Michael Caine names “the last good picture” he made
British cinema changed for the better in the 1950s and 1960s, with an influx of working-class stories and characters appearing on screen and highlighting the diversity at the heart of the country. Michael Caine, with his Cockney twang and firmly working-class roots, emerged as one of Britain’s leading actors, never compromising his background to earn roles.
Caine often used his Cockney accent; while this doesn’t seem unusual now, back then, most leading actors used stereotypically ‘posh’ accents. Thus, Caine’s arrival on the scene signalled a new era for filmmaking, with realistic and often gritty stories becoming more and more common.
He appeared in Alfie in 1966, playing a womanizing man who soon finds himself in the deep end, which proved to be a breakout moment in his career. The film dissected complex themes such as abortion, illness, sexuality, and masculinity, exploring the changing face of Britain during the swinging 1960s.
During this decade, he also starred in acclaimed movies like The Ipcress File, The Italian Job, and Battle of Britain before continuing his successful tenure into the 1970s with titles like Get Carter and Sleuth. Often playing gangsters or tough guys, Caine cemented himself as a British icon. He soon made his way to Hollywood, performing in movies like Brain De Palma’s Dressed to Kill and Oliver Stone’s The Hand, although he never forgot his roots in British cinema, as demonstrated by his incredible turn in the 1983 kitchen sink drama Educating Rita.
The actor claimed in 2007 that the movie was (via Indie London) “the last good picture I made before I mentally retired.” This might come as a surprise to many fans, considering that he starred in many great movies after 1983, like Hannah and Her Sisters, Mona Lisa, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Cider House Rules, Children of Men, and The Prestige. He even won Oscars for his performances in Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules, yet he believes Educating Rita was better than everything that came after.
It’s not hard to see why Caine holds Educating Rita in such high regard, though. The film was directed by Lewis Gilbert, who previously worked with the actor on Alfie. Caine plays a disillusioned and alcoholic professor who teaches Julie Walters’ character, Rita, on an Open University course, which leads both individuals to be greatly changed by each other.
While the working-class Rita strives to find her way out of a dead-end job and get the education she was never able to have when she was younger, Caine’s Frank comes to realise how lucky he is and gains a lust for life through Rita’s enthusiasm.
Educating Rita is a charming film that explores the way that working-class people are often denied opportunities and find themselves stuck, with Rita doing all she can to – as she puts it –“sing a better song.” Caine’s performance as Frank is heartwarming and humorous, with his initial coldness eventually revealing a kindhearted man. While Caine lost out on winning an Oscar for his performance, he did win a Bafta, among other prestigious awards.
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