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'Ladies in Lavender': The stars invigorate every frame
by Eleanor Ringel

This restrained period piece isn't aimed at anyone who's already seen "Revenge of the Sith" 28 times and plans to go back for more. But thanks to its pair of magnificent Dames, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench, "Ladies in Lavender" has more going for it than the flowery title might suggest. They play sisters who never married and, in the unsettled twilight between World Wars, live in their deceased father's house on the coast of Cornwall. Into these quiet, pleasantly ordered lives comes a young stranger, washed up on their rocky shore like a gift from the sea. Read the full review

TO SUM UP
On the eve of World War II, two sisters (Judi Dench, Maggie Smith) have their peaceable Cornwall existence disrupted when they take a young Polish violinist into their care.

FILM FACTS ...

Roadside Attractions

'Ladies in Lavender'

Director: Charles Dance
Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Natascha McElhone, Daniel Bruhl, Miriam Margolyes, Freddie Jones
Run time: 103 minutes
Release date: April 8, 2005
Rating: PG-13 for brief language.
See showtimes

On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
Trailers require Quicktime

READ THE REVIEW

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B
"A fascinating and involving chamber piece for two superb actresses. Theirs is a duet of nuance and inflection, raised eyebrows and trembly lips."

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The Palm Beach Post: B
"All of this could easily have been a Masterpiece Theatre episode, except for Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench, who invest their signature performance savvy in Ladies in Lavender as if it were Shakespeare."

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Dayton Daily News: B
"Almost without words, Dench is remarkably expressive as a woman confronted by a void she thought had been stored away long ago."