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Ladies in Lavender

Ladies in Lavender is a 2004 British drama film written and directed by Charles Dance, who based his screenplay on a short story by William J. Locke.

Plot

In 1936, aging sisters Janet and Ursula, living in a cottage in Cornwall, find the unconscious body of Andrea washed up on the shore. The sisters take the young man into their home and while caring for him during his recuperation discover he is a Polish émigré headed for the United States and a talented violinist. Both sisters become enamored with him, leading to a rivalry of almost possessive guardianship. He reminds Janet of the love she lost when her husband was killed in World War I, and stirs in Ursula romantic feelings she never had.

Vacationing artist Olga Daniloff, the sister of famed violinist Boris Daniloff, becomes interested in Andrea after hearing him play the violin. As time progresses, Olga and Andrea grow closer. Olga tells her brother of Andrea's talent, and he asks to meet Andrea in London. 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 to the women. He 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.

Production notes

The title, a play on words of the phrase Lace in Lavender, refers to the custom of sprinkling dried lavender among clothing packed in storage to keep it smelling fresh.

In William Locke's original story, published in 1916, the sisters never hear from Andrea after he departs for London.

The film marked the directorial debut of actor Charles Dance and the first English-language role for Continental actor Daniel Brühl.

Exteriors were filmed in Cadgwith, Helston, St. Ives, and Prussia Cove in Cornwall. Interiors were filmed at the Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.

The violin music played by Andrea, including compositions by Felix Mendelsohn, Niccolò Paganini, Jules Massenet, Claude Debussy, Pablo de Sarasate, and Johann Sebastian Bach, is performed by Joshua Bell.

Longtime friends Maggie Smith and Judi Dench were appearing together in a play in London's West End when Dance first approached them about the project, and they immediately accepted his offer without even reading the script.

Prior to its release in the UK, the film was shown at the Taormina Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival. It was released as Les Dames de Cornouailles in France, Der Duft von Lavendel in Germany, Lavendelflickorna in Sweden, and Parfum de lavande in French-speaking Canada.

The film grossed £2,604,852 (UKP) in the UK and $6,759,422 (USD) in the US. Its total worldwide gross was $20,439,793 (USD).

Principal cast

Judi Dench ..... Ursula
Maggie Smith ..... Janet
Daniel Brühl ..... Andrea
Natascha McElhone ..... Olga
Miriam Margolyes ..... Dorcas
David Warner ..... Dr. Mead

Critical reception

Ladies in Lavender was positively received by the critics.

In his review in the New York Times, Stephen Holden said, "[Dench and Smith] sink into their roles as comfortably as house cats burrowing into a down quilt on a windswept, rainy night . . . This amiably far-fetched film . . . heralds the return of the Comfy Movie (increasingly rare nowadays), the cinematic equivalent of a visit from a cherished but increasingly dithery maiden aunt. In this fading, sentimental genre peopled with grandes dames (usually English) making "grande" pronouncements, the world revolves around tea, gardening and misty watercolor memories."

Famed critic 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."

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," 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)."

Peter Keough of the Boston Phoenix said, "This exercise in scenery and music is as innocuous as a nosegay."

In the Chicago Tribune, Robert K. Elder awarded the film two out of a possible four stars and added, "[it] exemplifies that kind of polite, underdramatic Masterpiece Theatre staging that can either provide a surgical examination of English society or bore the pants off you. Ladies in Lavender does a bit of both . . . director Dance's momentum fades soon after Andrea's ankle mends, and we're left with a vague back story involving Andrea's intent to emigrate to America, though the mystery of how he ended up in Cornwall is never revisited nor revealed. [He] becomes sort of a blank character, a personality on whom we can impose our own curiosity and emotions . . . as compelling and original as this theme is, it's not enough to keep our attention, no matter how lovely the ladies in lavender are."

Awards and nominations

Both Judi Dench and Maggie Smith were nominated Best European Actress at the European Film Awards. Dench was nominated for the ALFS Award for British Actress of the Year by the London Film Critics Circle.