Charlotte Gray (film)

Last updated

Charlotte Gray
Charlotte gray ver2.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Gillian Armstrong
Screenplay by Jeremy Brock
Based on Charlotte Gray
by Sebastian Faulks
Produced bySarah Curtis
Douglas Rae
Starring Cate Blanchett
Billy Crudup
Michael Gambon
Rupert Penry-Jones
Anton Lesser
Ron Cook
James Fleet
Cinematography Dion Beebe
Edited byNicholas Beauman
Music by Stephen Warbeck
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 28 December 2001 (2001-12-28)(North America)
  • 22 February 2002 (2002-02-22)(United Kingdom)
Running time
121 minutes [3]
CountriesUnited Kingdom [4]
Australia [4]
Germany [4]
LanguageEnglish
Budget£14 million [5]
Box office£2,863,482 [6]

Charlotte Gray is a 2001 drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong. The screenplay was adapted from Sebastian Faulks' 1999 novel Charlotte Gray . It is set in Vichy France during World War II. The film stars Cate Blanchett, James Fleet, Abigail Cruttenden, Rupert Penry-Jones, Michael Gambon and Billy Crudup.

Contents

The story is based on the exploits of women in Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) who worked with the French resistance in Nazi-occupied France.

Plot

In 1942, a young Scot, Charlotte Gray, travels by train to London to take a job in a surgery. Richard Cannerley enters her compartment, asking questions about her life and expressing interest that she is fluent in French. He gives Charlotte his business card with the details of a book launch party. There, he introduces Charlotte to some of his acquaintances and asks her to contact him later. Charlotte enjoys a quick wartime romance with Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant Peter Gregory, whom she met at the party.

Cannerley has recruited Charlotte for the SOE. She is seconded to First Aid Nursing Yeomanry with the rank of Driver. She completes rigorous SOE training. Charlotte learns that Gregory's plane has gone down over occupied France and that he is missing in action. Charlotte signs up for SOE operations in France, partly motivated by her wish to find him.

Charlotte's first mission to France is to deliver radio vacuum tubes. She drops by parachute. She meets her contact in a café, but the contact is arrested by the police in front of her. Julien, Charlotte's main contact in the French Resistance, reassigns her to act as housekeeper to his father, Levade. Levade is hiding two French Jewish boys, André and Jacob, after their parents were deported to a German concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Charlotte participates in a Resistance mission: helping to blow up a train carrying Nazi armaments and soldiers. The Nazis bring their own forces and armoured vehicles to the village to crush the Resistance in the area. Charlotte's SOE contact tells her that Gregory died after his aeroplane was shot down.

A French official arrives to work with the Germans to ensure that their quota for deporting Jews is met. Renech, the village schoolmaster, follows Charlotte. He learns that Levade is hiding Jewish children. He threatens Charlotte with reporting the boys to the Nazis unless she agrees to become his "friend". She promises to meet him the following night.

That night, Julien's Resistance group is ambushed by German soldiers, armed with machine guns. All are killed except Julien. Believing Charlotte betrayed them, Julien confronts her the next day at his father's house. Soon afterwards, German soldiers, with Renech and the French official, arrive at Levade's house. They question him about his Jewish ancestry, about which Renech apparently informed him. Renech tells Julien he must betray either his father or the boys (Renech does not care which). Julien announces that his father has a Jewish grandparent and that this means he himself is therefore of Jewish ancestry. The Germans arrest Levade, who understands Julien, who does not qualify for deportation because he is only 18 Jewish, acted to protect the boys.

Renech betrays the boys anyway. The Germans arrive at the boys' new hiding place before Charlotte can get there and capture them. Julien lies in wait for Renech in his apartment and shoots him dead. Julien leaves for southern France, perhaps to escape to fight elsewhere. Charlotte refuses to go with him, saying that she still has duties to fulfil. Charlotte simply smiles when he says that he does not even know her real name.

Evading French police, Charlotte rushes to Levade's house where she hurriedly types a letter and takes it to the railway station where Jews are being loaded into cattle cars. Hearing the boys and Levade, Charlotte pushes the letter between the boards of their car. Levade reads it aloud to the boys: it purports to be a letter from their parents, encouraging them to care for one another, to eat well, to survive and reminding them of their parents' love. Although the film suggests that Levade and the Jewish boys are doomed, Faulks's novel states explicitly that they die in a concentration camp.

Sometime later, Charlotte leaves France and returns to London. Peter Gregory, who in fact survived his aeroplane crash and has been in hiding in France, contacts her, wanting to resume their romance. Charlotte explains that she grieved for him and cannot go back to their romantic relationship. After the war, Charlotte returns to Julien at what was formerly his father's home. For the first time, she tells him her real name is Charlotte Gray.

