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I moved forward as the bus approached the stop, my mum waving from the front seat:
“I already am, I’m taking her to the pictures”
And so it was on yet another cold Edinburgh day that I found myself with me old mum going to the UCI cinema to see “Charlotte ... Read review
In 1942 Charlotte Gray a young scottish woman goes to Occupied France on a dual ... more
mission: to run an apparently simple errand for a British special operations group and to search for her lover an English airman who has gone missing in action. In the small town of Lavaurette Sebastian Faulks presents a microcosm of France and its agony in 'the black years'. Here is the full range of collaboration from the tacit to the enthusiastic as well as examples of extraordinary courage and altruism. Through the local resistance chief Julien Charlotte meets his father a Jewish painter whose inspiration has failed him. In a series of shocking narrative climaxes in which the full extent of French collusion in the Nazi holocaust is delineated Faulks brings the story to a resolution of redemptive love. In the delicacy of its writing the intimacy of its characterisation and its powerful narrative scenes of harrowing public events "Charlotte Gray" is a worthy successor to "Birdsong".
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1943. The world is at war. Charlotte Gray, a young Scottish woman, is parachuted behind ... more
enemy lines into Southern France. Only she knows she has a dual mission. Officially she has been recruited by the British Government on a special operation to liaise with the local Resistance group, who are using guerilla tactics against the occupying German Army. Unofficially, she is searching for her lover, Peter, an English airman missing in action after his plane is shot down.As Charlotte becomes more deeply involved with the Resistance fighters she realises that her love of France and its people will change her life forever.
Production Year: 1957 - Drama - Director: Leo McCarey - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Cathleen Nesbitt, Deborah Kerr, Cary Grant, Richard Denning, Neva Patterson, Fortunio Bonanova
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Cate Blanchett, it's good to look at Disadvantages: Cold hearted, utterly emotionless, dull
...ulterior motives for inviting our Charlotte as he feels she may be suitable for SOE-style operations under-cover in France.
Initially reluctant, circumstances intervene in her personal life and for wholly selfish reasons she accepts the offer. It’s not long before she is parachuting in Vichy France (the supposedly unoccupied Southern part of France which in reality was run by traitors and Nazi collaborators).
... ...plan and in her panic, Charlotte compromises her cover. The leader of the local resistance, the Communist Julian Lavade played by Bill Crudup, arranges an enhanced cover for Charlotte which sees her working as house maid for his father, Levade (Michael Gambon) and surrogated mother for two displaced children, whilst all the time attempting to pursue the own selfish agenda, that being the real reason she is in France in the first place… more
As I stood at the bus stop I could see the eager young thing approach me, yellow bucket in hand and a smile that suggested that she hadn’t yet had life spit her in full in the face:
“Would you like to Help the Aged?” she chirped.
I moved forward as the bus approached the stop, my mum waving from the front seat:
“I already am, I’m taking her to the pictures”
And so it was on yet another cold Edinburgh day that I found myself with me old mum going to the UCI cinema to see “Charlotte Gray”.
Based on the book of the same name by Sebastian Foulkes, it stars the very lovely Cate Blanchett as our eponymous hero, a very proper gal from the East Coast of Scotland with a passion for France. Travelling by train, she is approached by a Chap from the Ministry, initially under the pretence of inviting her to a book launch. However our Chap has ulterior motives for inviting our Charlotte as he feels she may be suitable for SOE-style operations under-cover in France.
Initially reluctant, circumstances intervene in her personal life and for wholly selfish reasons she accepts the offer. It’s not long before she is parachuting in Vichy France (the supposedly unoccupied Southern part of France which in reality was run by traitors and Nazi collaborators).
Gifted with a simple task to break her in, things don’t quite go according to plan and in her panic, Charlotte compromises her cover. The leader of the local resistance, the Communist Julian Lavade played by Bill Crudup, arranges an enhanced cover for Charlotte which sees her working as house maid for his father, Levade (Michael Gambon) and surrogated mother for two displaced children, whilst all the time attempting to pursue the own selfish agenda, that being the real reason she is in France in the first place…
And so it potters aimlessly on and we win the war.
What is worse, making a bad movie or an indifferent one? I think making an indifferent movie is the much greater crime. A bad movie probably didn’t have much going for it in the first place, but an indifferent movie, such as ”Charlotte Gray” had the potential to do much more but fails to engage, enthral or entertain it’s audience.
