- Actors: Miranda Richardson, Rupert Everett, Ian Holm, Stratford Johns, Joanne Whalley
- Directors: Mike Newell
- Writers: Shelagh Delaney
- Producers: Paul Cowan, Roger Randall-Cutler
- Format: PAL
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 15
- Studio: Universal
- DVD Release Date: 30 April 2001
- Run Time: 102 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00005ABUO
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 42,910 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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DVD Description
DVD Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Still Gallery
Ruth Ellis Story
Subtitles: English for the deaf and hard of hearing
From the Back Cover
Dance With A Stranger is a moving insight into a tragic "Crime of Passion" that changed the conscience of a nation. It is the story of one woman and two lovers- each driven by the all-powerful forces of sexuality.
Ruth Ellis (Miranda Richardson), a glamorous nightclub hostess and mother of two children, embarks on a tempestuous affair with handsome racing driver David Blakely, played by Rupert Everett.
A series of tragic consequences culminate in the execution of Ellis in 1955 - an execution that led to a tidal wave of emotion and the abolition of capital punishment. This is a film that does more than chronicle a series of events; it captures perfectly the mood of a post-war nation.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This Film 4 production has been shown on the television a fair few times but I thought I'd watch it on DVD to get a different perspective. The story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman in Britain to be executed is powerfully played by the talented Miranda Richardson and the playboy racing driver David Blakeney is nicely portrayed by Rupert Everett. The production really evokes the post-war years and the early 50s and the foggy sets add to the period detail.
Personally I found it hard to understand why Ruth put up with David for so long but it was clear that the relationship was one of those passonate distructive ones. Her faithful suitor, played by Ian Holm adds good support and it's a shame that she didn't settle for him as he would have been able to give Ruth the secure home life she so desparately needed, should she have decided to choose her head over her heart.
There are a couple of cameos from the likes of Joanne Whalley and Lesley Manville which are worth looking out for if you're a fan of Film 4 productions.
Personally I found it hard to understand why Ruth put up with David for so long but it was clear that the relationship was one of those passonate distructive ones. Her faithful suitor, played by Ian Holm adds good support and it's a shame that she didn't settle for him as he would have been able to give Ruth the secure home life she so desparately needed, should she have decided to choose her head over her heart.
There are a couple of cameos from the likes of Joanne Whalley and Lesley Manville which are worth looking out for if you're a fan of Film 4 productions.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
'Dance With A Stranger' is based on the true story of the last woman to be hanged in Britain. Mirander Richardson plays Ruth Ellis in this 'fairly' accurate story of the real-life drama.
Whilst not a huge fan of true stories being brought to the silver screen, this is interesting - if only for putting across very well how this woman should not have been executed. Whatever her morals and personality (whether you like or dislike her) it is blatantly clear that the only way to be rid of this troublesome young man (David Blakeley) was to kill him (from her perspective that is) If what we see we are to believe, this woman was 'plagued' by her one-time lover long after she'd tired of the affair and had told him as best she could (Blakeley being played by a young and handsome Rupert Everett) and therefore these should have been 'mitigating' circumstances to say the least. Of course it should not be forgotten that she did in fact take a life, and so there are arguments for both sides...
As with 'Ten Rillington Place'; this also will ignite passionate feelings - either for or against Capital Punishment. I hope the latter woud still prevail.
Ian Holm also stars.
Whilst not a huge fan of true stories being brought to the silver screen, this is interesting - if only for putting across very well how this woman should not have been executed. Whatever her morals and personality (whether you like or dislike her) it is blatantly clear that the only way to be rid of this troublesome young man (David Blakeley) was to kill him (from her perspective that is) If what we see we are to believe, this woman was 'plagued' by her one-time lover long after she'd tired of the affair and had told him as best she could (Blakeley being played by a young and handsome Rupert Everett) and therefore these should have been 'mitigating' circumstances to say the least. Of course it should not be forgotten that she did in fact take a life, and so there are arguments for both sides...
As with 'Ten Rillington Place'; this also will ignite passionate feelings - either for or against Capital Punishment. I hope the latter woud still prevail.
Ian Holm also stars.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Ruth Ellis (Miranda Richardson) was a night club hostess in one of London's private clubs. It was a Spring evening in 1954 when David Blakely (Rupert Everett) walked in with some friends. Little more than a year later, Ruth Ellis was hanged for the murder of Blakely. The movie tells the compelling, tawdry, almost inevitable story of what happened.
Ellis was divorced and living with her young son above the club she helped manage. She bleached her hair, knew how to keep men laughing and buying, and was definitely not part of the upper class system. Blakely was a race car driver, wealthy, young, selfish, had the right friends, and had never had to face any real responsibility in his life. With some mixture of lust and need, the two of them instantly became entangled in each others' lives. "Where do you live?" he asks her. "Over the shop," she says. "Can I take you home tonight?" "Yes." Their affair follows a pattern. First lust, then tears, abuse, his forgetting her for a while, her desperation, and lust again. She has one friend, Desmond Cussen (Ian Holm). Cussen loves her but is the type of man who can't quite get up the nerve to kiss her, much less invite her to bed. He trails after her and tries to pick up the pieces. Cussen knows the kind of man Blakely is. "Why can't you leave him alone," he once shouts at Ellis. "He's so involved with himself he can't think of anything else." The results are predictable. Ellis slides further into misery and fixation the more Blakely takes her for granted and forgets about her at times. One night she takes a pistol, follows him to a pub, and when he leaves she carefully puts two bullets in his chest.
