''Dance with a Stranger'' is a 1985 British film directed by Mike Newell. Telling the story of

Ruth Ellis Ruth Ellis (; 9 October 1926 – 13 July 1955) was a Welsh-born nightclub hostess and convicted murderer who became the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom following the fatal shooting of her lover, David Blakely. In her teens, ...

, the last woman to be hanged in Britain (1955), the film won critical acclaim, and aided the careers of two of its leading actors,

Miranda Richardson Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress who has worked in film, television and theatre. After graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Richardson began her career in 1979 and made her West End theatre, West ...

and

Rupert Everett Rupert James Hector Everett (; born 29 May 1959) is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981 when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film '' Another Country'' (1984) as a gay pupil at an English public scho ...

. The screenplay was by Shelagh Delaney, author of '' A Taste of Honey'', and was her third major screenplay. The story of Ellis has resonance in Britain because it provided part of the background to the extended national debates that led to the progressive abolition of capital punishment from 1965. The theme song, a cover version of

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...

's 1951 track "Would You Dance with a Stranger?", was performed by

Mari Wilson Mari Macmillan Ramsay Wilson (born 29 September 1954, Neasden, London) is a British pop and jazz singer. She is best known for her 1982 UK top-10 hit single " Just What I Always Wanted". She had a further UK top-40 hit in 1983 with a cover of ...

and released as a single.

Plot

A former nude model and prostitute, Ruth is manageress of a drinking club in London that has racing drivers as its main clients. Ruth lives in a flat above the bar with her illegitimate son Andy. Another child is in the custody of her estranged husband's family. In the club, she meets David, an immature, young man from a well-off family who wants to succeed in motor racing but suffers from lack of money and overuse of alcohol. Ruth falls for his looks and charm, but it is a doomed relationship. Without a job, he cannot afford to marry her, and his family would never accept her. When he makes a drunken scene in the club, she is discharged from her job, which means that she is made homeless. Desmond, a wealthy admirer, secures a flat for her and her son, but she still sees David. When she tells him she is pregnant, he does nothing about it, and she miscarries. Distraught, she goes to a house in Hampstead where she believes David is at a party. He comes out and goes with a girl to a pub. Ruth waits outside the pub, and when he emerges, she shoots him dead with four shots. She is arrested, tried and hanged.

Cast

as David Blakely *

Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020) was an English actor. After graduating from RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) and beginning his career on the British stage as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he became a ...

as Desmond Cussen *

Stratford Johns Alan Edgar Stratford Johnson (22 September 1925 – 29 January 2002), known as Stratford Johns, was a British stage, film and television actor known for playing the role of senior CID officer Charlie Barlow, a character he originated in the lo ...

as Morrie Conley *

Joanne Whalley Joanne Whalley (born 25 August 1961) is an English film and television actress. She was credited as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer from 1988 to 1996 during her marriage to Val Kilmer. Whalley came to fame through television with appearances in drama se ...

as Christine * Tom Chadbon as Anthony Findlater * Jane Bertish as Carole Findlater * David Troughton as Cliff Davis *

Tracy Louise Ward Tracy Louise Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort (née Ward; born 22 December 1958) is a British duchess, environmental activist, and former actress. She is usually known as Tracy Worcester, the married Style (form of address), style that she often ...

as Girl with Blakeley * Matthew Carroll as Andy *

Lesley Manville Lesley Ann Manville (born 12 March 1956) is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including two Laurence Olivier Awards and nominations for an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, four British Academy Television ...

as Maryanne * David Beale as Man in Little Club * Charon Bourke as Ballroom Singer

Reception

The film made a comfortable profit. Goldcrest Films invested £253,000 in the film and received £361,000, making them a profit of £108,000.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91%, based on reviews from 11 critics.

Accolades

Mike Newell won Award of the Youth at the

1985 Cannes Film Festival The 38th Cannes Film Festival took place from 8 to 20 May 1985. Czechoslovakian filmmaker Miloš Forman served as jury president for the main competition. Yugoslavian filmmaker Emir Kusturica won the ''Palme d'Or'', the festival's top prize, for t ...

for ''Dance with a Stranger''. Miranda Richardson won Best Actress at the

Evening Standard British Film Awards The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by London's '' Evening Standard'' newspaper. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent", judged by a panel of "top UK critics". Each ceremony ...

, and Ian Holm won Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 1985 for this and other performances.

References

External links

* * 1985 films 1985 drama films British prison drama films Biographical films about criminals Films about capital punishment Women in prison films Films directed by Mike Newell Films set in the 1950s Cultural depictions of Ruth Ellis 1980s English-language films 1980s prison drama films 1980s British films Films scored by Richard Hartley (composer) English-language crime films {{1980s-UK-film-stub