“It means that a lot of people have gone along to see your film and have enjoyed your work. “The commercial success, that's also another reward,” said director Lewis Gilbert. Julie and Michael received Golden Globes for best actor and actress and Julie, Michael and Willy Russell also received Oscar nominations. The film was a box office hit and had great success, receiving the BAFTA award for best film, best actor and actress. When adapting the stage production for the big screen, there is always a conflict with the writer and the director on how much to expand the material without compromising the original piece.Īs they were working on the script and casting, Michael Caine was the first choice to play the alcoholic Dr Frank Bryant.
Educating rita official trailer tv#
He has featured in many stage plays over the years such as Caesar and Cleopatra (1956), Poirot (1993) and other TV cameos such as Holby City (2004) and Casualty (1999-200). Mark Kingston, who has died of cancer aged 77, was best known for his role as Frank in Educating Rita. The late Mark Kingston was the first to play Frank alongside Julie Walters in the original production. It's been such a happy film to make, with such a cheerful atmosphere on the set all the time." Mark Kingston "There's a lot of humour and hard truth in it. I've loved playing her," she told Film Review in January 1983. This was Julie Walters' first debut on screen, and she recognised that this was her big break and that Rita was a gift for any actress. Michael Caine admitted in his autobiography that, "Lewis (the director) and I were a little concerned at first, this being her first film and her with a theatrical background.” However, they concluded that “Our concern turned out to be groundless because Julie understood all this instinctively and mastered it so quickly." However, she ended up going on to play the character in the 1983 film, opposite Michael Caine as Frank. Many may know the Educating Rita cast from the BAFTA award-winning film with Michael Caine and Julie Walters.īut Julie was also the original Rita to play the role in the 1980 production at London’s Warehouse theatre and in the West End.Ĭoming from a theatre background there was some controversy for her to play the role in the film. Who was in the cast of the orignal play? Julie Walters The production ran in the West End for over two and a half years and ever since Educating Rita has always been in production somewhere in the world. It was then produced at the Liverpool Playhouse in February 1981 which was Willy Russell's first time working as a director. The play was first performed at the Warehouse in June 1980 and then transferred to the Piccadilly Theatre that September due to its success. It is a story of big ideas, about class, choice and discovering who we want to be. The reason Educating Rita is such a loved play and film is that it feels intimate, you really get to know the characters and really believe in their motivations and feelings. I wanted to write a play which would attract, and be as valid for, the Ritas in the audience as the Franks." Willy Russell "I wanted to make a play which engaged and was relevant to those who considered themselves uneducated, those whose daily language is not the language of the university or the theatre. Here is the trailer for Educating Rita (1983) Whereas Rita challenges the standards and attitudes of the university and starts to believe in herself.
Frank starts to question himself and tries to get out of his funk. Rita and Frank have a special connection and learn a lot from each other. However, her husband Denny and her family have limited hopes for her, coaxing her into having a baby and settling down for good. His new student, Rita, is a feisty down to earth hairdresser who wants to expand her horizons and get an education. The play turned film is a story about university lecturer Frank who agrees to tutor an Open University student. Here, we take a look at the original Educating Rita cast and the upcoming big 40 tour. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Educating Rita and the play is still going strong with Stephen Tomkinson and Jessica Johnson starring in the 2021 theatre production. The play, written by Willy Russel, was first performed in 1980 and since then has been performed in a dozen countries around the world. Educating Rita is a simple story of a teacher and student that captured the hearts of so many people.
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