Customer Reviews

Educating Rita

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am so pleased that Educating Rita is finally coming to DVD. I have tried to purchase it in the past with no luck and my VHS is broke.

If you are reading this review and want to know the synopsis, basically a young hairdresser wants to become more than she is. She feels that only through education will she have more choices open to her. She works privately with a tutor, Frank(Caine), who is an alcoholic. During the time they spend together, each looks at the other with 'the grass is greener' philosophy. Frank thinks that Rita is perfect the ways she is. Rita wants what Frank has. The trade off for each is what makes the film bitter sweet. You so want Rita to achieve her dream, but at a cost of who she is , is painful. What happens? You will have to watch. My tape broke about 3 years ago, so I am very much looking forward to this film.

If you enjoy British slice of life films, this is a must. IF you love Michael Caine or Julie Walters, this is a must. I recommend this very highly. It is an overlooked cinematic treasure.

"Educating Rita", directed by Lewis Gilbert, is an overlooked gem of a film. Based on a London stage play, "Educating Rita" (a copy of which is sold by Amazon.co.uk for those who are interested) is the story of a 27-year old middle class London hairdresser/housewife (Julie Walters, in a convincing, touching performance) who, before having children, would like very much to learn about herself. Much to the annoyance of her husband, she enrolls in an "open university" literature course to begin her journey (open university is the British term for college night courses). Assigned as her tutor is Frank (Michael Caine, in his deservedly award-winning role), an older literature professor who suffers from low self esteem and has his own relationship problems.

But no, this movie is not what you would "typically" expect that storyline to be like. The feel of the movie is very play like -- fans of Glengarry or Death of a Salesman or movies of such ilk would immediately identify.

Had this film been made in the glam throes of Hollywood, Rita and Frank would have hit the sack within two scenes of meeting each other (and it would have been graphic, of course), then realized they were in love, followed by the inevitable obstacle to their relationship (probably a misunderstanding or rival for affections), finally ending up with them overcoming all. Every character and plot point would have been telegraphed well in advance. "Educating Rita" does none of this. There are no graphic sex scenes (or any sex scenes for that matter), no grand pronouncements of love, no cliche cliffhangers or deaths in icy seas. Instead, the story portrays Rita and Frank in a very realistic, human manner. As the story unfolds, we watch as they grow as individuals which causes their friendship to become richer. There are turns to the plot which are unexpected. I will not divulge what the end result is, as it is very unconventional and is sure to bring a lump to the throat of any romantic.

Quite simply, "Educating Rita" is a very overlooked excellent character study framed by a wonderful story. One of my all time romantic favorites. Definitely your rental dollar well spent.

One of my all-time favourite films, "Educating Rita" is absolutely brilliant rich in truth, feeling, terrific acting and a wonderfully written script which well-draws the two protagonists together. Julie Walters is excellent as the jaunty yet unfulfilled Liverpudlian hairdresser who desperately yearns for an educated mind and the somewhat underrated actor Michael Caine also gives a good performance as her depressed English tutor who wollows in his own self-pity. In eachother, they find a new lease of life and stike a special friendship which eventually benefits the pair of them. And I simply loved the fact that the writer, Willy Russell, didn't take advantage of the fact that they were good friends of the opposite sex and make them a couple and the way in which we see Rita gradually develop and find herself. Terrific stuff.

This film is wonderfully enriching, energising and fresh.
It's hard to believe it is now 22 years old.
Caine is the perfection as the cynical and alcoholic Frank, a jaded University lecturer who's life is changed by the presence a gutsy, gritty and uneducated hairdresser, Rita (Walters)an enthusiastic Open University student who is a world away from the usual privelaged teenagers he teaches.
This was Walters first real outing as a Film actress and all the passion and commitment she brings to her roles are truly in evidence here. Rita's growth and self discovery through literature study enlivens the drunken Frank so much it is evident he has fallen in love with her, but Rita has other plans for herself and the couple spectularly fall out.
The end of the film concerns itself with the resolution of their freindship and both seeking out new lives. It's harsh and beautiful in equal measure and Walters and Caine set the screen alight with dynamic chemistry. A must see!

No one can play a world-weary, boozy burnout as well as Michael Caine. Well, maybe Michael Douglas (Wonder Boys) is sneaking up on him, but still. In Educating Rita, Caine has his hands full with Julie Walters, playing a Cockney hairdresser who is dead set on getting "an edjacation." She's a gum-chewing, short-skirted, sassy-mouthed trollop, and he's a...well, he's mostly out of his depth when in her presence.
It's a feel-good movie that lives up to its expectations and has managed to stand the test of time.

