great acting, great story, great script, lush cinematography, stands alone from the book wich is impressive for an adaptation, cold mountain coulda learned a thing or 2. only thing i didn't get was the accents...how come michael gambon talked english-style, billy crudup french-style and cate scottish-style??! how come it crashd n burnd at the boxoffice?? this is my first evr post i wldn't have wasted it on a substandard movie lol!
shareI definitely agree with what u said about the accents. Cate blanchett was "living" so to speak, in France and the scene where she goes into the cafe and is asked where she's from, she replies "Paris" but in an english accent?!!Surely she would have been known to be a spy by using this accent.
shareOne thing I noticed was that her Scottish accent is only really noticeable when she was in England, talking to Peter or other english people. During her time in France, it phases out and becomes bland, to compensate for the fact all of them would be talking French. I think some french-esque accents were thrown in here and there to make it a little more authentic, but it didn't really take anything away from the film. Cate Blanchett's voice sayin anything is just lovely.
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they made the decision to go with the characters speaking English all the way thru, even in France. This made a beautifully shot and well-acted film feel ultimately unrealistic.
the other options are 'Allo 'Allo French accents which would be faintly comic, or have it in French with English subtitles (possibly damaging to box office takings i'm sure they feared).
watching the film just now on Channel 4 (UK) i think it would have been better if they'd had the balls to go with French with subtitles.
I know people may think Im just starting an argument here, but I have to disagree. I really did not like this film one bit. Now people may look at this and think 'hes just saying that because of the love bits' or summit like that, but you'd be wrong. I can accept and recognise a good film when I see one, like Titanic, brilliantly made, well directed, brilliant score, but I dont like it. On the other hand, I really didnt like this film one bit. I half expected the two jewish kids to run out at the end! This gives rise to another thing! I sick of seeing films were the germans are heartless stormtroopers that have been made in some facotry deep in the heart of german, each with a sprinkle of evil added to them. WHY!?! Too make a good film? So what, did all the germans who were in the army between 1939-1945 not have feelings? No respect for human life? Yeh, I can accept seeing the SS and the Gistapo protrayed as 'evil' and I do know about the 6million jews that were murdered by the nazis, but every time I see a war movie that protrays the average german soldier as evil i feel like throwing something heavy at the director. If hitler had been born in England instead of Austria, hey, we might be watching films about British soldiers killing jews. Im sorry it just bugs me! And now Ive just realised that there was no point in this what so ever so I bid you all good bye, and hope I havent started some mass arguement here. Bye bye!
10/09/05 Boro 2 - 1 Arsenal
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I agree that it is a good film, certainly very enjoyable and loveable even, but in the confines of the emotionless rating of a movie (ie. cinematography [sp?] and other factors) it is not that great. One thing that really gets me is when she is on the train there are certain shots when you can really tell she is sitting in a carriage with a blue screen behind her.
I do like the same accent throughout as French accents put on by the cast could have been disastorus.
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As a historian I think this film even brilliantly differentiated the picture of "the enemy". It's not a film about "evil Germans" at all. In fact, Germans were not portrayed that bad. The main stress in this film lies in the conflicts within the people of one nation: French against French, British people against Germans, but then again aiganst French communists and so on. You see clearly the different cleavages in and between the different partys. In fact I see very strong similarities between Charlotte Gray and The Wind That Shakes The Barley, a film that is also brilliant in showing different and changing connections.
Beside this: I would say it's just very difficult to do a movie about Vichy-France without showing at least a bit of the role Germany played in this whole affaire.
Forget the philosophy, this is one of the worst war films ever made.
It is cliched with dreadful dialogue and the acting was as good as the Director.
Even Sebastian Faulks thought it was a disastrous mess but, as he said, the payment for the rights made him overcome his distaste for the script.
The whole thing makes one cringe which is a pity as the book was extremely good.
I definitley agree: would habe been much better in French with English subtitles. I was really confused when the boys spoke Englisch when she "fell" from the sky. (I first thought she came down still in England). And then, when everybody spoke English, I was disappointed and I needed some time to get used to it. The film lost an important element here!
The convention of having non-English speakers speak English in the movies is a long-standing one. While the alternative (having the French speak French with English subtitles) has been employed a few times, that also presents problems -- because key cast members may not be able to speak the language convincingly. Charlotte Gray is supposed to speak perfect French; does Cate Blanchette? Billy Crudup? Michael Gambon has played many a French character but is his French good enough to pass? Yes, there are French actors who presumably speak French rather well -- but the only one I can think of who speaks perfect English is Charlotte Rampling (who happens to be English though most of her career has been in French cinema). And Charlotte Rampling, though beautiful, is certainly not young enough to play Charlotte Gray. Rampling aside, think of all the wonderful French, Italian, Spanish and German actors who, though they've starred in American or British films, could NEVER pass as having been born in England or in the U.S. Their accents are unmistakable. So don't be too hard on movie makers who bow to necessity and leave the language issues to your imagination.
shareUgh, the accents did my absolute head in... plus the way the guy in France says 'morning' to her... rather than in French... makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
But apart from that it was a very good film.
