While Blanchett's presence is surely felt in virtually every scene of the movie, her acting isn't. We don't connect with her at all.
Charlotte Gray (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:88
Fresh:28
Rotten:60
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: A dull adaptation of Sebastian Faulk's novel despite gorgeous cinematography and Cate Blanchett's best efforts.
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis:
London, 1942.
The world is at war.
A seemingly chance encounter with a stranger on a train leads a young Scottish woman (CATE BLANCHETT) to consider enlisting in a special operation with the...
London, 1942.
The world is at war.
A seemingly chance encounter with a stranger on a train leads a young Scottish woman (CATE BLANCHETT) to consider enlisting in a special operation with the French Resistance. When her lover, an RAF pilot (RUPERT PENRY-JONES), is shot down in the line of duty, Charlotte joins the secret mission as a means to serve her country and find the man she loves.
Assuming a new identity, "Dominique" parachutes behind enemy lines in Southern France, where she rendezvous with Julien Levade (BILLY CRUDUP), the leader of the local resistance group. Posing as the new housekeeper for Julien's father (MICHAEL GAMBON), "Dominique" serves as a liaison between the British government and the resistance fighters, helping to thwart Nazi efforts to move munitions and abduct local Jews, while secretly attempting to learn the fate of her missing lover.
As the war escalates, Charlotte's resolve and commitment to Julien, their comrades and their cause deepens. A once rather ordinary woman, Charlotte involves herself in extraordinary acts of heroism, jeopardizing her own safety to protect those who cannot protect themselves. But when the Gestapo closes in and their mission is compromised, she and Julien are forced to take flight or risk capture and certain death.
Back in London, Charlotte finds she has been forever changed by her experience, and must follow a heart torn between the man she followed to France and those she has come to love in the course of duty.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with FilmFour and Senator Film, the romantic drama Charlotte Gray, directed by GILLIAN ARMSTRONG from a screenplay by JEREMY BROCK, based on the best-selling novel by SEBASTIAN FAULKS.
Charlotte Gray is produced by SARAH CURTIS and DOUGLAS RAE. The co-producers are CATHERINE KERR and ELEANOR DAY. PAUL WEBSTER, ROBERT BERNSTEIN and HANNO HUTH are the executive producers. -- © 2001 Warner Bros.
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, Rupert Penry-Jones
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, Rupert Penry-Jones, John Benfield, Ron Cook, Anton Lesser, Robert Shannon, Jack Shepherd
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Screenwriter: Jeremy Brock
Producer: Sarah Curtis, Douglas Rae, Elinor Day
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Studio: Warner Bros.
Reviews for Charlotte Gray
This is Blanchett's film. Her quiet, detailed work leaves you wanting more.
Not a great work but wields powerful weapons in its director and its star.
One day Blanchett may get a part that melts her virginal ice queen formality, but this isn’t the film.
While "Charlotte Gray" can be an infuriating film at times... it does feature subplots that make it worthwhile.
The script doesn't give Blanchett nearly enough to do to sustain a rooting interest in her character.
Blanchett, who gets better with every performance, takes hold of this movie with a firm but subtle hand.
Gives us a woman's view of World War II: There's a taut sense of danger here, and a different kind of valor at work.
Blanchett is an extraordinary actress, and she does what she can to flesh out the material. But Charlotte is one of the least active underground operatives in movie history.
This is a movie that looks great, is well-acted, and tells a story that you can't believe for a moment.
It's that most unfortunate of commodities, a thing of muffled usualness, virtually generic.
The politics are confused and the atmosphere is a muddy mess, a haphazard mix of continental accents and inconsistent languages...
It stretches credulity, strains patience, and eventually, falls flat.
Latest News for Charlotte Gray
July 22, 2005:
Guy Pearce to Defy "Death" in Houdini Biopic
Guy Pearce and Rachel Weisz will co-star in the Harry Houdini biopic "Death Defying Acts," according to Variety. Gillian Armstrong ("Charlotte Gray") will... More...
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