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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
On July 13, 1955, Ruth Ellis became the last woman to be hanged in England. With a smart, tough little script by Shelagh Delaney, Mike Newell's noir-ish film is a dissection of the human frustration and complex class issues surrounding her crime. Miranda Richardson, looking like some delicious, chilled confection, plays Ellis, the hostess to a 'glorified brothel' who plans for a better life with her young son until she meets David Blakely (a young, gorgeous Rupert Everett), the wealthy ne'er-do-well whose fitful attentions chip away her armor. Their vicious attraction and its constant tug-of-war lose some dramatic pull as the story heads toward its inevitable climax, but Richardson's performance holds your attention. She plays the entire film in a kind of stunned ardor, a feisty little animal caught in the headlights of Everett's sullen magnetism. By the time she's plugging bullets into his body, she's already hit you a few time with her heated, fatal despair. --Steve Wiecking
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - In My Book, this Movie is very Over-rated
I watched "Dance with a Stranger" last night and I was bored. This was a movie that I watched hoping that each scene might be the final one. It was a rental so I figured I might as well watch it in case it suddenly morphed into something worthwhile; it didn't.
The problems with "Dance with a Stranger" are numerous but could have easily been corrected if the format had been changed. The promotional notes on the DVD case point out, in one sentence, that the main character (I can't ... Read More
Rating:  - Miranda Richardson is tremendous playing Ruth Ellis
I became interested in the history of capital punishment in Great Britain during 2007. In looking up this subject on the internet I discovered the case of Ruth Ellis, whose murder case, conviction, and execution remains controversial to this day. Miranda Richardson became a "star" from starring in Dance With A Stranger playing Ruth Ellis. I bought the film and have seen it several times and have become a Miranda Richardson fan. I am a citizen of "Mirandatia" as her fans are called on the net. ... Read More
Rating: - Dacne with a Stranger
Beautifully rendered, superbly acted film recreates events leading up to one of England's most famous crimes of passion. Newell painstakingly revives the look and feel of 1950's London, using this sordid affair to examine the ingrained class differences that doomed the couple from the start. Richardson, Everett, and Holm are marvels to watch, and the film's shattering climax is worth waiting for. Catch this chilling romantic thriller.
Rating: - great depiction of a real life tragedy
this film has stayed with me because of miranda richardson's showy performance as ruth ellis. she is a woman that is barely in control of her life, then relationships with the wrong men at the same time destroys her. the script by shelagh delaney works the facts into a tight dramatic collection of scenes and moments peppered through with taut dialogue. the stylings and visuals evoke an inky, foggy london that was still struggling to get back on its feet after world war ii. and richardson is supported ... Read More
Rating: - A Disturbing Movie With Extraordinary Acting
Ruth Ellis (Miranda Richardson) was a night club hostess in one of London's private clubs. It was a Spring evening in 1954 when David Blakely (Rupert Everett) walked in with some friends. Little more than a year later, Ruth Ellis was hanged for the murder of Blakely. The movie tells the compelling, tawdry, almost inevitable story of what happened.
Ellis was divorced and living with her young son above the club she helped manage. She bleached her hair, knew how to keep men laughing and buying, ... Read More
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