Ladies in Lavender conjures up images of sweet old English ladies sipping cups of tea. And yes, the film is about two old English ladies: sisters Ursula and Janet played by Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith respectively. Ladies in Lavender was released in cinemas on Friday November 12th 2004. ... Read review
Ladies in Lavenderis exactly the sort of film that prompts people to question, "Why dont ... more
they make films like this anymore?" Its a delicately-paced story of two aging sisters--Ursula (Dame Judi Dench) and Janet (Maggie Smith--who live together on a Co...
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Award winning actresses Dame Judi Dench and Maggie Smith star in this evocative, ... more
heart-warming story of unfulfilled dreams, innocence and unrequited love.Cornwall in 1936 remains as ever a timeless place. Sisters, Janet and Ursula Widdington discover a...
Ladies in Lavenderis exactly the sort of film that prompts people to question, "Why dont ... more
they make films like this anymore?" Its a delicately-paced story of two aging sisters--Ursula (Dame Judi Dench) and Janet (Maggie Smith--who live together on a Co...
Postage & Packaging: Check Site. Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Award winning actresses Dame Judi Dench and Maggie Smith star in this evocative ... more
heart-warming story of unfulfilled dreams innocence and unrequited love. Cornwall in 1936 remains as ever a timeless place. Sisters Janet and Ursula Widdington discover...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
The screenwriting/directing debut of veteran British stage and screen actor Charles Dance ... more
tells of a pair of Cornish spinsters (Judi Dench and Maggie Smith) who discover a charismatic young Polish violin virtuoso castaway (Daniel Bruhl) on the beach below their home. The tale leads inexorably to tender romantic conflicts and a warm concert house finale. Composer Nigel Hess masterfully utilizes his background as Music Director and House Composer for the Royal Shakespeare Company to conjure a score that evokes its quiet, emotional dignity via neo-classical orchestral arrangements that feature real life young virtuoso Joshua Bell on solo violin. Hess' intimate original compositions form a virtually seamless tapestry with the story's requisite classical repertory choices, which range from Massenet and Debussy to Bell's delightful variations on Paganini's "The Carnival of Venice." --Jerry McCulley
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The screenwriting/directing debut of veteran British stage and screen actor Charles Dance ... more
tells of a pair of Cornish spinsters (Judi Dench and Maggie Smith) who discover a charismatic young Polish violin virtuoso castaway (Daniel Bruhl) on the beach below their home. The tale leads inexorably to tender romantic conflicts and a warm concert house finale. Composer Nigel Hess masterfully utilizes his background as Music Director and House Composer for the Royal Shakespeare Company to conjure a score that evokes its quiet, emotional dignity via neo-classical orchestral arrangements that feature real life young virtuoso Joshua Bell on solo violin. Hess' intimate original compositions form a virtually seamless tapestry with the story's requisite classical repertory choices, which range from Massenet and Debussy to Bell's delightful variations on Paganini's "The Carnival of Venice." --Jerry McCulley
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Ladies in Lavender Olga Teaching Andrea Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra Meditation ... more
(Massenet) Our Secret On the Beach Introduction and Tarantella (Sarasate) The Letter Polish Dance - Zabawa Weselna Stirrings Potatoes The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (Debussy) A Broken Heart Two Sisters The Carnival of Venice (Paganini)
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The Notebook:Behind every great love is a great story. As teenagers, Allie (Rachel ... more
McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) begin a whirlwind courtship that soon blossoms into tender intimacy. The young couple is quickly separated by Allie's upper-class parents who insist that Noah isn't right for her. Several years pass, and, when they meet again, their passion is rekindled, forcing Allie to choose between her soulmate and class order. This beautiful tale has a particularly special meaning to an older gentleman (James Garner) who regularly reads the timeless love story to his aging companion (Gena Rowlands).August Rush:There's music in the wind and sky. Can you hear it? And there's hope. Can you feel it? The boy called August Rush can. The music mysteriously draws him, penniless and alone, to New York City in a quest to find - somehow, someway - the parents separated from him years earlier. And along the way he may also find the musical genius hidden within him.Ladies in Lavender:Cornwall in 1936 remains as ever a timeless place. Sisters, Janet and Ursula Widdington discover a castaway on the beach below their house. With the help of the local doctor they nurse him back to health. During his convalescence the sisters discover his talent as a musician and the unsettling effect he has on them both - especially Ursula, whose life will never be the same again.
