Educating Rita (film) Educating Rita (film) Educating Rita is a British 1983 drama/comedy film directed by Lewis Gilbert with a screenplay by Willy Russell based on his 1980 stage play. The film stars Michael Caine, Julie Walters, and Maureen Lipman. It won multiple major awards for best actor and best actress and was nominated for three Academy Awards. Caine and Walters both won BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for best actor and actress. The British Film Institute ranked "Educating Rita" the 84th greatest British film of the 20th century. A Liverpudlian working-class young hairdresser Rita (Julie Walters) wants to better herself by studying
Chico and Rita gig in Paris and a European tour. Rita becomes a big film star while Chico finds a new girlfriend in Paris. One morning, while playing "Rita" at the piano, the girlfriend's dog, Lily, comes in and sits by Chico. He decides to change the name of the song to "Lily". Back in New York, despite her wealth and success, Rita is still mistreated socially due to her skin color. While being driven to a set, the radio plays a new Jazz hit that she instantly recognizes as the piece Chico composed for her. She is moved to tears when she