Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3437 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-02-28
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 100 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Ladies in Lavender is exactly the sort of film that prompts people to question, "Why don’t they make films like this anymore?" It’s a delicately-paced story of two aging sisters--Ursula (Dame Judi Dench) and Janet (Maggie Smith--who live together on a Cornwall beach in 1936. They discover a foreign stranger washed ashore (Daniel Bruhl), and while nursing him back to health make an astonishing discovery: the young man, a Pole, is a phenomenally gifted violinist. And Ursula finds her feelings for the man go far deeper than merely maternal.

Writer and director Charles Dance has crafted an admirable debut. Ladies in Lavender a tenderly done and bittersweet story of innocence and regret. Though the dialogue sometimes seems too earnest, and he has an over-reliance on slow motion cinematography, he still allows his two talented leads enough time and space to shine. It’s only unfortunate that more effort did not go into the DVD release of the film: the extras only consist of soundbites from the cast and crew, which add little insight. --Ted Kord

Synopsis
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.

Customer Reviews

A different kind of love story
It is 1936 in the village of Cornwall, and elderly sisters Ursula (Judi Dench) and Janet (Maggie Smith) are living a well-ordered and dull life. A violent storm washes a young man (Daniel Bruhl) ashore; the sisters take him in and nurse him back to health. Ursula, the more emotional of the two, is drawn to him immediately and soon has romantic fantasies about him. Janet, the older, no-nonsense sister, is initially less involved, but slowly she, too, comes to see the young man as "hers." His talent for the violin is noticed by their lovely neighbor (Natascha McElhone), but the sisters are jealous of her interest and want to keep him in their life.

This little movie is quite fragile and touching. There's not a lot of action here, but the two stars make it a most satisfying experience. The focus is entirely on their emotional reaction to the presence of the young man, and both Dench and Smith are masters in the arts of facial expression and speech. Miriam Margolys plays a crusty housekeeper for a bit of comic relief, and the always reliable David Warner is a lovelorn village doctor. The various plot threads are left unresolved, much like real life, and one is left with a glimpse into two lives that is heartfelt and real. Dench and Smith are unforgettable; I heartily recommend "Ladies in Lavender" to their fans.

Sisters of mercy.
If I am ever washed up on a Cornish beach, please let it be these two sisters that find me?

Superb, charming, engrossing, touching, gentle, an extraordinary film.

Two of our finest actresses playing of each other with such class. The whole package is brilliant. Right down to Judi Dench's sensible shoes.

It almost moved me tears, I didn't want it to ever end.

Great film Mr Dance, great cast, a modern classic.

Back to more manly things, did you see the match last night.........

Ladies In Lavender
According to a well-known song, "..there is nothing like a dame.." and Ladies In Lavender proves this twice over. Maggie Smith and Judi Dench as two elderly sisters Janet and Ursula, give the outstanding performances we have come to expect from them The directing debut of Charles Dance has been a resounding success - one would think he'd been doing it all his life. Daniel Bruhl, who has the role of Andrea -the young Polish violinist washed up on a Cornish beach and into the lives of the two sisters, is a formidable talent. Miriam Margoyles as Dorcas is, as always, a joy to watch. There's an excellent performance from Natasha McElhone as Olga who is instrumental in helping Andrea become a professional violinist. Add to this the talents of Freddie Jones and David Warner, to name but two of the supporting actors, and you know you are in for a real treat. Indeed, one could be forgiven for suggesting that Charles Dance was Divinely Inspired when he cast this film - everyone and everything works together beautifully. The soul-tingling playing of violinist Joshua Bell is an experience that transcends ecstasy. Ladies In Lavender is set to become a classic film - BUY IT.