BUTLEY (1976)

Cast

Plot

Harold Pinter's debut as a film director sees Alan Bates reprise his role as Ben Butley, a university don, as he struggles to stay on top of his increasingly chaotic career. The film portrays Butley's anxieties as a teacher no longer convinced that his role in life is worthwhile, with his passion for the profession falling victim to cynicism and a moral malaise. The film's strength lies in its dialogue, with the vicious banter between warring academics showing their intelligence, and the frustrations they feel at languishing in a bubble where their knowledge and experience has little practical use. Add to this Butley's discomfort with his sexuality, and you have an excellent drama, laced with bitter humour, that explores the nature of life as an academic and the inevitable conflict that it has on the characters ability to relate to the ‘real world' of human relationships. Similar to ground later trodden in Curtis Hanson's ‘Wonder Boys'.