Educating Rita is truly a joy from start to finish. Willy Russell's fantastic adaptation of his own successful stage play is firmly complimented by the divine suitability of Michael Caine and the golden Julie Walters in the lead roles. Julie Walters plays a sassy, street-smart, working-class heroine who is desperate to better herself though has obstacles thrown in her path as her husband fails to share Walters gutsy enthusiasm in making a better life for herself. Michael Caine turns up in one of his greatest roles yet as the drunken teacher who quickly succumbs to Walters down-to-earth charms. There is great feeling between Caine and Walters and both seemingly play off each other. Walters gets to deliver the funniest lines with her sharp, witty outlook on life though is given ample opportunity to display her true powerful range of acting abilities as does Caine. Both put in concentrated performances and approach their roles perfectly. They are given noble support from some fine British actors/esses such as Michael Williams as Brian who is secretly having a sordid affair with Caines wife and Maureen Lipman as the loveably eccentric Trish who's performance is vastly effective. A superb and unique film that sticks closely to the play and never overplays its hand. A true British comedy-drama masterpiece.

Lewis Gilbert's 1983 masterpiece, a sensitive and emotionally-satisfying adaptation of Willy Russel's intelligent and insightful two-character play. Gilbert and Russel would team up again for the wonderful "Shirley Valentine," but their work in this film remains unparalleled. Michael Caine gives one of the most memorable performances in an illustrious career, disappearing into his Frank character, and Julie Walters is magnificent as Rita/Susan. The music by David Hentschel is perfectly appropriate, the cinematography by Frank Watts is inspired, the script is both touching and honest, but the magic of this film is in the interplay between the two main characters. This film captures the journey towards self-awareness embodied in education, as the Rita/Susan character develops from hairdresser to student, intellectual, dilitante, and finally into someone very different than at the start of the film yet still undeniably and uniquely "Rita." The greatest gift one person can give another is the love of learning, and thus I feel this is among the greatest love stories ever committed to celluloid. The ending might be "as inevitable as tragedy," in the words of Willy Russel, but the relationship between Frank and Rita made their emotional journey worthwhile, and we are all the richer for their trip.

I first saw this film one early fall morning after I had worked an all-nighter. I watched in deep somber as Micheal Caine formed a woman out of stone. This is a film closely related to the Pygmalion (sp?) story. I have learned that fact from a teacher at the college I now attend. I was once like Rita...common, confused, complacent in the ordinary ways of my limited existence, but my intelligence and desire to refine it slowly bubbled to the top. This movie is an inspiration to anyone who loves to learn, and to anyone who loves to live. And it's a beautiful depiction of the life we all find as we venture away from our common surroundings into a world filled with geniuses, charlatans, drunks, dreamers, and institutionalized philistines. I also love the way Dr. Bryant is influenced and inspired by his pupil, Rita....he moves past his mid life crisis with help from a person who is attempting to overcome the urge to have an early one. Rita's vibrant and positive attitude drives Dr. Bryant to explore his bottomless pit of despair and alcoholism deeper than ever before(he cannot handle the fact that life is leaving him behind). After he reaches the bottom, (and is looked down upon harshly by his colleages) he receives a new chance to start a bright life in Australia....he too eventually moves past the common complacency he had sunk into. This film is art!! Buy it!

Just had a chance to see this Micheal Caine film and Im waitinf for the DVD to be released. The movie was a pleasure and a great way to spend a quiet afternoon. Micheal Caine plays a drunken, 'who cares' professor at one of the old stuffy English universities, totally stuck in a rut ..... The university, in an attempt to meld with the 'commoners' of the community has opened up some slots for older students to receive tutoring and a 'higher' education ...


The professor is assigned a very very common hairdresser who has pre-conceived nothions as to how the upper class thinks and behaves. She is like a breath of fresh air and we see her change right before our eyes as she is introduced to the arts.


Caine of course is completely taken by her and feels hesitant to accept her as a student for fear of 'jading' what is obviously a very intelligent 'free thinking' person that he has always wanted to be ..


Great great film

Julie Walters and Michael Caine are brilliant in this timeless comedy. The plot avoids the all too easy romantic angle to show the empowering aspect of education in a woman's life. Referring to her future, Rita emphasizes her freedom from anyone else's ability to rule her life, whether husband or teacher, emphasizing, "I'll choose." I wish this was on DVD. The soundtrack by Tangerine Dream is the only thing that really dates it.

Because of this film, I'll never view Mrs. Weasley in Harry Potter the same again. Julie Walters is one of the great masters of character development.