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Dresser (The) (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Powerhouse Films Review written by and copyright: (9th July 2025). |
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The Film
 Peter Yates (Summer Holiday, Murphy’s War) directs Albert Finney (Charlie Bubbles), Tom Courtenay (Otley), and Edward Fox (Force 10 from Navarone) in The Dresser, a heart-rending yet darkly humorous tale of life in the theatre. During the Second World War, a group of actors take Shakespeare across the industrial north, led by an ageing and imperious actor known only as ‘Sir’ (Finney), against a background of air-raid sirens and exploding bombs. With his mental and physical condition deteriorating, selfless dresser Norman (Courtenay) struggles to ensure that the show – Sir’s 227th performance as King Lear – goes on. Based on the experiences of screenwriter Ronald Harwood (The Pianist), assistant to legendary Shakespearean actor Sir Donald Wolfit (90° in the Shade), The Dresser is a moving exploration of loyalty and unrequited love.
Video
The superb, highly regarded 1983 film of Ronald Harwood's play gets the limited edition treatment from Powerhouse Films in the UK. From the booklet: The Dresser was sourced from Sony’s HD remaster. The film’s original stereo [EDIT: actually mono] soundtrack was remastered at the same time.This is a gorgeously brown, warm looking film shot with spherical lens and soft matte from projection in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Colour values are rich favouring warm colours, primarily flesh tones, browns and velvety reds. The film has its fair amount of stygian darkness, with satisfyingly deep black levels, in the nooks and crannies of the theatres the production coopted for locations. Shadow detail is excellent and contrast allows detail to shine in textures, fabrics, skin etc. The whole thing has been beautifully encoded and grain management is exceptional; its mostly very fine and always filmic. This is a textured presentation. As good a visual presentation as we're likely to get shy of 4K and UHD BD with it's added resolution and HDR ('A+'). 1080p24 / AVC MPEG-4 / BD50 / 1.85:1 / 118:23
Audio
English LPCM 1.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) Subtitles: English HoH A solid, crisp, clear mono track with excellent dialogue reproduction. James Horner's atypically low key score is well served in the mix; dynamic range is limited but this film is all about the dialogue which takes first chair. The hard of hearing subtitles are excellent and comprehensive as per usual ('B+').
Extras
"Behind the Curtain: Memories from the Technical Crew of The Dresser" 2025 interviews with camera operator Dewi Humphreys, dubbing mixer John Hayward, director of photography Kelvin Pike, property masters Jill Quertier and John Chisholm (13:57) "Hitting it Off: Tom Courtney on The Dresser" 2025 interview (7:32) "A Good Adventure: Cathryn Harrison on The Dresser" 2025 featurette using a 2017 interview (3:44) Three new pieces: The first two are with actors Courtney and Harrison, the latter has sadly died since and her featurette uses a vintage interview. The third is a behind the scenes piece and all five interviewed had positive experiences working on the film; it seems to have been a happy experience for all (see also Courtney and Harrison below). Courtney tells how his friend Michael Elliot sent him the Ronald Harwood play which he appeared in. The production started with Leo McKern but he fell ill and Freddie Jones took over for the rest of the theatrical run. He then got the film version due to director Peter Yates, where he became friends with Albert Finney, having Known him for years but not being close mates. He says it was the first film he did for about a decade. Both he and Finney won awards for their roles in the film. He also talks about his speech at the death of Finney's character in the film. Harrison briefly recounts her memories of working on the production, working with Courtney, Finney and Atkins, uncomfortable tights she had to wear, location shooting in Bradford and that it was a pleasant shoot and lots of fun. All three are presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (48kHz, 192Kbps). Theatrical Trailer (2:40) Vintage promo presented in 1080p24 1.37:1 open matte with uncompressed English LPCM 1.0 sound (48kHz, 24-bit) The Dresser Image Gallery: Original Promotional Material (55 images) The usual comprehensive still gallery in HD with a range of promotional images. 32-page liner notes booklet with 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 A nice essay by Wakefield who gives a potted history of the production but first covers other related topics: The Alhambra theatre Bradford, working in rep during the war years (the film is set in 1942), the importance of Shakespeare to rep companies and the actor manager tradition depicted in the film. We have some interesting interview excerpts and then the critical responses which reflect my memory of this film on release as one highly regarded.
Packaging
Not sent for review.
Overall
I remember The Dresser as being considered one of the films of the year by many critics, with four Academy Awards and six BAFTA nominations; Finney and Courtney won some awards for their performances - Berlin Film International Festival and Golden Globe respectively. It looks and sounds as good as can be based on an excellent Sony master and the extras are solid and engrossing ('A-').
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