Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Gordon-11 This film tells the story of a man who dresses actors for a play in a theatre back in the second world war. He tries his hardest to convince the ailing lead actor to continue playing King Lear, and witnesses powerful human interactions along the way.It's remarkable that I haven't heard of "The Dresser" before, given the fact that it has heavyweight actors Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins. The film is a single location film, featuring only indoors of a theatre. There are times I wish I could see the sunshine or some plants and nature, as the colour scheme is all brown and dark. The story itself is slow, but very dialogue heavy. There was a time when I thought the film was about to end, it turned out that I have only been watching for thirty minutes! The film felt long and slightly tedious, but the ending makes up for it. It is certainly a night to remember for the actors of the theatre.

d_anast The lead actors, great theatrical geniuses both, convey an absolute disinterest in their roles and only put forward what their particular personas can convey in this. Though the adaptation makes more sense than the original film, the actors are just walking through their parts to make a few bucks as compared to the care Finney and Courtenay put in their roles in the original. Of course, considering their talents I was impressed by their expected competence -- but watch the original to see better performances.

Prismark10 Ronald Harwood's stage play was adapted for film in 1983 and received multiple Oscar nominations and a fruity performance from Albert Finney.Harwood's play has now been adapted for television. Harwood wanted it to be a stage revival with Anthony Hopkins but he called time on his stage career several decades ago and so we get Hopkins for the television film.I remember soon after Laurence Olivier died, it was Hopkins who introduced a special tribute programme on the BBC. Then he was regarded as an actor who never quiet fulfilled his immense talent on the stage or screen. He had been Olivier's understudy at the National Theater. Wild living and booze got the better off him. Hopkins was not averse to do highly paid thrash like Hollywood Wives for American television. He would also do more credible British television films, usually for the BBC and every now and then wow the stage in plays such as David Hare's Pravda.Within a few years after that introduction of that tribute to Olivier, Hopkins entered his own golden era first by bagging a best actor Oscar for Silence of the Lambs. He would get three other Oscar nominations in the 1990s and got to work with directors such as Spielberg and Oliver Stone. He would be regarded as one of the best actors of his generation.In The Dresser Hopkins returns to BBC television after some years and teams up with Ian McKellen for the first time on-screen. McKellen is the loyal, camp, alcoholic dresser to Hopkin's Sir, the domineering actor-manager (based on Sir Donald Wolfit) touring up and down the various stages of Britain during World War 2.In his advancing years and in ill health, he is not up to playing the big roles, in this case King Lear. He needs all the help from his Dresser just to get on the stage and recite the opening lines.Hopkins lays bare an actor who once thrilled the crowd, womanised, was adored and is self absorbed. Emily Watson plays the much maligned wife who in many ways has had enough of him, always playing second fiddle to the detriment of her own career. Then again so has the waspish McKellen and we see in the end as his anger and vindictiveness bubbles through.Director Richard Eyre has deliberately not opened the play up too much. It is kept small and intimate. We get to see Hopkins deliver bits of King Lear as Sir gets to the stage and delivers one big final performance. Look out for Edward Fox playing an actor drafted in at the last moment to play the Fool who delivers a tender monologue when he drops by to pay his respects to Sir after the performance.

The Old Bag - It's funny how 32 years can fly past so quickly. It's one of those titles you'd have thought they'd never dare tackle, but sure enough they did. Thoughts before watching, they won't hold a candle to the mastery of Messers Courtenay and Finney. Was Hopkins right for Sir?Thoughts after watching, a successful outing for two acting greats that managed so amuse and sadden. McKellen expertly cast, Hopkins shone after twenty minutes or so. It generated a level of intimacy, similar to the feeling captured only live on stage.A nice touch having Edward Fox in the remake, he'd been marvelously cold as Oxenby back in '83. The part where he touchingly pleads for work was beautiful.