a tough sell represent british playwright ronald harwood adapt his autobiographical stage drama into loud and bellowing film about wwii shakespearean theatrical troupe saddle with an age and blustery and brilliant but unreliable star at the end of his tether . the actor effete assistant work diligently to get his master coiffed and costume for a production of king lear ( during an air raid . ) and yet both men be lose their grip on their unraveling situation . base on the waning year of actor donald wolfit and whose dresser be ronald harwood and this acclaimed production would seem to be a welcome haven for scenery chewing thespian . unfortunately and albert finney ( at this point in his career and not at all elderly ) seem too robust and quick thinking to play the actor while finney ( and oscar nominated director peter yates ) can not modulate sir mood and bout of coherency in a way that make sense to u and so that in one scene he stop a train with the command echo of his voice and and in the next he curiously fall apart . with such a wreck of a human be in the midst of fail health and aptitude and one would assume a dedicated assistant would go to great length to protect his bos ( and his future ) and yet servant tom courtenay prod and badger and goad finney to carry on rather than rest . courtenay and who play this part on stage ( and be nominate for an oscar alongside finney for best actor ) and be far more attuned to his role and and eventually his bleating command and confusion achieve the only real feeling in the film . these two and thankfully and do not peck at each other head and and scenarist harwood be careful not to fall into a love hate pattern ( which could possibly be perceive in the film first act ) while but and without a juxtaposition of servant vs. celebrity and there nothing much to behold in this portrait except for the deterioration of narcissism and the hint at what once be . half from .