The Dressmaker
Encyclopedia
The Dressmaker is a novel written by Beryl Bainbridge
. In 1973, it was nominated for the Booker Prize. Like many of Bainbridge's earlier works, the novel is semi-autobiographical. In particular, the story draws from an affair that she had with a soldier as a teenager. The characters of Nellie and Margo were based upon two of her paternal aunts.
and concerns two middle aged sisters Marge and Nellie whose sister died in childbirth. They struggle to bring up their motherless 17-year-old niece Rita who has fallen in love with Ira an American GI but her love for him is not returned...
as Rita, Billie Whitelaw
as Marge and Joan Plowright
as Nellie. The screenwriter was John McGrath and Billie Whitelaw won the 1988 Evening Standard British Film Award for best actress for her role.
Beryl Bainbridge
Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge, DBE was an English author from Liverpool. She was primarily known for her psychological novels, often set amongst the English working classes. Bainbridge won the Whitbread Awards prize for best novel in 1977 and 1996; she was nominated five times for the Booker...
. In 1973, it was nominated for the Booker Prize. Like many of Bainbridge's earlier works, the novel is semi-autobiographical. In particular, the story draws from an affair that she had with a soldier as a teenager. The characters of Nellie and Margo were based upon two of her paternal aunts.
Plot
It is set in wartime LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and concerns two middle aged sisters Marge and Nellie whose sister died in childbirth. They struggle to bring up their motherless 17-year-old niece Rita who has fallen in love with Ira an American GI but her love for him is not returned...
Film adaptation
The novel was adapted for film in 1988 by starring Jane HorrocksJane Horrocks
Barbara Jane Horrocks is an English voice, stage, screen and television actress, voice artist, musician, and singer. She is best known for her role as "Bubble" in the TV series Absolutely Fabulous as well as her distinctive voice....
as Rita, Billie Whitelaw
Billie Whitelaw
Billie Honor Whitelaw, CBE is an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and is regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works...
as Marge and Joan Plowright
Joan Plowright
Joan Ann Plowright, Baroness Olivier, DBE , better known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English actress, whose career has spanned over sixty years. Throughout her career she has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award and has been nominated for an Academy Award, an Emmy, and two BAFTA Awards...
as Nellie. The screenwriter was John McGrath and Billie Whitelaw won the 1988 Evening Standard British Film Award for best actress for her role.