Ladies in Lavender
Ladies in Lavender | |
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William J. Locke | |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Peter Biziou |
Music by | Nigel Hess |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Lakeshore International |
Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | US$20,377,075[2] |
Ladies in Lavender is a 2004 British drama film written and directed by Charles Dance. The screenplay is based on a 1908 short story by William J. Locke. The film stars Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Natascha McElhone, and Miriam Margolyes.
Plot
The Widdington sisters, Janet and Ursula, live in a picturesque coastal Cornwall, in a tight-knit fishing village in 1936. A gifted young Polish violinist from Kraków, Andrea is sailing to America when he is swept overboard from his ship in a storm. The sisters discover the handsome stranger washed up on the beach below their house, and nurse him back to health. The presence of the musically talented young man disrupts the peaceful lives of the sisters and Ursula develops romantic feelings for the much younger visitor.
Holidaying artist Olga Danilof, the sister of famed violinist Boris Danilof, becomes interested in Andrea after hearing him play the violin. Olga writes a letter to the sisters, telling them who she is and that she would like to introduce her brother to Andrea. Instead of giving him the letter, understanding her sister has feelings for Andrea, Janet burns it. As time progresses, Olga and Andrea grow closer, and one day Andrea angrily confronts the sisters about the letter. Andrea, realizing that Ursula has feelings for him, apologizes for getting angry and they reconcile.
Olga tells her brother of Andrea's talent, and he asks to meet Andrea in London. When Andrea meets with Olga to discuss the letter from her brother, she tells him that they must leave on a train immediately because her brother is only in London for twenty-four hours. Although Andrea cares deeply for the sisters, he knows this is his chance to start a career, and he leaves with Olga without saying goodbye. The sisters, worried that something has happened to him, call a friend of Andrea's who tells them he saw Andrea and Olga getting on a train. Thinking she'll never see him again, Ursula is heartbroken and Janet consoles her as best she can. Andrea later sends them a letter, along with a portrait of himself painted by Olga, thanking them for saving his life. The sisters travel to London to attend Andrea's first public performance in Britain, while the rest of the village listens in on the radio.
Cast
- Judi Dench as Ursula Widdington
- Maggie Smith as Janet Widdington
- Natascha McElhone as Olga Danilof
- Miriam Margolyes as Dorcas
- David Warner as Dr. Mead
- Daniel Brühl as Andrea Marowski
- Toby Jones as Hedley
- Freddie Jones as Jan Pendered
- Clive Russell as Adam Penruddocke
Production
The original story by William Locke was first published on 26 December 1908 in Collier's magazine, Vol.42, later appearing in book form in his short-story collection Faraway Stories (1916).
Ladies in Lavender was produced by Tale Partnerships and Scala Productions, with funding by Baker Street Media Finance, Paradigm Hyde Films, and the UK Film Council. Lakeshore Entertainment handled the rights to international distribution.[3][4]
Filming took place in September and October 2003. Exteriors were filmed in Cadgwith, Helston, St. Ives and Prussia Cove in Cornwall. Interiors were filmed at the Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.[citation needed]
The film marked the directorial debut of actor
Release
On November 8, 2004, Ladies in Lavender had its UK premiere as the 58th
Prior to its release in the UK, the film screened at the
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 64% based on reviews from 94 critics.[9] On Metacritic it has a score of 61% based on reviews from 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "perfectly sweet and civilized... It's a pleasure to watch Smith and Dench together; their acting is so natural it could be breathing."[12]
In The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw observed that "despite a bit of shortbread-sugary emotion and an ending that fizzles out disappointingly, there's some nice period detail and decent lines in Charles Dance's directing debut,"[13] while Philip French of The Observer commented on the "beautiful setting, a succession of implausible incidents, and characteristically excellent work from Smith (all suppression and stoicism) and Dench (exuding unfulfilled yearning)."[14]
Peter Keough of the Boston Phoenix said, "This exercise in scenery and music is as innocuous as a nosegay."[15]
In the
Box office
Ladies in Lavender grossed £2,604,852 in the UK and US$6,765,081 in North America (on limited release). Its total worldwide gross was $20,377,075.[2]
Accolades
Both Judi Dench and Maggie Smith were nominated for
Soundtrack
Ladies in Lavender (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
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Soundtrack album by | |
Released | 8 November 2004 |
Genre | Classical |
Length | 55:34 |
Label | Sony Classical Records |
The film's original music was written by
The violin music played by Andrea, including compositions by Felix Mendelssohn, Niccolò Paganini, Jules Massenet, Claude Debussy, Pablo de Sarasate, and Johann Sebastian Bach, was also performed by Bell.[18]
- "Ladies in Lavender" (Joshua Bell) – 4:06
- "Olga" (Joshua Bell) – 3:31
- "Teaching Andrea" (Joshua Bell) – 2:53
- "Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra" (Joshua Bell) – 3:40
- "Méditation from Thaïs" by Jules Massenet (Joshua Bell) – 5:01
- "Our Secret" (Joshua Bell) – 2:01
- "On the Beach" (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) – 2:33
- "Introduction and Tarantella, Op. 43" by Pablo de Sarasate (Joshua Bell) – 5:16
- "The Letter" (Joshua Bell) – 2:25
- "Polish Dance – Zabawa Weselna" (Joshua Bell) – 2:41
- "Stirrings" (Joshua Bell) – 1:50
- "Potatoes" (Joshua Bell) – 1:49
- "The Girl With Flaxen Hair" by Claude Debussy (Joshua Bell) – 2:33
- "A Broken Heart" (Joshua Bell) – 3:33
- "Two Sisters" (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) – 2:22
- "The Carnival of Venice" (Joshua Bell) – 9:20
References
- BBFC.
103m 49s
- ^ a b c "Ladies in Lavender". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Ladies in Lavender". Variety. 2005. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009.
- ^ Telegraph Weekend Magazine. 17 October 2004 – via CharlesDance.co.uk.
- ^ Dunkley, Cathy (17 January 2005). "Roadside Attractions spiced with 'Lavender". Variety. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ Film featurette Ladies In Lavender: A Fairy Tale
- ^ Dawtrey, Adam (24 September 2003). "Bruhl bows to 'Ladies' with Dench". Variety. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ Brooks, Jake (18 April 2005). "Tribeca Gets Better, Wiser: Fewer Blockbusters, More Indies". The New York Observer. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ "Ladies in Lavender". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Ladies in Lavender". Metacritic.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (29 April 2005). "FILM REVIEW; More Than Tea Is Brewing In This English Household". The New York Times.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (12 May 2005). "Ladies in Lavender". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 24 May 2005.
- ^ The Guardian review
- ^ Philip French (14 November 2004). "Washed up in Cornwall". The Observer. The Guardian.
- ^ Boston Phoenix review Archived 8 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Robert K. Elder (13 May 2005). "Movie review: 'Ladies in Lavender'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009.
- ^ "Archive - European Film Awards". Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ Terfel leads Classical Brits nods
Further reading
- Plath (15 December 2005). "On Ladies in Lavender". DVDTown.com (Interview). Archived from the original on 12 October 2007.
External links
- Ladies in Lavender at IMDb
- Ladies in Lavender at the better source needed]
- Ladies in Lavender at British Council–Film
- Ladies in Lavender at LUMIERE
- "Ladies in Lavender". Tribeca Film Festival. 2005. Archived from the originalon 19 February 2009.