Rent The Dresser (1983)
3.8 of 5 from 100 ratings
1h 54min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- "The Dresser" is a compelling study of the intense relationship between the leader of the company and his dresser. Sir (Albert Finney), a grandiloquent old man of the theatre, has given his soul to career, but his tyrannical rule over the company is now beginning to crack under the strain of age and illness as he prepares for his two-hundred-twenty-seventh performance of King Lear. Sir's fastidious and fiercely dedicated dresser, Norman (Tom Courtenay), submits to Sir's frequendy unreasonable demands, tends to his health, and reminds him of what role he is currendy playing. The two men are essential to each others life.
- Actors:
- Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Edward Fox, Zena Walker, Eileen Atkins, Michael Gough, Cathryn Harrison, Betty Marsden, Sheila Reid, Lockwood West, Donald Eccles, Llewellyn Rees, Guy Manning, Anne Blackman, Kevin Stoney, Ann Way, John Sharp, Kathy Staff, Roger Avon, Christopher Irvin
- Directors:
- Peter Yates
- Producers:
- Peter Yates
- Writers:
- Ronald Harwood
- Others:
- Alan Boyle
- Aka:
- Garderober
- Studio:
- Columbia Tristar
- Genres:
- Comedy, Drama, Lesbian & Gay
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Old Age on Screen: Part 2, Acting Up: British Actors at the Oscars, Award Winners, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2024, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2025, People of the Pictures, Remembering Timothy West, A Brief History of Film...
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 21/07/2025
- Run Time:
- 119 minutes
- Languages:
- English Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Hitting It Off (2025, 8 mins): actor Tom Courtenay recalls playing the film's title role on the stage and for the big screen
- A Good Adventure (2017, 4 mins): archival interview with the actor Cathryn Harrison
- Behind the Curtain (2022, 14 mins): 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
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
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Reviews (1) of The Dresser
Oddly Compelling - The Dresser review by griggs
The Dresser is a bit of an odd one – very theatrical (obviously), but that's part of the charm. Finney's great as the cranky old actor coming apart at the seams, and Courtenay, as his long-suffering sidekick, quietly brings the heart. Some bits drag, and it leans into melodrama, but the stagey vibe keeps things oddly compelling. It's not without its flaws, but it will keep you captivated and absorbed.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.