By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Charles Dance
Starring: Daniel Brühl | Judi Dench | Maggie Smith | Miriam Margoyles | Natascha McElhone
Country: united_kingdom
Year: 2005
Running time: 103
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377084/combined
Bruce says: “LADIES IN LAVENDER is the story of two elderly ladies living on the coast of Cornwall. Ursula (Judi Dench) is a spinster and Janet (Maggie Smith) is a widow. One day a body, barely alive, washes up on the shore of their property. The young man turns out to be Polish and has a rare talent for the violin. He comes into the dull routines of the two women, their formidable housekeeper (Miriam Margolyes), and the nearby villagers, making everyone feel a bit more alive. Unfortunately, the presence of the young man brings out an abundance of flaws among the people as well, the worst of which are jealousy and mistrust.
“The superstar of this vehicle is Judi Dench who delivers a gentle, moving portrayal of a woman grasping for one last chance after the possibility of a last chance has long passed her by. Daniel Brühl (GOOD BYE LENIN! and THE EDUKATORS) excels as well in spite of the fact he is stuck with the thankless, clichéd role of an Eastern European who doesn’t speak English. Blessed with innate charm and intelligence Brühl makes the best of his character’s worst written moments. Maggie Smith has her delicious moments but she is in serious danger of becoming a caricature of herself. She needs a different type of role at this point in her career, something which precludes ascetic tongue wagging. Miriam Margolyes, a noted British character actor, is terrific as the irascible housekeeper Dorcas. Natascha McElhone (THE DEVIL’S OWN, MRS. DALLOWAY, LAUREL CANYON) once again has failed to win me over with her performance.
“Good intentions and a happy heart do not a good film make. A fabulous cast does, however, make up for deficits in other areas. First time director Charles Dance performs admirably at times but fails miserably as well. His mistakes start with the vapid title which has nothing to do with the film other than echo a whimpering sentimentality already too obvious. Dance romanticizes everything in sight, the worst example being a harvest scene which is breathtakingly gorgeous and operatic, quite the opposite of its true form.
“Dance fares much better in handling the scenes where characters react to one another and to the events at hand. His saving grace is that he knows how to capture subtlety at precisely the right moment. Yes, this does create a balance of sorts – but the film could have been so much better had the subtlety been used to balance elements of the story rather than flaws in the production. 3 cats”