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Charlotte GrayRating:
Release Date: 03 February, 2004 Retail Price: $14.98 OUR Price: $12.99 You SAVE: $1.99! Cast: Complete Cast (12 total) |
Charlotte Gray Reviews
"Always remember who you are not."
"Always remember who you are not." "Soon," our heroine Charlotte Gray is told, "you'll transform yourself from who you are now into somebody entirely different." So when Cate Blanchett's character is air dropped into occupied France (24 minutes into the film) a member of the French resistance asks, "You are...?" "Dominique Guilbert," the 'former' Miss Gray responds, as they remove her from her parachute. "Welcome to France, Dominique." Thus begins her work as a British agent; having told her lover earlier that she too wanted to be brave, thus when her soldier-friend goes missing in France she decides to follow. She had studied French when she was younger so they presumed that she could pass herself off as a Parisian. For effect, in the beginning of the film, Miss Blanchett does utter some words of French, but not a word of it while in France itself. Apparently, the makers of this film thought it be better if we only made believe all were speaking French (as all the characters speak nothing but English; or, I should say, all of the French and British characters, for the Germans do utilize their native tongue on occasion. Late in the film, for example, a Vichy French hack asks this of Michael Gambon's character: "Do you have a certificate of non-belonging to ther Jewish race?" Then tells him that "the aim of collaboration is, and always has been to safeguard the independence of French citizens." Simply put, such dialogue in English loses its import in my opinion. There's a fine Czech film about World War Two (Dark Blue World) that starts in Czech and thence when that film's characters make it to England intertwines Czech and English throughout the remainder of the film. I wish they would have done likewise with "Charlotte Gray." An above average film (such as this one is) set in war-torn France simply ought to have some French in it, I should think. It would have improved the film, in my opinion. Notwithstanding this criticism, "Charlotte Gray" still (albeit barely) works as a film. A bit more authenticity, though, would have immeasurably improved it. Cheers!
A Whole-hearted & Touching Story
I was surprised not have heard of this movie, and was even more surprised that it was not recognized by critics and movie goers alike.
The way the story unfolds seems erratic and non-uniform, but what can one expect from such a complex storyline in only 2 or so hours? Kate was remarkable in this film and so too was Billy Crudup. It's easy to see past any minor wardrobe flaws or any weaknesses in the unfolding of the plot, as the main focuses are the emotional and symbolic components, which were done well!
An unconventinal love story, "Charlotte Gray" shows the struggles of ordinary people amidst dire circumstances. Setting love aside to fulfill what she felt were her obligations in the war, she discovers that it was in fact love that lead her to accept her role in the french communist resistance.
While searching for her lost love, she becomes attached to the characters in her 1945 French village and unwittingly ignites a new and unexpected flame. Charlotte soon finds her true nature; revealed in the challenges and struggles that she faces. In the end, the film leads into Charlotte making a seemingly unexpected choice....
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