Cast

Production

Filming took place between February and May 2001. Exteriors were filmed on location at Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, in the French department of Tarn-et-Garonne, as well as in England, Scotland and at Pinewood Studios.[ citation needed ]

Reception

Charlotte Gray received negative reviews from critics. It holds a 33% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on 89 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7/10. [7] The critics' consensus said, "A dull adaptation of Sebastian Faulk's novel despite gorgeous cinematography and Cate Blanchett's best efforts". [8] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 48 out of 100 based on 28 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [9]

Charlotte Gray grossed AUD 4,188,497 at the box office in Australia, [10] USD 1,886,566 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, [11] and only USD 741,394 in the United States, [12] where it had a very limited release (widest release was 52 cinemas). [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Elizabeth</i> (film) 1998 film by Shekhar Kapurr

Elizabeth is a 1998 British biographical historical drama film directed by Shekhar Kapur and written by Michael Hirst. It stars Cate Blanchett in the title role of Elizabeth I of England, with Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, John Gielgud, and Richard Attenborough in supporting roles. The film is based on the early years of Elizabeth's reign, where she is elevated to the throne after the death of her half-sister Mary I, who had imprisoned her. As she establishes herself on the throne, she faces plots and threats to take her down.

<i>Heaven</i> (2002 film) 2002 film

Heaven is a 2002 romantic thriller film directed by Tom Tykwer, starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi. Co-screenwriter Krzysztof Kieślowski intended for it to be the first part of a trilogy, but Kieślowski died before he could complete the project. The film is an international co-production among producers based in Germany, France, Italy, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The dialogue is in Italian and English.

<i>Les Misérables</i> (1995 film) Film by Claude Lelouch

Les Misérables is a 1995 French war film written, produced and directed by Claude Lelouch. Set in France during the first half of the 20th century, the film concerns a poor and illiterate man named Henri Fortin who is introduced to Victor Hugo's classic 1862 novel Les Misérables and begins to see parallels to his own life. The film won the 1995 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

<i>The Gift</i> (2000 film) 2000 American supernatural thriller film

The Gift is a 2000 American paranormal thriller film directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson based on the alleged psychic experiences of Thornton's mother.

<i>Veronica Guerin</i> (film) 2003 film by Joel Schumacher

Veronica Guerin is a 2003 biographical crime film directed by Joel Schumacher from a screenplay by Carol Doyle and Mary Agnes Donoghue. The film stars Cate Blanchett, Gerard McSorley, Ciarán Hinds, Brenda Fricker, and Amy Shiels. Its plot focuses on Irish journalist Veronica Guerin, whose investigation into the drug trade in Dublin led to her murder in 1996, at the age of 36. The film is the second to be inspired by Guerin's life, following When the Sky Falls (2000).

<i>The Man Who Cried</i> 2000 British film

The Man Who Cried is a 2000 drama film written and directed by Sally Potter, and starring Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp, Harry Dean Stanton and John Turturro. The film tells the story of a young Jewish girl who, after being separated from her father in Soviet Russia, grows up in England and moves to Paris as a young adult, shortly before the beginning of World War II. It is the last film worked on by the French cinematographer Sacha Vierny.

<i>Carve Her Name with Pride</i> 1958 British film by Lewis Gilbert

Carve Her Name with Pride is a 1958 British war drama film based on the book of the same name by R. J. Minney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl Witherington</span> British agent for French Resistance in World War II

Cecile Pearl Witherington Cornioley,, code names Marie and Pauline, was an agent in France for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. The purpose of SOE was to conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in occupied Europe against the Axis powers. SOE agents allied themselves with French Resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England.

<i>Im Not There</i> 2007 film by Todd Haynes

I'm Not There is a 2007 musical drama film directed by Todd Haynes, who co-wrote the screenplay with Oren Moverman, based on a story by Haynes. An experimental biographical film, it is inspired by the life and music of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, with six actors depicting different facets of Dylan's public personas: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, and Ben Whishaw. A caption at the start of the film declares it to be "inspired by the music and the many lives of Bob Dylan"; this is the only mention of Dylan in the film apart from song credits, and his only appearance in it is concert footage from 1966 shown during the film's final moments.

<i>Charlotte Gray</i> (novel) 1999 novel by Sebastian Faulks

Charlotte Gray is a 1998 novel by Sebastian Faulks. Faulks completes his loose trilogy of books about France with this story of the adventures of a young Scotswoman, Charlotte Gray, who becomes an agent of Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) assigned to work with the French Resistance in Vichy France, during World War II. Although denied by the author, the story and title character have been compared to the exploits of SOE agents Nancy Wake and Pearl Witherington.

