Two aging spinster sisters have their peaceable Cornwall existence disrupted in 1936 when they take a young Polish violinist into their care. After a particularly violent storm, Ursula and Janet Widington awake to find young man Andrea half-drowned and badly injured on the beach.
They slowly discover that he is a Polish Jew with a gift for music as an accomplished violinist, hoping to find his way to America. But the village isn’t used to visitors and everyone, with the exception of the sisters, is full of suspicions, especially when Andrea develops a friendship with a beautiful Russian woman vacationing nearby. Eventually, the two must make a choice between trying to keep their new charge for themselves or setting him free in the world.
Set in picturesque coastal Cornwall, in a tight-knit fishing village in the 1930’s, Ladies in Lavender boasts the cream of British acting talent as Oscar and BAFTA award-winners Dame Judi Dench (Iris, Chocolat, recent James Bond films) and Dame Maggie Smith (Gosford Park, Tea with Mussolini, the Harry Potter films) play the leading roles of sisters Ursula (Dench) and Janet Widdington (Smith).
Rising German talent and award-winning Daniel Bruhl (Goodbye Lenin!) plays Andrea. A gifted young Jewish violinist from Krakow, Andrea is bound for America when he is swept overboard by a fierce storm. When the Widdington sisters discover the handsome and mysterious stranger on the beach below their house, they nurse him back to health. However, the presence of the musically talented young man disrupts the peaceful lives of Ursula and Janet and the community in which they live.
Production notes provided by Roadside Attractions.
Ladies in Lavender
Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Daniel Bruhl, Natascha McElhone, Miriam Margolyes
Directed by: Charles Dance
Screenplay by: Charles Dance
Release Date: April 29th, 2005
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for strong language.
Studio: Roadside Attractions
Box Office Totals
Domestic: $6,765,081 (33.2%)
Foreign: $13,611,994 (66.8%)
Total: $20,377,075 (Worldwide)