Ladies in Lavender (2004)

Two sisters befriend a mysterious foreigner who washes up on the beach of their 1930s Cornish seaside village.

Director:

Charles Dance

Writers:

William J. Locke (short story), Charles Dance

Stars:

Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Daniel Brühl

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Judi Dench	...	Ursula
Maggie Smith	...	Janet
Daniel Brühl	...	Andrea
Freddie Jones	...	Jan Pendered
Gregor Henderson-Begg	...	Luke Pendered
Miriam Margolyes	...	Dorcas
David Warner	...	Dr. Francis Mead
Clive Russell	...	Adam Penruddocke
Richard Pears	...	Barry
Natascha McElhone	...	Olga Daniloff
Iain Marshall	...	Fisherman (as Ian Marshall)
Toby Jones	...	Hedley
Trevor Ray	...	Very Old Man 1
John Boswall	...	Very Old Man 2
Joanna Dickens	...	Mrs. Pendered

Storyline

Taking place in pre-World War II England, aging sisters Ursula (Dame Judi Dench) and Janet (Dame Maggie Smith) live peacefully in their cottage on the shore of Cornwall. One morning following a violent storm, the sisters spot from their garden a nearly-drowned man lying on the beach. They nurse him back to health and discover that he is Polish. Communicating in broken German while they teach him English, they learn his name is Andrea (Daniel Brühl) and that he is a particularly gifted violinist. His boat was on its way to America, where he is headed to look for a better life. It doesn't take long for them to become attached to Andrea, and they dote on him. Other townspeople, however, have their suspicions, especially when he befriends a Russian woman, Olga (Natascha McElhone).

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Plot Keywords:

suspicion | russian | violinist | cornwall | violin | 

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Taglines:

They saved a stranger from the sea and in return he stole their hearts.

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The idea to do this movie came to Executive Producer, Writer, and Director Charles Dance as he worked on Black and White (2002). He was reading a volume of short stories by William J. Locke titled "Faraway Stories".

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Goofs

Andrea peels potatoes and bowls the bowling ball left-handed but plays the violin right-handed, as many violinists may do with right-handed instruments, but it seems a bit strange that the other actions are shown as left-handed.

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Quotes

Ursula Widdington: Stupid, stupid.

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Crazy Credits

Special thanks to the people of Helston, Cornwall and the people of Cadgwith, Cornwall.

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Connections

Referenced in Clatterford: Easter (2009)

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Soundtracks

The Girl With The Flaxen Hair
by Claude Debussy
Orchestrated by Craig Leon
Performed by Joshua Bell
Published by Universal Music Publishing Ltd.
By kind permission of Sony Music Inc.

User Reviews

Well-acted drama with a thought-provoking plot.

The story is rather simple. Two old ladies living in rural English countryside rescue a drowning foreign young violinist and one of them develops an infatuation over him. But he actually gets attracted to a local German painter. But the execution of the plot is so subtle and so melancholy it is bound to make you keep thinking about it.

Both Judi Dench and Maggie Smith are at their bests, Dench probably showing a broader range of emotions. Daniel Brüll is also quite worth mentioning as the young dreamy-eyed violinist. Natasha McElhone gives a solid supporting act. And it's a real treat to the ears by Joshua Bell, who masterfully played all the violin compositions.

Details

Official Sites:

Filmax [Spain]

Country:

UK

Language:

English German Polish French

Release Date:

27 May 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ladies in Lavender

Filming Locations:

Cadgwith, Cornwall, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$149,224, 1 May 2005

Gross USA:

$6,765,081

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,421,130

Company Credits

Production Co:

UK Film Council, Baker Street, Future Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 103 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1