DRESSER, THE (1983)

Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 1984 Golden Globes, this critically acclaimed drama was also nominated for five Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globes.

Adapted from the play by Ronald Harwood of the same name, The Dresser was directed by Peter Yates (Summer Holiday), and stars Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay. 

In a touring Shakespearean theatre group, a backstage hand – the dresser, is devoted to the brilliant but tyrannical head of the company. He struggles to support the deteriorating star as the company struggles to carry on during the London blitz.

“A wonderful collection of theatrical lore, detail, and superstition…  the best sort of drama, fascinating us on the surface with color and humor and esoteric detail, and then revealing the truth underneath.” – four out of four stars from Roger Ebert