The trial was a great event in Britain. It had everything: sex, the class system, a tawdry affair. The legal system couldn't deal with her fast enough. The trial started June 20, 1955. She was hanged July 13. Ruth Ellis was the last woman hanged by the British.
The movie is excellent and the performances are extraordinary. Rupert Everett was 26 when he made the film. He's perfect as the product of a privileged system, so selfish as to be cowardly, so self involved that he misses entirely what he is doing to Ellis, or even care if he did realize. Miranda Richardson at 27 carries the movie. Her performance made her a star. I can't describe what she does except that every word she says and every step she takes just rings true. She is utterly mesmerizing.
This is, in my view, one of the movies that can probably be called great. You'll be thinking about it for some time. The DVD picture looks fine. The only extra is an alternate ending, which is disposable.
Ellis was divorced and living with her young son above the club she helped manage. She bleached her hair, knew how to keep men laughing and buying, and was definitely not part of the upper class system. Blakely was a race car driver, wealthy, young, selfish, had the right friends, and had never had to face any real responsibility in his life. With some mixture of lust and need, the two of them instantly became entangled in each others' lives. "Where do you live?" he asks her. "Over the shop," she says. "Can I take you home tonight?" "Yes." Their affair follows a pattern. First lust, then tears, abuse, his forgetting her for a while, her desperation, and lust again. She has one friend, Desmond Cussen (Ian Holm). Cussen loves her but is the type of man who can't quite get up the nerve to kiss her, much less invite her to bed. He trails after her and tries to pick up the pieces. Cussen knows the kind of man Blakely is. "Why can't you leave him alone," he once shouts at Ellis. "He's so involved with himself he can't think of anything else." The results are predictable. Ellis slides further into misery and fixation the more Blakely takes her for granted and forgets about her at times. One night she takes a pistol, follows him to a pub, and when he leaves she carefully puts two bullets in his chest.
The trial was a great event in Britain. It had everything: sex, the class system, a tawdry affair. The legal system couldn't deal with her fast enough. The trial started June 20, 1955. She was hanged July 13. Ruth Ellis was the last woman hanged by the British.
The movie is excellent and the performances are extraordinary. Rupert Everett was 26 when he made the film. He's perfect as the product of a privileged system, so selfish as to be cowardly, so self involved that he misses entirely what he is doing to Ellis, or even care if he did realize. Miranda Richardson at 27 carries the movie. Her performance made her a star. I can't describe what she does except that every word she says and every step she takes just rings true. She is utterly mesmerizing.
This is, in my view, one of the movies that can probably be called great. You'll be thinking about it for some time. The DVD picture looks fine. The only extra is an alternate ending, which is disposable.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Unforgettable film
Miranda Richardson is a beautiful actress offering a great performance. Besides the film is a historical landmark since it marks the end of death penalty in U.K.
Published 11 months ago by Mr. T. Molnard
normal life
From the other reviews I gain the impression that none of them seem to remember the Ruth Ellis case. whereas I do. Read more
Published 13 months ago by James Wells
sad
Great, but so sad, when you remember that she would have only served about 6yrs today.
Thought provoking !
Thought provoking !
Published 14 months ago by shells
Disappointing
I mistakenly thought that this film would cover Ellis's trial. It is not at all about the trial, so if that is what you are interested in, then this film is not for you.
Published 14 months ago by Sandai
Very Interesting.
It was a very moving film in many ways. Because it is about the last woman to be hung in Britain, it is also quite interesting. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Jet
Sad and True
I have given this five stars because it seems well-acted and historically accurate; it's also a story that needs to be known. That said, it's not an uplifting tale. Read more
Published on 12 May 2010 by Nutty Nige
Bleak 1950s England
This was one of the first films featuring explicit sex I saw as a schoolboy. Ever since, I've found Miranda Richardson's portrayal of the lubricious Ruth Ellis rather haunting. Read more
Published on 23 April 2010 by William Cohen
Dance with a stranger
Very interesting I never knew the reason why Ruth Ellis was hanged it give a very good insight into how in fact she was mentally disturbed.
Published on 9 April 2010 by Mrs. K. Hoxworth
Stranger than fiction
I like it as much now as when it first came out. A really beautifully directed and nuanced piece that deals with the true story of the last woman to be executed in Britain, with... Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2009 by Fanshawe61
tragic story
I really enjoyed this film, even though it was a little disturbing and tragic, must see if you like the 50's and are interested in ruth ellis as I am.
Published on 7 Nov 2009 by fairypud
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