Butley

"His wife just left him for another man. And so did his boyfriend."

Apr 1 1976 R 2h 9m
Drama, Romance

Butley is set in Queen Mary’s College, London and focuses on two English instructors, Ben Butley, a middle-aged former T. S. Eliot expert whose life is now in a shambles, and his protégé, Joey, a homosexual. With both Joey and his wife leaving, Butley faces a life alone, fighting back with wit, obscenity and booze.

Plot

A day in the life of Ben Butley. But definitely not a day to remember for this T.S. Eliot scholar at the University of London. Let's take for example Anne, his already estranged wife: today is the day she has chosen to tell him she is leaving him for good, and for a man Butley despises, and what about Joey Kingston, whose close friendship Ben is losing, maybe forever today? Decidedly, all the odds are against him. Will Butley, the bitter misanthropist, the unrepentant alcoholic, the teacher who bullies his students, his friends, and his colleagues, in other words, the self-destructive nihilist, survive this horrible day?

Written by

Simon Gray

Directed by

Harold Pinter

Production Countries

United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada

Production Companies

Cinévision Ltée, The American Film Theatre

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
926
Average Rating
6.7 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA