Separate Tables is the collective name of two one-act plays written by Sir Terence Rattigan, both taking place in the Beauregard Private Hotel, Bournemouth.-wiki
okay, that's out of the way. the other night i finally (after years of wishing) saw julie christie and alan bates in the 1983 film version of the play, directed by john schlesinger. i love john, julie, and alan so i was very excited. when it was over i realized that alan bates was just incapable of being less than great.
the 1958 film starred wendy hiller (she won an oscar for this role), burt lancaster, deborah kerr, and david niven. even if it is less true to the play, it is perfection. they blessedly didn't separate the two acts, creating a lovely piece woven together by fantastic characters. more good news: the julie version is near impossible to find and the wendy version is available.
i have watched the 1958 film so many times and every viewing is deeply satisfying. in the latter version claire bloom plays wendy's role. all i can say is i send carey mulligan tons of wishes for when she takes on the role of 'eliza doolittle' in the upcoming 'my fair lady.' hiller OWNED it in the original screen version called 'pygmalion.'
photos: alan bates/david and wendy/david and deborah
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