MovieChat Forums > Dance with a Stranger (1985) Discussion > Miranda Richardson at her best

Miranda Richardson at her best

posted 17 years ago by Flatbread
9 replies | jump to latest

I'm surprised there aren't more messages on this board. Dance with a Stranger is an excellent film. It's stylish, haunting and powerful, very well directed by Mike Newell. Rupert Everett and Ian Holm are both very strong here. But it is the always-excellent Miranda Richardson as Ruth Ellis who is the core of this film and the main reason for seeing it. Richardson's performance here is strikingly good even by her own usual high standards. She deserved more awards and nominations for it. Highly recommended.

[–] PenTheater 16 years ago

She was, just makes me want to meet someone like this even though it was all so tragic.

Sometimes I feel like my brain is just going to pop out of my head.

or something like that

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] agera 15 years ago

I haven't seen all of Miranda Richardson's films but so far, what I've seen is all her best work and her best is as good as it gets.

I consider her the world's greatest living film actress.

[–] onepotato2 15 years ago

Everett comes across as a very uninterested gay man. Richardson is just playing another evil unrelate-able bitch. DWaS moves at a snail's pace.

Of the handful of inter-related drams from Britain in the 80s this is the lamest/chilliest.

Scandal
Plenty
Wetherby
Comfort of Strangers
Dance with a Stranger

[–] TheRealBambi 15 years ago

Agreed. This is a brilliant film, beautifully crafted .... and Richardson did gave a top notch performance. Holm and Everett held up their roles very, very well.

I'm surprised I hadn't seen it before.

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[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

I saw this film when it was released in 1985. This was the first "art film" I attended, or at least it was billed as such. Miranda Richardson is amazingly confident in her debut performance. Ian Holm and Rupert Everett were outstanding as well.

I think the script could have used some tweaking, because at times this feels like a soap opera, and I'd love to see more about the aftermath of Miranda's character. But what an impressive debut!

[–] Flossieandflo 13 years ago

I agree she was excellent in this, but I have one small criticism - several times she does that high pitched hysterical squeal and it is exactly like the squeal she did later as Elizabeth I in Blackadder. It broke the spell a bit.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Merrida 8 years ago

OMG, yes!! That's so true! I didn't put that together at first, but totally YES! Good call....

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