Butley

Ben Butley is a middle aged teacher of English at a college in London. He was once an authority on T. S. Eliot; now his life is in pieces. The bond between him and Joey, his protégé in the same department, is also coming apart. When both Joey and his wife leave him, Butley faces a life alone. What he answers with is his wit, his foul mouth and drink. The film was adapted from a stage play and moves largely through talk. Joey being gay stands inside the account without being hidden. Alan Bates and Jessica Tandy appear in Harold Pinter’s hundred and twenty seven minute film, a joint Canadian, American and British production, completed in 1974.