The main problem with the movie is that its heart is cold and dead. It’s not that we don’t care about the characters, we do, but the movie clearly doesn’t. A key scene, which should have been an unbearably heart-wrenching moment is handled so clumsily that rather than feeling the over-whelming pity that I’d guess any moviemaker would have gone for, I was left feeling confused. The characters on screen seemed to have little regard for the fate of their loved ones, so should we? And was exactly was that fate. Well it was obvious wasn’t it? but then again…Ok David Lynch can get away with the ambiguity of the obvious but for a mainstream movie like “Charlotte Gray” it isn’t good.
The movie does present some intriguing issues, however it fails it fully develop them. It’s as if the scriptwriter has seen the words but failed to understand them. I thought the issue of Charlotte’s motivation was under-used. I mean she is in France during war-time for her own selfish reasons, like a spoilt brat, yet whilst it certainly kept coming back into the story it wasn’t really addressed as an issue worth discussing. Indeed the whole point of her being in France is soon forgotten as she ends up being nothing more than a glorified housewife for a great deal of the movie ( a woman’s role in war-time: kitchen sink or anti-tank gun, discuss). The movie also has some interesting things to say on the way the British view of it’s Allies in the French resistance was influenced by their political leanings. It may or may not have been true but it was an intriguing concept alluded to and then forgotten.
Anyway I don’t wasn’t to dwell on the negative aspects of the movie, it does have some good points. The cinematography is excellent, especially fine moments at the beginning and end where the screen fills with fields of lavender and throughout the movie.
And of course, Cate Blanchett puts in a fine performance as Charlotte. She perhaps looks a little too other-worldly and ethereal for the part but no matter, she is always watchable. And her East Coast accent is very good. Avoiding the posh Edinburgh that Dame Maggie Smith used in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and “Harry Potter” she has got the soft burr off to a tee. Billy Crudup, whom I last saw in “Almost Famous” was very good as the Communist Lavade and Michael Gambon was Michael Gambon.
An OK but indifferent movie, wait until it’s on TV.
The movie has a “15” certificate”. Apart from a very occasional use of the “F” word, a brief scene of violence and a very soft focus scene of a sexual nature, nothing to rate if higher than “PG”.
Advantages: Good cast, nice scenery Disadvantages: The storyline has all been done before, unoriginal and largely fogettable
...take on the role of Charlotte Gray, the eponymous heroine of Sebastian Faulk’s romantic novel. But, however fine an actress Ms Blanchett undoubtedly is actress (the nearest thing in the current day to Meryl Streep), she is unable to lift this predictable yarn of wartime romance above the level of ‘We’ve seen it all before’.
Charlotte meets handsome RAF Pilot, Peter (Rupert Penry-Jones ) and the two become lovers. His plane goes down on a mission ... ...and a good looking couple as the movie’s focal point, who get romantically entwined during wartime. You will also notice an incredible similarity in the endings of both movies. • My advice – get Captain Corelli out on DVD and save the entrance fee on Charlotte Gray. ...
flashpointz 15.03.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlotte Gray (DVD)
Advantages: A timely reminder of what could have been Disadvantages: Don't expect an action packed film, but do expect to be enlightened
Charlotte Gray, based on the real life exploits of British women spies who were sent to France during WW2 is a clever film. It is not just about one person (Charlotte Gray) although she is centre stage, it covers the fear and double dealing which were rife in France at that time, shows how the people helped each other as a way of life rather than out of duty and most of all gives you a feel for the danger that they put not only themselves in, but ... ...very cleverly aired “The Real Charlotte Grays” immediately before it. This programme spoke to former women spies who had been in France sending back information and blowing up trains etc – giving their real life experiences. They spoke of the humility they felt when they realised that at worst they would be caught and shot, but the French people were risking everything, their own lives, that of their families and their livelihood. This was a good ...
Spongebob2 10.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlotte Gray (DVD)
Advantages: well acted, nice pictures Disadvantages: partly I miss some intensity
...middle of Second World War. Charlotte Gray (Cate Blanchett) meets the love of her life on a party. But he has to go - he is a pilot and he has to go to France, to fight against the Germans.
Is comes was has to come: he chrashes with his aircraft somewhere in the middle of nowhere and Charlotte decides to become an undercover agent in France. She says she does it for her country, but in fact she wants to find her boyfriend.
From now on Charlotte ... ...Vichy-Gouvernment of southern France.
Charlotte lives at his father's place and soon she is good friend with him and his father. They hide two jewish boys whose parents have been deportet to Poland. Charlotte still tries to find her boyfriend, and in the meantime she helps Julien bombing german trains and does what she can. But then everything gets hectic and catastrophal: Juliens father (he is 1/4 jewish) and the boys get catched. Julien suggest ...
