When an on line celebration of Michael Caine films for his 85th birthday on March 14th, 2018 was put forth, it gave me the opportunity to go though my library of titles and watch one of his critically acclaimed roles that I had yet to see. His character here is that of an English Professor/Poet opposite Julie Walters and it scored him his third Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a career that has now spanned seven decades and counting. A special thanks to Reelweegiemidget Reviews for putting this Michael Caine fest together.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert, Caine stars as a failed poet who now passes his jaded wisdom along to students in a London university. Fittingly, he keeps a bottle of booze tucked behind a copy of The Lost Weekend on his bookshelf. A definite harbinger of things to come. Into his boring existence comes a spunky Julie Walters looking to find meaning in her life through an education. She’s in a dead end marriage working a job that offers her little in the way of self accomplishment. At 26 years of age, she’s looking for a tutor and she’s been assigned to Caine.
Michael takes an immediate liking to the younger woman who speaks her mind with more than a hint of slang in her vocabulary. No sooner is she in his office, and the two are smoking and sharing a drink. When he decides against taking her on as a student, she refuses the rejection with an, “I like yah.” and a smile. Caine’s her man. Looking at his unkempt hair and beard she calls him a geriatric hippie.
Walters isn’t the only one in a stormy relationship. Caine just doesn’t know it yet. His live in girlfriend is having an affair with one if his fellow professors. Walters begins to take up the classics of literature in her desire to appear more refined and well read. She’s low on self esteem and Caine begins to see the diamond in the rough that she really is as he attempts to coax her from her shell when around people other than himself. It’s a process that will encounter setbacks thanks to members of her own family. They’re not exactly forgiving and believe she’s wasting her time.
For his part, Caine hits the bottle a little too excessively at times resulting in drunken speeches to his students that get him in trouble with the higher ups in the faculty. He doesn’t seem to care all that much. He has a self destructive nature and his relationship with Walters is going to be one of wanting. He even references Mary Shelley and Frankenstein as a comparison. Yes Walters will outgrow Caine’s tutoring in this comedy that bends in the direction of drama before it’s all said and done.
By this time in his career, Caine was a well established leading man who for the most part heading in to 1983 had been cashing in on the disaster genre in misfires like The Swarm and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure with a Brian DePalma title mixed in for good measure. Playing opposite Walters in what almost amounts to a two character movie gave him his first Oscar nod since playing opposite Olivier in Sleuth. Another two character piece. Walters was nominated for her performance here as well. The pair would lose out to Robert Duvall in Tender Mercies and Shirley MacLaine for Terms of Endearment.
This was Walters first film having come from television and the original stage play of Educating Rita. Director Gilbert had previously worked with Caine on his Oscar nominated performance in Alfie which came on the heels of Zulu and The Ipcress File. A great one-two-three punch for Caine at the time. In Caine’s autobiography, The Elephant to Hollywood he says of Educating Rita…..
“To me, Educating Rita is the most perfect performance I could give of a character who was as far away from me as you could possibly get and of all the films I have ever been in, I think it may be the one I am most proud of.”
Strong words for a man who has a very large resume consisting of some very fine films and two Oscar winning roles that still lay in his future. Mr. Caine is no stranger to Mike’s Take so here’s a look back at the film’s he’s been in I’ve featured previously.
The Michael Caine Poster Gallery
Be sure to follow this lead through to fellow writers contributing their thoughts on the career of Michael Caine and the many films he’s chosen to appear in. The great ones (Sleuth), the good ones (Too Late The Hero) and the not so good ones……. (Jaws; The Revenge).
Mike's Take On the Movies 
I saw this way back when it came out and thought both Caine and Walters should have won those statuettes. It’s a great pair of performances. I’ll need to check this out again at some point, so I guess it’s time to poke around for a DVD.
I remember my Mom liked it but of course at that time I was all about action and horror. At the time I wanted Caine battling bees, severed hands and pirates I guess. I’ve stretched a bit. So finally caught up to it.
I love this film so much. Michael is excellent and delivers a terrific performance. I love how Frank and Rita help each other through some bad times and have some fun along the way too. I like how Frank gets sad as he sees Rita slipping away from him as she gets more educated and can find her own way without him.
Yes, I thought of other films you could compare it to and Born Yesterday was the first I thought of. She outgrows him and the age difference an obvious stumbling block to the relationship he yearns for. Good movie for both of them.
Good choice. I also see a bit of My Fair Lady in this film too.
Mike, you are a Michael Caine scholar, with so many essays of Caine’s great performances!
Enjoyed this take on the wonderful Educating Rita–have not seen it in 30 years and need to give it another look, thanks to you!
It was fun and after all these years I’m glad I FINALLY took the time to sit in on it. Thanks for stopping by.
Lovely review of one of my more treasured Michael Caine films – and lovely to read you have reviewed many more too like my post for the blogathon shows to – really interested in reading more to see your takes on these movies as we seem to have a few in common. Thanks for joining and it was great to have you onboard.
Success! Yes found this in the spam…. who knows? Anyway I’m glad you took the time to put this together. Cheers’
Just found your comment in spam too.
I have yet to see this film, and your review has prompted me to find it at the library. Interesting to learn Michael Caine is most proud of this role. Sounds like a wonderful film.
P.S. You say you found this in your collection and hadn’t seen it yet? What other treasures do you have, I wonder? I still think you have enough titles to give Netflix a run for their money.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one. I filtered my computer program and it turns out I have 83 films with Caine here in the library. Is Netflix currently showcasing 83 Caine titles?
Haha! I doubt it. I don’t think ANYONE has 83 Caine titles.