Film Reviews

Charlotte Gray

• Rating:
• Director: Gillian Armstrong.
• Starring: Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, Rupert Penry-Jones, Anton Lesser, Ron Cook, James Fleet.
• Details: UK/ 119 mins / (12PG).

Based on the hugely acclaimed novel by Sebastian Faulks, Charlotte Gray is an earnest but laboured account of one woman's struggle in occupied France during World War II. The ever-impressive Blanchett plays the title character, a Scottish woman who becomes a spy after her lover, Peter Gregory (Rupert Penry-Jones), is shot down over France. While her intentions in resisting the Nazis are honourable, Charlotte has far more personal business to take care of - trying to discover the whereabouts of Peter, and if possible, rescue him. As you'd expect, things don't go smoothly for Charlotte, and as well as constantly trying to avoid detection, she falls for the charms of the resistance leader, Julien (Billy Crudup). The performances might be all polished, but where Charlotte Gray flounders is the puzzling and distinctly emotionless narrative. The film should be smoldering with passion, but the story plods along so self-consciously that's its difficult to suspend belief as Charlotte's predicament becomes more pronounced.

Review by Garreth Murphy