Review of Charlotte Gray

Introduction

Imagine being sent in, deep behind enemy lines, organising a resistance against an oppressive enemy, knowing that if you are found, more than likely you will be executed. This was the scenario for SOE agents during the Second World War. Women (although some men did it too) were sent into occupied France under alias, and then had to co-ordinate what resistance they could against the Nazi`s.

Based on a book by Sebastian Faulks, Charlotte Gray is a story of just that - a naïve yet resilient Scottish woman (by the name of Charlotte Gray if you hadn`t already guessed) applies to be sent into France, all because her lover was shot down over France and she has to find him. Upon arriving in France (along with a new name - Dominique), her contact is arrested by the local police and all of a sudden she is on her own. Until she finds Julien. Julien is one of the leader`s of the resistance, and along with his drunken father, they begin their work, as well as Charlotte`s quest to find her lover...

Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, Bandits et al) plays Charlotte - and she plays her well. From her transformation from a slightly-soft woman (although the strength that she will later possess is slightly evident) to a war-hardened agent, she portrays her character excellently, and almost carries the film herself. She is backed up by Billy Crudup (Almost Famous) who plays Julien, and together they form a convincing resisting duo, and the other supporting actors all contribute well.

Video

It is presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, and the visuals are well defined, with no colour saturation and there are no compression signs visible. The print is always crisp and clear, but that`s what one would have come to expect from a film released in 2002.

Gillian Armstrong directs, and one of the things that adds so much ambience to the film are the locations - from the breathtaking opening shots to the village that fits the bill so well as the backdrop to Charlotte and her objectives. She directs intelligently, focusing the action and balancing it out with a powerful narrative.

Audio

A DD 5.1 track is on offer, and the surrounds are used well, although the majority of the action comes from the crisp and clear main audio stream, due to the nature of the film. There are no compression signs evident, and the music adds to the proceedings well.

The script is adapted well, and although I haven`t read the book, from what I`ve read it seems to have been a good page to screen transition. The first act is good - it sets the scene well, before moving onto an excellent second act: where the tension builds and the characters become more developed. Unfortunately, the third act is a bit of a disappointment - it is predictable and not executed as well as what preceeded it.

Features

This contains a fair few extras:

Director`s Commentary - a good commentary from Gillian Armstrong. It`s not the best commentary ever, but good enough for some insight into the production.

Deleted Scenes - a selection of scenes that weren`t included in the final cut, with their timecodes still attached. Adds to the characters somewhat, but you can see why they were axed.

Cast & Crew Interviews - 25 minutes worth of interviews with the main players, director, producer, screenwriter and even Sebastian Faulks himself. A good insight, and although contains a bit of backslapping, it isn`t as bad as other interviews on other discs.

Interview With Gillian Armstrong - an interview solely with the director, that clocks in at just over 10 minutes. Fortunately it doesn`t tread on the same ground as the interviews above, and she adds her comments, and she adds them well.

Interview With Cate Blanchett - a 10 minute interview, with her explaining just how she landed the part, and her thoughts on the film. Again, good.

Behind Enemy Lines: The Real Charlotte Gray`s - ah, the gem of the package. This is a 50 minute documentary telling the story of real SOE agents, featuring interviews with them and footage of them at work from the 40`s. Every minute is interesting, and complements the main feature well.

Featurette - a 4 minute piece of PR fluff re-hashing soundbites from the interviews. Only bonus? A bit of on-set footage. Worth watching? Not really...

Featurette - a 3 and a bit minute look at the village set used in the film. Interesting, but needs a serious bit of beefing up.

TV Spots - a handful of advertising spots.

Theatrical Trailer - just like every other trailer...

The menus are animated well with music in the background, and what appears to be a slightly cheap animated sequence!

Charlotte Gray is presented in a black Amaray case with a booklet containg chapter listings.

Conclusion

A testament to the success of Film Four before uptight Channel 4 executives pulled the plug, Charlotte Gray is a good romantic thriller, and the Second World War backdrop fits the action well. It`s downfall? Slightly predictable, and a slightly anti-climaxed ending.

Disc wise, this package is excellent - it is presented well, just what one would expect from a modern-day DVD, and the extras are very comprehensive and beat many Hollywood outings.

Overall, well worth a rent, and I myself recommend this as a good purchase for fans of the romance, thriller or war genres. Now let`s all raise a glass to Film Four - they`ve served us well...