No no no!! Stop slashing things!!
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I thought it was a great movie and Cate Blanchett gave a wonderful performance. I was suprised that I hadnt heard of it earlier and that it wasnt a bigger film because it was very good.
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Yes, i partly agree: Great acting (especially bay Blanchett once again), nicely done images and quite a good string of narration. But this movie is miles from OSCAR AND LUCINDA, which was Gil Armstrong's masterpiece. I think Blanchett missed a counterpart who was able to match her performance. Fiennes did that in OAL and the setting in Australia even enhanced Armstrong's quite lyrical approach.
CHARLOTTE GRAY is a nice movie but not up to the task of following OSCAR AND LUCINDA.
Huh. See now ... I saw CHARLOTTE GRAY before OSCAR AND LUCINDA, before I really knew much about either Blanchett or Crudup. I came away thinking Blanchett was pretty good but not up to all the hype, "I must be missing something." But I was blown away by Crudup.
I've since sought out movies by both of them, including OAL. That was a pretty intense movie, and both of the leads (and the supporting cast) were great, no question. But CG is just a completely different story. Viewing each in isolation, I have a hard time even comparing them.
(I wouldn't rate either of them as Best Movie Ever, but I do prefer CG as a story ... OAL is just too striking, too dramatic. This seems more human.)
"Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle."
I think Cudrup did well but he is miles removed from Fiennes. The fact that nobody in France talks French is a serious offence. Blanchett would have been able to do it, as she was also able to do brilliant German for THE GOOD GERMAN (and I know it because German is my mother tongue). So it must have been the other cast...
Fiennes is one of the best actors in the business right now (way better than his brother actually). OAL was a masterpiece of acting and the directing seemed brilliant and somehow "bewitched". I think the setting in Australia had something to do with that. In CG the directing was prety similar. Only the pace of the movie was faster (in my opinion a bit too fast) and the story and the cast (except Cate) was somehow more "ordinary".
I'm with ya on the Fiennes brothers, definitely.
Only the pace of the movie was faster (in my opinion a bit too fast) and the story and the cast (except Cate) was somehow more "ordinary".
Yeah, it has become a rare thing to have good discussions on a thread here! Quite refreshing to talk to somebody who does not simply comment actresses' looks or make silly remarks on rather shallow movies!
THX!!
''"All in all the house is very creepy - so you gotta stay with be! Come on!"''
I haven't seen this movie, but a relative of mine had an uncredited part in this...I don't think he said anything, but he was in it...
shareIt is a pretty under rated movie. I don't know about great, but definitely under rated.
Remember Us -- 300 (2007)
I dunno, I like Blanchett an awful lot, but best movie ever? No. ;) I'd agree with teh review link below... Crudup's character didn't do it for me...
http://shareddarkness.com/2006/04/29/charlotte-gray.aspx
That was a decent review, hadn't seen it before. Thanks!
Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle.
In reply to original post... yes :o) I have to agree, it's been one of my fav's for a while. So many beautiful elements.
The most striking part, for me, is that it showed that people are capable of putting them outside of safety for others, for what is right. Even if some of the details were more entertaining than reality, it made me think about some deep issues that others have faced in the past, and ultimately we all face. Am I willing to do what is really right even at personal cost?
For me, it's pretty unlike any movie I'd ever seen.
Oh, and on a more shallow note, I'm drawn to that subtle European style, so I do melt a little watching Julien... And Cate is such a beautiful actress. She seemed to be living Charlotte.
If anyone reads this post, thanks! :o)
Great movie ! Cate in stunning performance.
share(Charlotte Gray) is a poignant and memorable film. It definitely makes the pain and suffering of that war very real. The only disappointment was the use of English and especially the accents of the characters. Even with that flaw, I still rate it a ten
MW
This movie was kind of an epic fail. I don't mean it was a bad movie. Honestly I thought it was just okay, but I mean it was a huge fail in that nothing was accomplished. She tried to find her boyfriend - she broke up with him. She tried to help the resistance - they were all killed. She tried to help those two Jewish kids - they were killed. The only thing she got out of it was Julian, but he's a Communist so that doesn't count. Also, Dumbledore died again.
shareYeah, and you know what? Real life stories don't have nice, packaged endings.
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