Shue 25.02.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlotte Gray (DVD)
Advantages: quite an interesting plot Disadvantages: plots a bit slow in places
...was looking forward to watching Charlotte Gray. It was a film I’d wanted to see at the cinema, but hadn’t got round to. I ended up disappointed by it. It wasn’t truly awful I was able to watch it without thinking ‘god when is this going to end’. It was just not as good as I thought it would be.
It’s hard to think what went wrong with it. It’s got all the ingredients for a good film: wartime drama, love interest, secret missions. However, it was ... ...Jenesse in France. So now Charlotte has a secret.secret mission to go along with her secret mission. She wants to try and find word of Peter whilst she is in France.
She is given a cover identity, dropped into France and picked up by the local resistance. This resistance group is led by Julio, a committed communist. The village she is dropped into pretty, pretty think Year in Provence country. The surroundings are all very traditionally French and ...
ricci 26.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlotte Gray (DVD)
Advantages: Basically a good script, cinematography Disadvantages: Mostly everything else
...adventures of our eponymous heroine Charlotte Gray ( Cate Blanchett ) in Nazi-occupied France at the height of World War II. It should tell of heroism ( or in this case mostly heroinism ), the dangers of war, love, self sacrifice etc etc but ends up being a blank, dull, grey canvas that’s not fully filled. The plot should have been able to support the film, as at its core, there is a good story there. On travelling to London, Gray meets someone on ... ...Cate Blanchett - Charlotte Gray Billy Crudup - Julien Levade Michael Gambon - Levade Rupert Penry Jones - Peter Gregory. James Fleet - Richard Cannerly Next time, I will take the easy option and bang on a favourite DVD or just sleep. ...
ultras67 30.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlotte Gray (DVD)
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Advantages: Interesting take on the ordinary lives of people during WW2 Disadvantages: Changes in accents make it difficult to follow at times
When CharlotteGray meets and falls in love with a young airman, Peter, she should have her entire life to look forward to. However, it is World War 2 and her fiance very soon goes to France on a mission and goes missing. Determined not to give up hope, Charlotte applies for the Secret Service and is sent to France herself; ostensibly to help the war effort, but also to try and find out what has happened to Peter. Will her personal feelings get in the way of her job, putting her colleagues lives at risk? And will she find Peter?
Knowing that this film is based on the book of the same name by Sebastian Faulks should have encouraged me to watch this film sooner, but somehow, I have never been able to bring myself to watch it until now. I think it is partly because war stories depress me and I need to be in the right frame of mind ...
Advantages: Great Acting! Disadvantages: Not so great Storyline
to see him playing a different character.
This film was written and directed by Jeremy Brock, who has also been responsible for some of the 'Casualty & Holby City' specials, and also for the films Mrs Brown and CharlotteGray.
Where can I buy it?
Available from Amazon on DVD for £10.99. ...
Based on the novel by Sebastien Faulks, this is the story of Charlotte who falls in love with a RAF pilot named Peter. Peter is dispatched on a mission to France and disappears, Charlotte is distraught and sets out to find him...
Directors Commentary, Featurettes A Village Revisits History And Living Through Wartime, Interview With Gillian Armstrong, Interview With Cate Blanchett, Cast And Crew Interviews, TV Spots, Trailer, Deleted Scenes, Behind Enemy Lines The Real Charlotte Grays
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
DVD Description
CHARLOTTE GRAY is directed by Gillian Armstrong (MRS. SOFFEL, OSCAR AND LUCINDA) with her signature recipe for success--a love story set in beautiful scenery played by an all-star cast. Here, Charlotte Gray (Cate Blanchett) is a Scottish woman in mid-WWII, living with an adventuresome pair of young female roommates. While attending a snooty book publishing party, Charlotte escapes from her girlfriends long enough to meet a British pilot, Peter (Rupert Penry-Jones), with whom she falls in love. After a brief but passionate affair, Peter is sent on a mission to Nazi-occupied France where his plane is shot down and he is reported M.I.A. Torn apart by love, Charlotte enlists herself as an underground operative in the resistance and accepts a mission to rural France. Charlotte, now working under the code name Dominique, parachutes out of an airplane, and captures two young Jewish boys in her net. The man who untangles the bunch, Julien (Billy Crudup), becomes her one trusted contact, and arranges a job for her as governess to the two boys, hiding out in the chateau owned by his curmudgeonly father (Michael Gambon). Presenting a beautiful love story complicated by WWII tension, Armstrong creates a photographically impeccable film with a strong orchestral score and a capable, utterly attractive cast. CHARLOTTE GRAY is based on the best-selling novel by Sebastian Faulks.
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