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Ladies in Lavender offers nothing in the way of special effects, explosive action, gratuitous sex, ribald language, or crude comedy. But it does star Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, and the pleasure of their company more than makes up for the lack of such transitory diversions. The venerable Academy Award winners star as Ursula and Janet, siblings who putter about their wind- and sea-swept Cornwall house. The year is 1936, and war’s storm clouds are on the horizon. The sisters' quiet days and nights of gardening, knitting, and listening to the wireless are upended by Andrea Marowski (Daniel Bruhl), a handsome young foreigner who mysteriously washes up on shore in the wake of a storm. The ladies take him in and nurse him back to health. To their surprise, Andrea turns out to be a virtuoso violinist (Joshua Bell supplies the solos). His talent captures the attention of a newcomer to the area, Olga (Natascha McElhone), a beautiful young woman with artistic aspirations of her own -- to whom the never-married Ursula takes an instant jealous dislike. Ladies in Lavender is a stately village drama populated by some memorable characters, including Dorcas (Miriam Margolyes), the sisters’ salty housekeeper, and Dr. Mead (David Warner), who fancies Olga himself and might not be above planting the suspicion that the German-speaking stranger is a spy. Actor Charles Dance directs with sensitivity, providing Ladies in Lavender with lyrical grace notes through subtle, slow-motion shifts that preserve this film’s more heartwarming and bittersweet moments. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

Two sisters engage in a subtle war for the affections of a man half their age in this British comedy drama. It's 1936, and Janet Widdington (Maggie Smith) and her sister, Ursula (Judi Dench), are a pair of elderly spinsters who share a home in Cornwall on the coast of England. After a storm, the sisters discover that someone has been washed up on the beach in front of their house. Bringing the body inside, they discover the victim is a handsome Polish man named Andrea Marowski (Daniel Brühl) who has suffered a broken ankle and speaks no English, only Polish and German. As the sisters patch up Andrea's ankle, Janet dusts off her old German textbook from school, and begins getting to know more about their guest. It isn't long before Janet develops an infatuation for the good-looking stranger, and attempts to teach him English, which is more than a bit maddening to Ursula, who has fallen head over heels for him -- especially after the sisters discover he's a gifted violinist and hear him display his craft on a borrowed instrument. As the sisters find themselves vying for Andrea's attention, they wonder if they should report his presence to the authorities, especially after Olga (Natascha McElhone), an attractive woman in her early thirties who lives nearby, becomes aware of Andrea's presence in the home and wants to make contact with him. Based on a short story by William J. Locke, Ladies in Lavender marked the directorial debut of actor Charles Dance. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 043396131064
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled
• Time: 1:44:00
• Sales Rank: 13,439

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