Butley

Customer Reviews:

Butley.......2007-07-03

Want to see what really great acting looks like? Here's your film. Gray's biting play is elevated by Bates's astonishing, virtually one-man show. Secondary characters are strong, but serve mainly as figures for Butley to lacerate. Butley's disillusionment isn't all that unusual; it's his unparalleled ability to channel it that amazes: as he sinks further into isolation, he singes as many people as possible. The paradox is, it's fun watching him self-immolate, since he is so damned clever.

Alan Bates could do no wrong.......2007-02-05

If you are a theatre buff and want to see an award-winning performance captured on film, I highly recommend this Harold Pinter-directed version of Simon Gray's play. In additiona to Alan Bates's magnificent yet subtle performance, there is a gem of a peformance by Jessica Tandy as well. The picture quality isn't crisp, and the production values look low-budget, but this is all about the words and the acting.

Just the Best.......2006-10-03

This is my favorite film, and it has been ever since I first saw it in 1974. Alan Bates became my favorite actor, and never disappointed me. The subtleties and nuances of his performance and of the play itself can't be appreciated upon one viewing. (My cousin saw the film with me in 1974 and hated it, so it's not for everyone.) Please, for anyone who plans to see Nathan Lane in the new Broadway production (I saw it in Boston), please, watch this DVD afterward. You'll see the difference between Lane's superficial outline of a character and Bates' deeply textured performance.

Drab.......2006-01-25

Alleged comedy that isn't funny; purported wit that isn't witty. In addition, British accents make the dialogue difficult to understand. If there were anything good to say about this film, I would say it.

An Exercise in Wit.......2005-12-04

Although his sexuality is not the main focus of the story, the character of Butley is unabashedly homosexual, and since this is primarily a humorous piece, I classify this movie as a gay comedy. But unlike 95% of other so-called gay comedies, this picture has class, bite, first-rate acting and a brilliant script. I was fortunate enough to see the late Alan Bates do the play on Broadway in 1973. The story is transferred to film exactly as it was done on stage, and benefits from the directorial debut of legendary playwright Harold Pinter. The script may be slightly dated to some, especially considering that it was made over 30 years ago, but a good film is timeless and this is no exception. The film's main attribute is the extremely intelligent, fast-paced and witty script by Simon Gray. There are reasons why the original production won Tony awards for Best Play and Best Actor in 1973. This is one of those rare comedies whose wit makes you think and work as you view it, but the result of your efforts will be enormously satisfying. Alan Bates is Ben Butley, a 30-something professor of literature at a prestigious but small London University, and Mr. Butley is not having a good day. He has not only learned that his ex-wife is about to marry "the most boring man in London", his male live-in lover (with whom he also shares his office) is about to leave him for another fellow. Butley is rude. He is vicious. He is a drunk, a liar and an egomaniac, and he spends most of his day dodging tutorial appointments with his long-suffering students, who usually wind up fleeing his office in tears. He has made a shambles of his personal life and everyone associated with it, and his venom is at full strength on this particular day when he learns that a seemingly untalented colleague has been published ahead of him. Jessica Tandy appears in a brilliant but brief supporting role. To quote from the DVD case: "Bates and an excellent supporting cast...joust with a sly, self-referencing wit and an unselfconscious exuberance that is breathtaking. With every verbal parry and valedictory flourish of wordplay, Butley's life becomes more of an inescapable bear-trap of thwarted ambition, clandestine affection and squandered brilliance". This movie is for people who like their comedy barbed and intellectually stimulating. Simply put, if you liked the Lion In Winter, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, or the Killing of Sister George, this film is for you.

Average customer rating:

Butley
Alan Bates could do no wrong
Just the Best
Drab
An Exercise in Wit

Butley
Starring: Alan Bates , Jessica Tandy , Richard O'Callaghan , Susan Engel , and Michael Byrne
Director: Harold Pinter
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00023JH86

Customer Reviews:

Butley.......2007-07-03

Alan Bates could do no wrong.......2007-02-05

Just the Best.......2006-10-03

Drab.......2006-01-25

An Exercise in Wit.......2005-12-04

Butley [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]

Average customer rating:

Butley [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]
Director: Harold Pinter
Manufacturer: Umbrella Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000KKNOJY

Product Description

Australia released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SYNOPSIS: The American Film Theatre has made movies of a number of significant theatrical performances, including Laurence Olivier's Othello. Another of these filmed theatricals is Simon Gray's Butley, which was brought to the screen by playwright Harold Pinter, and which features an astonishing performance by Alan Bates. The story focuses on one very bad day in the life of Butley (Bates), a feisty, sharp-tongued, lazy and pathetic professor of English. His professional ascendancy is challenged by a slick, accomplished woman many years his junior; his ex-wife gives him conniptions when she announces her remarriage to someone he cannot bear; and his male lover of several years chooses this time to announce that he is leaving him for a sweeter-tempered but very ordinary man of the sort Butley despises. Bleak though this sounds, Butley's unconquerable wit and biting repartee transform this otherwise tragic tale into something of a celebration of survival. SPECIAL FEATURES: Trailer(s), Posters, Photo Gallery, Interactive Menu, Featurette, Cast/Crew Interview(s),

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