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Educating Rita (1983)
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Overview
Release Date:
21 September 1983 (USA) moreTagline:
A comedy about a teacher and a very memorable student [Video Australia] morePlot:
A young wife decides to complete her education and take her exams. She meets a professor who teaches... more | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Cattrall Denied A Role In Play Over Age (From WENN. 11 June 2008, 5:15 AM, PDT)
Oscar Winners to Team Up in Brit Comedy Remake? (From WENN. 15 November 2002)
User Comments:
Moving but never sentimental moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Michael Caine | ... | Dr. Frank Bryant | |
| Julie Walters | ... | Rita, aka Susan | |
| Michael Williams | ... | Brian | |
| Maureen Lipman | ... | Trish | |
| Jeananne Crowley | ... | Julia | |
| Malcolm Douglas | ... | Denny | |
| Godfrey Quigley | ... | Rita's Father | |
| Dearbhla Molloy | ... | Elaine | |
| Patrick Daly | ... | Bursar (as Pat Daly) | |
| Kim Fortune | ... | Collins | |
| Philip Hurd-Wood | ... | Tiger (as Philip Hurdwood) | |
| Hilary Reynolds | ... | Lesley | |
| Jack Walsh | ... | Price | |
| Christopher Casson | ... | Professor | |
| Rosamund Burton | ... | Denise |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
110 minCountry:
UKLanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PGMOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
When Frank is drunk in the lecture hall, he says, "Not many people know that." This not only became a familiar catchphrase for Michael Caine but also the title of a best-selling collection of trivia anecdotes, which Caine compiled in book form for the National Playing Fields Association charity in 1984. moreGoofs:
Continuity: When Rita first enters her shared flat, a record is playing on the turntable. The needle is extremely close to the end of the record, yet the song continues playing in the background for at least another two minutes with no sign of stopping. moreQuotes:
[first lines][Frank walks on campus and addresses some students]
Dr. Frank Bryant: Good afternoon.
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'Educating Rita' is one of those films that, unfortunately, most people will never see. A lack of recognition in Britain is most likely to blame, along with the audacity to step outside the typical idea of British-films-made-for-the-US. If you do get the chance to see this film, I can wholeheartedly recommend it.
It's a film that will certainly pull at your heartstrings, but never actually gets soppy or acknowledges what the audience feels. The two leads, (played brilliantly by Michael Caine and Julie Walters) are both trapped within two very different worlds. Walters - as hairdresser/student Susan/Rita - is suffering a life of bland working-class domesticity in 1980s Liverpool, unwilling to have a child until she better understands herself. Caine - as university professor Frank - is disillusioned with the academic life, surrounded by pretentious students and constantly dependent on alcohol to see him through the day. This could so easily have been turned into a cheesy love-fest, in which both characters fall head over heels for each other and face their troubles neatly and quickly in order to dash off into a new life together. Thankfully, Willy Russell is made of stronger stuff and delivers a story that is witty, clever and poignant without ever going cold.