The Dressmaker

From the opening images of a sewing treadle in motion, and then street scenes in Liverpool 1944, I was hooked. The Dressmaker is an independent drama film, 90 minutes long, released in 1988.

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Liverpool 1944

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Then a fleet of US Army trucks came through. Scores of Yanks in uniform came pouring out into the streets, and the story was on.

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There’s no official trailer that I can find, so here are some screenshots from the movie.

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The colors in the movie are vibrant, which pleasantly offsets the reminders of life in wartime Liverpool, such as grocery store lines, crowded homes and blackout curtains. I love all of the colorful calico dresses and the household textiles, along with all of the 1940s fixtures, settings and scenes.

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The story line of an orphan teenage girl living with her two very different aunts, and dating a Yank soldier, was intriguing. But even if the story wasn’t my kind of thing, I still would have watched with no sound, just to see the scenes and clothing.

The movie is based on the book ‘The Dressmaker“, by Dame Beryl Bainbridge, a writer who was born and raised in and around Liverpool.

As the credits rolled, a surprise appeared. The delightful Freda Kelly, former longtime secretary to The Beatles, had a role in the movie, as part of ‘Couple in Doorway’. So of course, I had to rewind to find a couple in a doorway. No luck. I’ll have to watch the movie again more closely, if I’m going to spot her.

Credits pointing to Freda Kelly