IRISH FILM INSTITUTE  PRESENT – Educating Rita

Author Louise Nealon introduces Educating Rita (1983), a film which chimes thematically with her tale of Debbie, a young country girl navigating the social quagmire of Trinity College Dublin. The film tells of Rita, a working class hairdresser who, like Debbie, has amassed a good deal of gritty life experience before signing up for a course in English literature in an elite historical institution.

Julie Walters, in her feature film debut, created a complex character – tough and vulnerable, lippy and lovable – while Michael Caine provided a witty, deadpan foil for her more colourful moments.  Their perfectly aligned performances earned each of them  Oscar nominations and BAFTA and Golden Globe wins.

Adapted by Willy Russell from his stage play, the film explores class and privilege and the inequities of the British education system and though set in an unnamed English university, the film was shot entirely in Dublin with most of the action taking place in the hallowed handsome halls of Trinity College Dublin (UCD, Stoneybatter, Maynooth and Ringsend also stand in for various UK locations).

Director: Lewis Gilbert   Year: 1983    Running time: 110 minutes 

Cast: Michael Caine, Julie Walters, Maureen Lipman, Michael Williams