..a thoughtful thematic treatise on cultivation and learning and a charming character study of two lost souls from different worlds finding a common need in one another.
Frank, on the other hand, goes on drinking. Nor is he sure that helping Rita to read good books and write good essays and pass her exams and become more self-assured is such a good thing; he wonders if he isn't destroying her former honest, if naive, self. He thinks he may be creating a Frankenstein (which is perhaps why his name is "Frank"). Simultaneously, Frank discovers that the young woman he's living with, Julia (Jeananne Crowley), his teaching assistant, is carrying on an affair with his best friend, a fellow professor, Brian (Michael Williams), so Frank, too, must make a personal decision. It isn't long before Frank and Rita are caught up in their separate and their personal lives.
Basically, "Educating Rita" is a two-person show, and the movie betrays its stage origins in almost constant, yet clever, banter. However, the movie opens up the stage play with additional characters who don't always fully support the themes portrayed by the main couple. The movie might have been better off without the husband, the lover, the best friend, the parents, and Rita's new roommate, a cultured, bohemian type named Trish (Maureen Lipman): "Wouldn't you just die without Mahler?" If the movie had concentrated solely on the Rita-Frank relationship, it might have found a better focus; but, then, it might not have been half as much fun. Still, that's neither here nor there. It is what it is, and the assorted peripheral characters do no serious harm.
The movie starts out amiably and amusingly enough, turns serious in the middle, and ends as a poignant and touching drama. "All I want is what I'm finding inside me," says Rita; she wants "to sing a better song." By the conclusion, Frank needs her more than she needs him. Maybe the story is all a little too obvious and too pat, it's true, but the movie still works to delightful effect, both as a thoughtful thematic treatise on cultivation and learning and as a charming character study of two lost souls from different worlds finding a common need in one another.
Just don't expect a typical romantic ending. "Educating Rita" is a romance of a different sort, clearly the story of a love for knowledge and change rather than simply of a love between two people.
Video:
The video is fine but nothing to rave about. The movie's original 1.85:1 dimensions are rendered slightly less wide on DVD in an anamorphic ratio that fully accommodates a 16x9 widescreen television. Although the image quality is slightly soft, sometimes even a bit dull, with just a touch of fine grain, the detailing is quite good and black levels are consistently strong.
Audio:
The audio is reproduced via Dolby Digital 2.0 mono. At least, I assume it's mono. The keep case is mum on the subject, and in Dolby Pro Logic the sound comes out of only the center speaker. It doesn't matter. The movie is derived from a stage play, remember, meaning that it is almost entirely dialogue driven. Only the midrange matters, and it is clear and clean. Who cares if there is scant little bass or treble or dynamic range. It just doesn't matter (although it might have been nice to give David Hentschel's wholly supportive musical score a little breathing room).
Extras:
There's not much in the way of extras here. This is about as bare-bones a DVD release as we see these days. The only things of distinction are two theatrical trailers, both in fullscreen, for "The Remains of the Day" and "For Pete's Sake." Nothing for "Educating Rita." In addition, there are twenty-eight scene selections, but no chapter insert; English and French spoken languages; and English and French subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
When my wife and I first saw "Educating Rita" it was several years after its initial release, and it was paired up in a double bill with a far more popular film of the day, "The Big Chill." Today, I couldn't tell you a thing about "The Big Chill," but "Educating Rita" remains vividly in memory. It's a timeless story of finding oneself and becoming fulfilled as a human being.
Sure, the movie lays it on pretty thick and oversimplifies things; it's an entertainment, after all. Yet it manages to say more about pure education, self-improvement, self-discovery, and human relationships than a dozen such movies as "Dead Poets Society." Caine, Walters, and screenwriter Willy Russell were all nominated for Academy Awards.
Basically, "Educating Rita" is a two-person show, and the movie betrays its stage origins in almost constant, yet clever, banter. However, the movie opens up the stage play with additional characters who don't always fully support the themes portrayed by the main couple. The movie might have been better off without the husband, the lover, the best friend, the parents, and Rita's new roommate, a cultured, bohemian type named Trish (Maureen Lipman): "Wouldn't you just die without Mahler?" If the movie had concentrated solely on the Rita-Frank relationship, it might have found a better focus; but, then, it might not have been half as much fun. Still, that's neither here nor there. It is what it is, and the assorted peripheral characters do no serious harm.
The movie starts out amiably and amusingly enough, turns serious in the middle, and ends as a poignant and touching drama. "All I want is what I'm finding inside me," says Rita; she wants "to sing a better song." By the conclusion, Frank needs her more than she needs him. Maybe the story is all a little too obvious and too pat, it's true, but the movie still works to delightful effect, both as a thoughtful thematic treatise on cultivation and learning and as a charming character study of two lost souls from different worlds finding a common need in one another.
Just don't expect a typical romantic ending. "Educating Rita" is a romance of a different sort, clearly the story of a love for knowledge and change rather than simply of a love between two people.
Video:
The video is fine but nothing to rave about. The movie's original 1.85:1 dimensions are rendered slightly less wide on DVD in an anamorphic ratio that fully accommodates a 16x9 widescreen television. Although the image quality is slightly soft, sometimes even a bit dull, with just a touch of fine grain, the detailing is quite good and black levels are consistently strong.
Audio:
The audio is reproduced via Dolby Digital 2.0 mono. At least, I assume it's mono. The keep case is mum on the subject, and in Dolby Pro Logic the sound comes out of only the center speaker. It doesn't matter. The movie is derived from a stage play, remember, meaning that it is almost entirely dialogue driven. Only the midrange matters, and it is clear and clean. Who cares if there is scant little bass or treble or dynamic range. It just doesn't matter (although it might have been nice to give David Hentschel's wholly supportive musical score a little breathing room).
Extras:
There's not much in the way of extras here. This is about as bare-bones a DVD release as we see these days. The only things of distinction are two theatrical trailers, both in fullscreen, for "The Remains of the Day" and "For Pete's Sake." Nothing for "Educating Rita." In addition, there are twenty-eight scene selections, but no chapter insert; English and French spoken languages; and English and French subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
When my wife and I first saw "Educating Rita" it was several years after its initial release, and it was paired up in a double bill with a far more popular film of the day, "The Big Chill." Today, I couldn't tell you a thing about "The Big Chill," but "Educating Rita" remains vividly in memory. It's a timeless story of finding oneself and becoming fulfilled as a human being.
Sure, the movie lays it on pretty thick and oversimplifies things; it's an entertainment, after all. Yet it manages to say more about pure education, self-improvement, self-discovery, and human relationships than a dozen such movies as "Dead Poets Society." Caine, Walters, and screenwriter Willy Russell were all nominated for Academy Awards.
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.
[release]17457[/release]