Charlotte Gray

Director: Gillian Armstrong
(2001)

A brave, intelligent woman recruited into the French Resistance during World War II initially joins to search for her missing British lover whose plane crashed in a small French town. After meeting communist Billy Crudup and becoming involved in the protection of two Jewish boys, Cate Blanchett's leading lady gets a change of heart and becomes involved in the fight to defeat the Nazis. While admittedly far-fetched in places, this gorgeously photographed film benefits greatly from the commanding portrayals of Blanchett and Crudup but also from a fine, understated turn by Michael Gambon as Crudup’s father. Notable for its depiction of a female heroine in World War II, the film will appeal to women more than men and is compelling and well-made, despite requirements placed on viewers to greatly suspend disbelief when dealing with some of the film’s convenient coincidences and plot twists.