<i>Notes on a Scandal</i> (film) 2006 film by Richard Eyre

Notes on a Scandal is a 2006 British psychological drama thriller directed by Richard Eyre and produced by Robert Fox and Scott Rudin. Adapted from the 2003 novel by Zoë Heller, the screenplay was written by Patrick Marber. The film stars Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, and Bill Nighy, and centres on a lonely veteran teacher who uncovers a fellow teacher's illicit affair with an underage student.

<i>Paris Underground</i> (film) 1945 film by Gregory Ratoff

Paris Underground, also known as Madame Pimpernel, is a 1945 film directed by Gregory Ratoff, and based on the memoir of the same title by Etta Shiber.

<i>Oscar and Lucinda</i> (film) 1997 Australian film

Oscar and Lucinda is a 1997 romantic drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong and starring Cate Blanchett, Ralph Fiennes, Ciarán Hinds and Tom Wilkinson. The screenplay by Laura Jones is based on the 1988 Booker Prize-winning novel Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey. In March 1998, the film was nominated at the 70th Academy Awards for the Best Costume Design.

<i>Kung Fu Master</i> (film) 1988 film

Kung Fu Master is a 1988 French drama film directed by Agnès Varda. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>The Monuments Men</i> 2014 film by George Clooney

The Monuments Men is a 2014 war film directed by George Clooney and written and produced by Clooney and Grant Heslov. The film stars an ensemble cast including Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville and Cate Blanchett.

<i>Blue Jasmine</i> 2013 film by Woody Allen

Blue Jasmine is a 2013 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. The film tells the story of a rich Manhattan socialite who falls on hard times and has to move into her working-class sister's apartment in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cate Blanchett on screen and stage</span>

Cate Blanchett is an Australian actress who has worked extensively on screen and on stage. She made her stage debut in 1992 as Electra in the National Institute of Dramatic Art production of the play of the same name, and followed in 1993 with performances in Timothy Daly's Kafka Dances, for which she won the Sydney Theatre Critics Award for Best Newcomer, and the Sydney Theatre Company stage production of Oleanna, winning Best Actress. She is the first actor to win both awards at once. She went on to perform several other roles on stage, notably Susan Traherne in Plenty (1999), Hedda Gabler in Hedda Gabler (2004), Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (2009), Yelena in Uncle Vanya (2011), and Claire in The Maids (2013).

<i>Whered You Go, Bernadette</i> (film) 2019 American comedy-drama film by Richard Linklater

Where'd You Go, Bernadette is a 2019 American comedy-drama film directed by Richard Linklater from a screenplay by Linklater, Holly Gent, and Vince Palmo, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Maria Semple. It stars Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer, and Laurence Fishburne.

<i>Resistance</i> (2020 film) 2020 film directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz

Resistance is a 2020 biographical drama film written and directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz, inspired by the life of Marcel Marceau. It stars Jesse Eisenberg as Marceau, with Clémence Poésy, Matthias Schweighöfer, Alicia von Rittberg, Félix Moati, Géza Röhrig, Karl Markovics, Vica Kerekes, Bella Ramsey, Ed Harris and Édgar Ramírez.

<i>Armageddon Time</i> 2022 American film by James Gray

Armageddon Time is a 2022 American coming-of-age drama film written, directed, and produced by James Gray. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Banks Repeta, Jaylin Webb, and Anthony Hopkins. Inspired by Gray's childhood experiences, the story follows a young Jewish-American boy who befriends an African-American classmate and begins to struggle with his family's expectations and growing up in a time of inequality and prejudice. It was shot in New Jersey and Fresh Meadows, Queens, where Gray grew up.

References

  1. Mitchell, Robert (26 February 2022). "Charlotte Gray struggles to find box office gold". Screen International . Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  2. "Charlotte Gray (35mm)". Australian Classification Board . 20 August 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  3. "Charlotte Gray (2002)". British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 "Charlotte Gray (2002)". British Film Institute . Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  5. "Charlotte Gray (2001)". BFI Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  6. "Charlotte Gray (2001)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  7. "Charlotte Gray". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  8. "Charlotte Gray (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  9. "Charlotte Gray Reviews". Metacritic.
  10. "Film Victoria // supporting Victoria's film television and games industry - Film Victoria" (PDF). film.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  11. "Charlotte Gray (2001) - International Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com.
  12. 1 2 "Charlotte Gray (2001) - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com.