Charlotte Gray

2001 Drama

Based on the best-selling novel by Sebastian Faulks, this drama, set in Europe during World War II, stars Cate Blanchett as Charlotte, a Scottish woman living in London. Charlotte falls in love with Peter (Rupert Penry-Jones), a handsome RAF pilot, and the two are soon caught up in a torrid affair. Before long, Peter is sent off on a mission over France, and Charlotte receives word that Peter has been reported missing in action. Fluent in French and desperate to find the man she loves, Charlotte volunteers for work with British intelligence and is soon smuggled into France where she is to work with French resistance forces, posing as a woman from Paris. As Charlotte goes about her duties and tries to find Peter, she finds herself drawn to Julien (Billy Crudup), a Communist working with resistance forces. Charlotte is assigned to pose as a domestic at the home of Julien's father, Levade (Michael Gambon), where he's hiding two Jewish boys whose parents have been captured by Nazi troops. In order to maintain her cover and protect Julien, Levade, and the boys, Charlotte finds herself drawn into a relationship with Renech (Anton Lesser), a busybody schoolteacher who is collaborationg with the occupation troops. Directed by Gillian Armstrong, Charlotte Gray also features James Fleet, Ron Cook, and Helen McCrory. more..

Director: Gillian Armstrong

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, Rupert Penry-Jones, James Fleet

Reviews

  • Has an intoxicating, old-fashioned feel about it. We are instantly lost in the period, thanks to cinematographer Dion Beebe's almost haloed images and Joseph Bennett's authentic, restrained production design.

    Desson Thomson - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

  • Cate Blanchett has the title role, and she does wonders with it, bringing a degree of passion but also suggesting something essentially unevolved in Charlotte's character.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    19 January 2013

  • Displays so much promise with its beautiful cinematography and superb portrayal by Cate Blanchett that you scarcely notice (or even care) that the story is a bit thin.

    Claudia Puig - USA Today

    19 January 2013

  • Blanchett, Crudup and Gambon stand above and somehow apart from the absurdities of the screenplay.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • A frustratingly inert story, a bookend to last year's wooden ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin.''

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Romance

    Golden Trailer Awards (2002)

     
  • Best Actress

    Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards (2002)

     
  • Best Actress

    San Diego Film Critics Society Awards (2001)

  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama

    Satellite Awards (2002)