Ladies in Lavender (DVD, 2005)

Famous British actor, Charles Dance, gives us his directorial debut with beloved British Dames Judi Dench & Maggie Smith, in a screen adaptation of the short story by William J. Locke.

Senior sisters Ursula (Dench) & Janet (Smith) cohabitate by the sea in Cornwall, in the 1930's. As sisters, they are quite different & often at odds with each other. Thus, their relatively typical British lives in retirement are spiced up by that subtle friction.

During one of their gazes out the window towards the ocean beating up against the craggy rocks, Ursula spots something unusual on the sand. As the 2 elderly women approach the object, they find it's a living young man who's washed ashore.

Ursula decides to take him in & nurse him to health much to Janet's chagrin. He can't speak English so they have no idea who he is or what his background is, either.

But, it's not long before they figure out the young man's (Daniel Bruhl) a budding, undiscovered violinist from Poland named Andreas. A neighboring visitor, a gorgeous artist (Natasha McElhorne), immediately spots Andreas's exceptional talent because her own brother is a master. Tension builds between characters as they compete for their positions in relation to the rescued violinist.

Their housekeeper (Miriam Margolyes) provides comic relief in an emotional drama that surely is fitting for 2 of the greatest actors of the 20th & 21st centuries. What could have been such an ordinary little film that got buried in a box is brought to life by extraordinary character acting, period depiction precision & scrumptious classical violin music. If you like this film, see Bette Davis & Lillian Gish in "The Whales of August," which just might be this one's superior!

I rented this and loved it. Judi Dench and Maggie Smith are fantastic. Joshua Bell plays superbly, as I knew he would. The young man, Daniel Bruhl, who plays the Miestro is fantastic at making you believe he is playing that violin. Excellent acting all around. Excellent violin solos. I bought the Cd. I loved that part of this movie. This is a beautiful picture with some gorgeous scenery. I have watched it several times now and it has not grown old. I wish more were made like this!

A friend of mine insisted I watch her copy of "Ladies in Lavender." I laughed aloud,alone, watching this excellent movie. The characterizations are perfect, the scenery breathtaking and the music exquisite. Treat yourself to a delightful movie as soon as you can order it. I am giving it to sister-in-law for a Christmas present.

Kay Kay Smith

A very pleasant video with only one swear word that is quite faint. It is the kind of story that has good qualities to it.

Most enjoyable movie - a mature chick flick!!! Anything with Judi Dench is worth its weight in gold.

Who doesn't love Maggie Smith and Judy Dench see them in "A Room With A View" Smith and Dench play aging spinster sisters who share a quiet little hamlet on the beach..the day after a storm they go outside to survey the damage and come upon a young Man laying injured on the beach..as they care for him they find he does not speak english, but plays the violin as an angel would play a harp..struggling with their own selfish desires to have him stay or help him realize his dream as a professional violinist they argue and mourn when the right choice is laid down before them..a sweet story of love, jealousy and loss that will have you weeping and laughing with joy..mixed with romance comedy and the right amount of drama this is a movie not to be missed!! 5 out of 5 bars!!

This is a sweet, and yet strangely sad story about two aged sisters who find a half-alive young man washed up on their beach after a storm. The setting, the acting, and the storyline are all superb. Not an action-adventure or a comedy, (although there is a constant subtle humor throughout the film) but just a precious, simple movie overall. If you tend to like foreign films, and are a bit of a romantic at heart, I believe you'll like this film.

I purchased this movie for a gift because I thought it was wonderful when I saw it. The music is spectacular, the story interesting, the acting superb, and the location beautiful.

This is a chick flick. my wife rented it and like very much so I had to buy it for her on Ebay. She gave it 5*, as for me not my type of movie.

Everything about the transaction...service and item was great. I'm a well-satisfied customer.
Movie well done and very enjoyable, but not run-of-the-mill kind of story so won't be appreciated by all.

I found this dvd really great. The shipper was fantastic with care in packaging the dvd. The plot of the movie had my intrest. It had a swell cast.

This movie will make you cry, laugh love, and be angry all in the time it takes to watch it over and over again.

I bought this just because I happened to see it on ebay and it looked interesting. It was a very good movie with some unexpected events occuring in it. The only thing I was confused about was the title since I didn't percieve any reference to it in the movie.

If you like British movies- it is very good and displays universal themes. I bought it because I like the two lead actors in other programs or movies. Was not disappointed.