Production Year: 2002 - Drama - Director: Michael Caton-Jones - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, William Forsythe, George Dzundza, Patti Lupone
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
Drama - Director: Kevin Smith - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, George Carlin, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Biggs, Matt Damon
Advantages: Charming nostalgic film with a wonderful soundtrack Disadvantages: Poses too many unanswered questions
Ladies in Lavender conjures up images of sweet old English ladies sipping cups of tea. And yes, the film is about two old English ladies: sisters Ursula and Janet played by Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith respectively. Ladies in Lavender was released in cinemas on Friday November 12th 2004.
The sisters, one a spinster and the other a widow, have a quiet and somewhat isolated lifestyle together in their quaint chocolate-box cottage ... ...middle-aged housekeeper (Miriam Margolyes). Then one morning, Ursula spots Andrea, a young handsome Pole washed up on the shore. As the sisters nurse him back to health, all sorts of emotions are aroused. When it is discovered that he is a talented violinist and a visiting Russian artist Olga shows an interest (Natasha McElhone), the cozy nurturing environment becomes threatened.
The directorial debut of Charles Dance, the film manages ... more
Ladies in Lavender conjures up images of sweet old English ladies sipping cups of tea. And yes, the film is about two old English ladies: sisters Ursula and Janet played by Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith respectively. Ladies in Lavender was released in cinemas on Friday November 12th 2004.
The sisters, one a spinster and the other a widow, have a quiet and somewhat isolated lifestyle together in their quaint chocolate-box cottage in a small fishing village supported by Dorcas, their frumpy middle-aged housekeeper (Miriam Margolyes). Then one morning, Ursula spots Andrea, a young handsome Pole washed up on the shore. As the sisters nurse him back to health, all sorts of emotions are aroused. When it is discovered that he is a talented violinist and a visiting Russian artist Olga shows an interest (Natasha McElhone), the cozy nurturing environment becomes threatened.
The directorial debut of Charles Dance, the film manages to conjure up a feeling of a by-gone age where life goes by a little slower. The action of the film is correspondingly gentle and unhurried but never too slow.
Charles Dance also wrote the screenplay based on a short story by William J Locke. Dench and Smith are in excellent form. Judi Dench, a spinster, is wistful with unfulfilled yearning whilst Maggie Smith, a widow from the First World War, is astute and bittersweet. Their seemingly effortless acting and the confident relaxed rapport between the two make their screen relationship entirely plausible. Like real-life sisters, they bicker yet are touchingly loyal and tender. The dialogue between them is easy and comfortable with lines like; Janet, “I saw him first”; Janet, "I dislike that woman intensely"; Ursula: "Is she German?" and Janet, "I wouldn't be at all surprised".
Daniel Bruhl was amazing. Coached by Oliver Lewis, he convincingly mimes the playing of a violin. He is naive, brooding and trusting. He passively accepts the sister’s love and hospitality without question until Olga intervenes and a glimpse of passion and emotion are seen. Miriam Margolyes is also outstanding as the grumpy housekeeper protective of her two employers.
Set in Cornwall in 1936, the beautiful cinematography of Peter Biziou features the picturesque Cornish coastline with charming pastoral scenes of harvesting and barn dances.
The period costumes are fitting: the ladies’ purchase of a suit for the young patient is delightful as they discuss collars and materials. The soundtrack is a mix between a charming orchestral score (played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) and solo violin performances composed by Nigel Hess. The violin parts, played by violinist Joshua Bell, are integral to film and include informal performances for the sisters to a big concert performance.
Whilst the film is a delightful love story, it raises questions that remain unanswered. It is never explained who exactly Andrea is, where he came from and how he ended up unconscious on the shore.
With war brewing, the villagers’ suspicion of foreigners is touched on only fleetingly and not very convincingly.
Not a film to make you laugh but it will make you smile. Neither is it a film to make you cry but it will make you sigh. A nice, pleasant very English film.
