Hurray! Finally a film we Brits get to see before anyone else! :-)
Ladies in Lavender is a charming film set in Cornwall in an idyllic town, shortly before WWII broke out. The elderly Widdington sisters, Ursula (strangely non-British name?!?) and Janet lead a sedate life, though Ursula has a zest for life that remains undiminished by the years. When a Polish man is found on the beach one day, presumably from a shipwreck though no wreckage is ever found, it stirs forgotten emotions in Ursula as they nurse him back to health. This begins to cause friction between the two sisters, and when Andrea (the Polish guy) exhibits a special talent, even more tension is caused by the interest of German painter Olga, who is ostensibly just on holiday there, though others have suspicions that she is not what she seems.
This film is Charles Dance (veteran of many TV series) directorial debut, and though this shows in places, overall it is a very impressive first film for him. The pacing of the film is rather slow overall (which befits the fact that more than anything it is a character study), but the opening seemed rather rushed, perhaps indicating that he did not know quite what to do with the characters until the main protagonist was introduced. On the other hand, the very short opening scene of the two sisters gave a lot of insight into the sort of life they lead, their personalities, and their attitudes. Fade-outs and cross-fades were rather too quick as well, and use of stills in the middle of important scenes did add emphasis but were too pronounced (at one point I actually wondered if the projector had jammed!!!). These are very minor complaints overall but they were definitely noticeable. Effective use is made of both the beautiful Cornish countryside and the xenophobic attitudes prevalent in pre-WWII England. One short and totally unnecessary scene gives it a 12A rating (children under 12 years of age have to be accompanied by an adult). By the evidence of this, Dance is a Director to look out for. When a few rough edges are taken care of he could be among the best in the business.
The storyline weaves a complex tale around the three main characters and several peripheral characters, but some sub-plots just went nowhere and others felt a little contrived. The love rivalry idea did not really ring true either. But the main focus of the film was not, as you might think, Andrea, but rather the study of the character of Ursula. She is played by the amazing Judi Dench [Chocolat, Iris, The Importance of being Earnest] (one of the few actresses with the ability to carry such a role), who is absolutely incredible in this. Her portrayal of a character besieged by emotions she knows are futile but is unable to control is brilliant. With Maggie Smith [Tea with Mussolini, Gosford Park] as her older sister giving another tremendous performance, the rest of the cast hardly needed to show up for this to be a good film.
But turn up they did, and this is more than just a good film. Daniel Bruhl [who has been in various foreign films I have never heard] (Andrea) is convincing enough as a Polish man (he is actually Spanish), though his attempts at portraying playing a violin are somewhat less persuasive! He plays his part with just the right mix of vulnerability and mischievousness, though very occasionally he reacts to something microscopically before it actually happens. Overall he gives a very good performance. Natascha McElhone [The Truman Show, Solaris] (Olga) looks very exotic despite being born in Hampstead, London! Since she is basically an unpleasant and rude character, it would actually have been more satisfying if something bad had happened to her, but I guess that is just my nasty side coming out. Miriam Margoyles [Harry Potter, The Life & Death of Peter Sellers, Chasing Liberty] gets the most laughs as the extremely rustic Dorcus, the house maid.
The original musical score is good though not breathtaking. Noted violinist Joshua Bell provides the actual music for Andrea, and some of it is very good indeed, though I just cannot kick the feeling that Nigel Kennedy would have been even better. The cinematography is fantastic in places and makes Cornwall look even more gorgeous than I remember it being. The humour than runs throughout the film is mostly understated, so if you are not concentrating you miss it. So be warned, this is a film that demands your attention and if you are not willing to give it, you will not enjoy it half as much. Rural life and the period the film is set in are portrayed realistically, too.
Despite its flaws (which I have detailed in quite painful detail here... sorry!) Ladies in Lavender is a unique and quite wonderful film. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have no hesitation whatsoever giving it 5 stars. It is going to be too slow for many and there is not much action to speak of. However if you allow yourself to be caught up in the storyline you will find it quite compelling. Ladies in Lavender is one of those rare things, a subtle film, and an extremely sensitive one. Watching it is not a depressing experience though, rather an uplifting one. Fans of Smith and Dench (of which there are many) will be delighted in seeing them get roles that really befit their acting ability, unlike the recent role Dench played in Chronicles of Riddick.
So there you have it. You should know by now whether you will love it or hate it. If you are still not sure... watch it and find out!
Incidentally, sorry for the less readable than usual writing style used in this review. It is because of a strange bug in epinions at the moment that is preventing me from being able to use such devies as apostrophes, inverted commas, etc. Hopefully it will all be back to normal soon!
Thanks as always for reading / rating / commenting!
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