Educating Rita

ed 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...