Educating Rita

"Sometimes students end up being the best teachers."

1983 1h 46m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🍅

81%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 215🍅81%Rotten Tomatoes●54Metacritic★7.2IMDB · 15,208

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Rita, a witty 26-year-old hairdresser, wants to 'discover' herself, so she joins the Open University where she meets the disillusioned professor of literature, Dr. Frank Bryant. His marriage has failed, his new girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend and he can't get through the day without downing a bottle or two of whisky. What Frank needs is a challenge... and along comes Rita.

“Sometimes students end up being the best teachers.”

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Cast

Michael Caine
Dr. Frank Bryant
Julie Walters
Rita Susan White
Michael Williams
Brian
Maureen Lipman
Trish
Jeananne Crowley
Julia
Malcolm Douglas
Denny
Godfrey Quigley
Rita's Father
Dearbhla Molloy
Elaine

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lewis Gilbert
Writers: Willy Russell
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lewis Gilbert, shot by Frank Watts. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Garth Craven shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Michael Caine and Julie Walters and Michael Williams carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Sometimes students end up being the best teachers.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0085478 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lewis Gilbert directs. Frank Watts behind the camera. Garth Craven cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

143 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Lewis Gilbert, shot by Frank Watts. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Editor Garth Craven shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Michael Caine and Julie Walters and Michael Williams carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "Sometimes students end up being the best teachers.".
6IMDB entry: tt0085478 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Frank Watts
Editing: Garth Craven
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Educating Rita (1983)
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 54/100
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 15,208 votes
MPAA: PG
US box office: $14,648,076

Awards

Nominated for 3 Oscars. 6 wins & 8 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Lewis Gilbert

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Selected frames

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-08
★ 7/10
As with "Blood Brothers", Willy Russell has created another wonderfully evocative scenario for a bored, alcoholic "Professor Bryant" (Michael Caine) who finds himself tutoring aspiring working-class "Rita" (Julie Walters). She is the product of a state education system that has given her the rudiments but she needs more; she wants to be able to make her own choices - and they don't necessarily include settling down with her husband and having babies. Initially she is as daunted as she is inspired by the more intellectual environment he, and his students, inhabit but gradually their personalities entwine as it becomes clear that "Bryant" has plenty of demons in his own life - exemplified well by girlfriend "Julia" and her clumsily disguised affair with fellow lecturer Michael Williams' "Brian", as well as by his dependency on Scotch! On the face of it, the plot is really quite predictable, but that simplicity belies the real issues that many women faced when attempting to break free from their class-bound cycle of responsibilities of home and hearth, even in as late as the 1980s. The humour is frequent, dry and pithy with a fun, and quite telling contribution from Maureen Lipman as "Trish", the new flatmate who simply adores Mahler. The score could have been orchestrated a bit better - the synthesised sound is a bit amateur; and at times - like the original play - it drags a little, but that all serves to give us a little more of idea as to what makes both of them really tick - she is prepared to sacrifice much for her opportunity. Caine & Walters are superb, plausible and likeable in equal measure delivering a poignant story of salvation for both of them. It lost out to "Terms of Endearment" & "Tender Mercies" at the Oscars - which is a shame; it is much more memorable than either of those...

Production companies