Advantages: Brilliant performances, enjoyable story Disadvantages: none, really, for me
...her collection and picked out Ladies in Lavender. This review is of the DVD. **What?** Ladies in Lavender is a film about two sisters, Janet and Ursula Widdington, one of whom is unmarried, the other (Janet) widowed, and both are in their 60s. They live in Cornwall, in 1936, with their hired help who comes in daily. One day, after a dreadful storm the night before, Ursula spots something on the beach outside their cottage. It turns out to be an unconscious ... ...move. **Film details*** Ladies in Lavender was released in 2004. It is based on the short story by William Locke, and was adapted for the big screen by Charles Dance. Genre-wise, this film is a drama. It is a British film, made by the UK Film Company and Baker Street. It was produced by Charles Dance. It was nominated in the 2005 European Film Awards for best actress for both Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Judi Dench, and also for the 2005 London Critics ...
M.Newcastle 09.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Ladies In Lavender (DVD)
Advantages: Dames Judi Dench & Maggie Smith, cinematography, subtle character study Disadvantages: Dance's directorial inexperience occasionally shows, slow pacing will alienate some viewers
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 ... ...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 ...
CaptainDisaster 26.04.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Ladies In Lavender (DVD)
Advantages: Good period drama with some excellent music Disadvantages: May be a bit slow for some
Set in Cornwall shortly before the outbreak of WWII, two sisters, Ursula and Janet happen upon a Polish man washed up on a beach. How he got there is anyone's guess and we never find out. As we watch him being nursed back to health we, and the characters, are taken on a journey of discovery.
The element that sets this film apart from many others however is the music. Our Polish traveller has a talent that one can only marvel at and it is this which ... ...between the period drama that is the English Patient and the musical tale of The Piano.
Directed by Charles Dance the film has a lot to commend it. It is a fairly slow-paced film entirely in keeping with its nature. We are, in effect, watching an historic character and situation study. The scenes are shot in a sympathetic manner, making the most of the wonderful Cornish countryside. Stills at poignant moments work in the main but occasionally they ...
CareBear 17.08.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Ladies In Lavender (DVD)
...have watched her in is Ladies in Lavender made in 2004, which is a very gentle moving film. I didn't really know anything about the film before I watched it but I was soon caught up in the story. It is set in the 1930s and is about two elderly sisters who share a cottage situated on the Cornish coast. One day, after a particularly bad storm, they notice a body washed up on the beach. The young man is barely alive, but with the help of the local doctor, ... ...back to health. Their patient is a young Polish man called Andrea who speaks no English so communication at first is quite difficult. As they nurse him and help him with his English, both sisters come to dote on him as he starts to fill a gaping hole in their lives. They also discover that he is a talented violinist which also does not go unnoticed by a foreign artist staying in the village. Some others are suspicious of these foreign strangers in ...
kingfisher111 05.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Ladies In Lavender (DVD)
Advantages: Good family film and acclaimed actors Disadvantages: a bit long
A light hearted film for everyone to enjoy when there is nothing better to do or to bring the family together.
Taking place in Cornwall in 1936, this film tranports you back to an era you may remember or would have liked to see. The story is about two old but lively biddies Ursula and Janet (Judy Dench and maggie Smith) who are facing a burdening dilemma when a storm washes a Polish man onto the rocky beach by their home. This heavily provokes a ... ...man in need or to leave that man due to their natural xenophobic dislike for foreigners. As you may have guessed, their christian attitude gets the better of them and they eventually decide to take him in. There are some lingual complications between them during the film, but eventually they grow to be good friends. So close however, that Ursula ends up falling for the sauve foreigner and even commenting "i saw him first". Unsurprisingly though, ...
coledsteel 25.11.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Ladies In Lavender (DVD)
Excellent performances from Smith and Dench. (Empire, )
A fine film... tremendous performances. (Film 2004, )
A real British gem. (News Of The World, )
Sheer class. (People, )
Extraordinary. (Radio Times, )
DVD Description
Two sisters find a young man on their Cornish beach in 1936. The man is nursed back to full health by the sisters and their doctor. The man's presence changes the lives of the two sisters forever.
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