the entire troupe, not to mention Norman who drinks occasionally from a small brandy bottle in order to calm himself. Sir barely makes his first entrance as Lear in front of a crowd of hundreds and nearly forgets his lines. Norman, struggling with Sir\u2019s mistreatment of him, still tends to Sir\u2019s every need until after the performance when, lying on the couch in his dressing room, Sir dies in front of Norman. Norman, distraught at the death of his friend and angered that Sir never thanked him for his services, delivers a sorrowful and apologetic monologue and collapses over Sir\u2019s body, reciting the Fool\u2019s song: \u201cHe that has and a little tiny wit \/ With hey, ho, the wind and the rain \/ Must make content with his fortunes fit, \/ For the rain it raineth every day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">Why it matters:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Dresser <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is an adaptation of Ronald Harwood\u2019s 1980 play of the same name, based on Harwood\u2019s experience as a dresser to the English Shakespearean actor\/manager Sir Donald Wolfitt. In an age when war plagued the public psyche, theatre was a welcome bastion of escape where audiences could forget the outside influence of Nazi Germany. We see this time depicted in other \u201ctheatre\u201d films: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To Be Or Not To Be <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(1942 and 1983) and <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-the-producers-1968\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Producers<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> (1967)<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At first glance, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Dresser<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> might be misinterpreted for a film about the limitations of an actor past a certain age, but Finney\u2019s and Courtenay\u2019s performances (along with those of Atkins) display a deeper and more sentimental significance: <em>actors are nothing without their technicians<\/em>. Norman\u2019s precise attention to detail keeps Sir placated and on course so that the show may continue. And Atkins, who plays the company\u2019s longstanding and bewearied stage manager Madge, must keep constant tabs on Sir\u2019s progress as patrons fill the house. Both Norman and Madge continuously inform the other members of the company of the show&#8217;s status and must reassign roles after a member of their company is dismissed. The relationships the audience see onscreen transcend time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The film uses\u00a0the story of\u00a0<em>Lear\u00a0<\/em>to underscore\u00a0the story of Sir and Norman. Sir is a Lear-like character, battling nay-sayers, dishonest young actors, and financial struggles, not to mention\u00a0his increasing age and mental deterioration. Norman plays his fool: the younger man is fool enough to continue serving Sir\u00a0through his master&#8217;s violent outrages and insulting remarks. Madge, the loyal companion of around 20 years, is Sir&#8217;s Cordelia, to which Sir bequeaths a treasured ring worn by himself and another great Shakespearean actor. Sir realizes his mistakes and attempts to mend them just prior to his death &#8212;\u00a0like\u00a0Lear realizes his folly at a time where the damage to his family has already been done.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re looking to watch this title with a more updated production, check out the 2015 version of <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WVW-eUWam4g\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Dresser <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">starring Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Anthony Hopkins<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below (from the 1983 version) is Norman\u2019s heart rending final monologue delivered by the infinitely skilled Tom Courtenay.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube\" style=\"max-width:600px;max-height:350px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vU7YG3bFYwk?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><br><br><p>This film is the first featured in Part III of \u201cTheatre in Film\u201d. See below for the others in Part III.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-all-that-jazz-1979\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em>All That Jazz\u00a0(1979)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-tootsie-1982\/\"><em>Tootsie<\/em>\u00a0(1982)<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-to-be-or-not-to-be-1983\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em>To Be Or Not To Be<\/em>\u00a0(1983)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>A Chorus Line<\/em>\u00a0(1985)<\/strong>\u00a0<em>(Coming soon.)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Want to start with Part I? Check out\u00a0<strong><em><a href=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/?p=133\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">42nd Street<\/span>\u00a0<\/a><\/em>(1933)<\/strong>. Didn\u2019t get to read Part II?\u00a0Begin with\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><a href=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-the-band-wagon-1953\/\">The\u00a0<strong>Band Wagon\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/span><strong>(1953)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><hr \/>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><strong>Ashleigh Gardner<\/strong>\u00a0received her AA in Theatre\/Drama\/Dramatic Arts\u00a0from Valencia College and\u00a0her Bachelors Degree in English Literature and\u00a0Masters Degree in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies from\u00a0the University of Central Florida. She is a playwright, an actor, and PerformerStuff.com\u2019s Editor.\u00a0<\/em><\/h5>\n<h5>Thumbnail image from\u00a0<em>The Dresser<\/em>. Photo copyright \u00a9 Columbia Pictures 1983.<\/h5>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [...]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[259,265],"tags":[6,106,352,319,107,82,80,63,14,105],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}